Talent’s POV

Talent was in his room, sitting on the large, cushy, blue couch. The curtains over his window were pulled open and he could see the garden, lush with flowers of every color, and the large tree which held the nest of black footed razor wings.

The babies had all gone, but the mothered remained. She seemed to be in ill health, unable to leave her nest or hunt for her own food, yet none of the young returned to help her. It occurred to Talent that he’d never seen the father. Perhaps he was out on his own, hunting and bringing food to the mother bird. It was possible, but he’d never seen the bird return and the mother looked to be starving.

He could hear her chirps as she begged for help or food, but all had abandoned her. After she’d dedicated herself to her young, they’d forgotten their mother. He couldn’t help but to compare the razor wing to his own mother, especially now their fates seemed so similar. This bird at least would die eventually and its suffering would end, but his mother would suffer eternally.

That should have made him feel better, but the bird didn’t deserve such suffering it had fulfilled it’s duty, unlike his mother. It had done everything it was supposed to and more. His mother had done only what she wanted. That was when a brilliant plan formed in Talent’s mind. He would save the bird. Perhaps the bird would appreciate his efforts, maybe she would become like a loyal pet. Or at least, that’s how he rationalized his actions. In truth, he was not entirely sure what compelled him to action to save that bird, but he knew he had to find her some food.

Talent had no idea what a black footed razor wing ate, but he knew that the birds were large, so he thought she was at least a carnivore. He didn’t feel like going all the way out to the wilds to hunt an animal for the bird, so he decided to try something simpler. There should be some raw meat down in the kitchen. He would just need to go down and get some. It should be simple enough, he might even bump into Mila on his way. That thought alone was enough to bring a smile to his face.

Talent walked out of his room and down the hall. The sound of his steps echoed through the halls, his soft shoes barely making any sound, but the stone floors carried the sound of his steps, amplifying them and turning them into a steady rhythm that was almost pleasant to hear.

Talent was in such a good mood that he’d nearly forgotten about the ant. He hadn’t seen the boy since the incident in the yard and his father had stopped inquiring about him. Talent was not sure what the boy was up to, but it didn’t matter. He was a nobody, a commoner who got lucky and his luck was bound to run out eventually.

As he neared an open door, a familiar voice stopped him in his tracks.

“Please, I’m telling you, Talent has tried to kill me twice now. You have to talk to him, you have to convince him to stop!” The ant pleaded.

Talent couldn’t see him, but the voice was unmistakable.

It was true he’d tried to kill the boy once, but only once. He regretted that he could not resist that damned ant’s order.

“I know he doesn’t like you, but what you’re saying… it’s not possible. No one could alter a spell as you cast it, except for you.”

The second voice was Mila and she sounded concerned, worried for the boy, and Talent couldn’t stand it. How dare she worry for him. She was Talent’s, that was the way it had to be.

The ant replied, “It wasn’t that I was casting it wrong, I did everything right, I…I…”

Talent could not believe it, the ant was blaming him for his own incompetence?

Mila said, “Maybe you should just talk with him, I can go with you if you want. I don’t think he would be bold enough to attack you like that in front of me.”

Stolen novel; please report.

Talent was furious, his hands clenched and he felt his heart racing. How could she defend him like that, as if he were the one that was weak?

The ant sighed, “He already attacked me in front of magistrate Sandra, why wouldn’t he do the same again, especially if I’m confronting him?”

“Everyone knows Talent isn’t good with combat. He’s very skilled, but he freezes up in the face of conflict and even if he somehow overcame that to harm you, he definitely wouldn’t do so with both us there. But honestly, I really don’t think he did what you’re suggesting. It just isn’t like him.”

The ant scoffed. “But he did, he—”

Talent had enough. He pushed the door open, bursting in to see Mila sitting at the end of the ant’s bed. They were close, too close, and both of looked at him like an intruder. That was enough to make Talent’s blood boil. He wanted to lash out, he wanted to kill the ant and take Mila for himself.

Mila stood, stepping away from the ant and asked, “Talent, why are you here?”

Talent had no answer for her, not that he could give. He couldn’t even admit to himself that he’d come this way with the hope of seeing her. She would think him weak and foolish and the ant would surely mock him. No, he couldn’t admit that was his intention. “I heard you talking, so I came in. You’re both saying that I tried to kill the ant, and I couldn’t just let that go without defending myself.”

The ant was silent, but his eyes spoke of defiance. Talent wanted nothing more than to rip those eyes from his face. How dare the ant look at him like that, as if he was the one in the wrong. He should be grateful for Talent’s restraint. Talent could kill him at any time, yet he had been merciful, and now the ant had the audacity to falsely accuse him. Talent could not let that stand.

Mila answered him softly, her voice soothing but lacking the affection Talent longed for. “I’m not accusing you, and Dominant is just worried. He doesn’t know what happened and he is trying to figure it out. I was explaining to him that—”

“I heard your explanation and excuses. You were entertaining his lunacy.”

Mila shook her head. “I was just—”

“What do I have to do to make you see that he is an ant and doesn’t belong with us?”

Mila sighed and Dominant sat on the bed, staring at them both in silence.

She said, “I can’t answer that, and I’m not trying to pick sides. I’m just trying to help.”

“Help who?” Talent snapped, “Help him? Help me? Or are you just trying to help yourself?”

Mila looked away. Her hands clenched and her eyes were glistening with tears.

“Tell me.” Talent demanded, “You’re trying to help yourself, trying to get the ant to like you? You think he’ll replace me as the heir and then if he closed you, you’ll be the new lord’s wife.”

“No,” Mila whispered, her voice barely audible.

Talent knew it was wrong, but he couldn’t help himself. “Then you must be trying to help him, you think he’ll protect you from my family, but you’re wrong, he can’t do that. He can’t give back what you lost and if he’s afraid of me, he’ll never be able to stand against my father!”

“No! I…” Mila’s voice was a little stronger but it broke off and the tears began to flow from her eyes. “I was just trying to help you, both of you, to get along. I don’t know why Dominant’s spells are failing, but they are. He is a judge but his spells fail in unpredictable and dangerous ways. I don’t know why and I was just trying to help him figure it out.”

Talent understood. He should have backed off and let it go, but she called the fucking any a judge! How could she acknowledge him like that? How dare she call him that. He wasn’t a judge, not really, not in the way that Talent was. The ant was a nobody, and his magic was a fluke, a trick, a cheat! “He’s a fucking ant!”

“Don’t call him that.” Mila snapped, and Talent felt his heart break.

She was defending him, defending the ant.

“I know you don’t like him, but you don’t have to be so cruel.”

Talent wanted to yell, to lash out, to scream. He wanted to tell her it wasn’t fair, that he was the heir, not the ant. He was the one she should care about. His heart thumped so hard he was sure they could hear it and his thoughts were confused, dark, and chaotic. Talent needed air. He had to get away from them both.

He turned to leave, storming out and slamming the door behind him. Then, as he hurried down the hall, he heard the ant say, “Thank you.”

The words were soft and simple, but they enraged Talent more than he thought possible. The audacity of that ant to speak to his Mila, to thank her. It was too much, but Talent could not go back and confront them. He had to leave.

He ran to his room, slamming that door shut as well, then he locked it.

He was panting and his cheeks were damp with tears.

How could Mila do that to him? How could the ant thank her for defending him? They were betraying him. The ant was stealing his birthright and his father and Mila were letting him.

Something had to be done. Talent needed to take back his life and the only way to do that was to kill the ant. He would not make the same mistakes again. Next time, he would kill the ant, no matter the consequences.