The pinks and purples of the castle faded into the clinical whites and grays of the training walls. Immediately, Cove’s grip on my arm fell away, and Ranch and Ani forced their way out of our grips and onto the floor, purring. The air smelled fresh and sweet, far more relaxing than the bitter twang of iron and sweat.
I yawned. Cove echoed the motion seconds later, his fingers going slightly slack around the book. I eyed it and him curiously, wondering at its power. It had, after all, been powerful enough to trap even Cove within its story. Sensing the weight of my gaze, Cove pulled the book away from where he’d tucked it against his chest. He trailed his fingers along the spine for a moment before snatching his fingers out and yanking the book down as though he’d been burned.
“Are you not going to test it?” I wondered, running through all the possibilities. I questioned how much of its power remained after the fragment had left.
Cove shook his head violently. “Initially, I wanted to, but I think I’ll go ahead and hand it over to father. I don’t want to…”
He didn’t want to risk turning out like his mother. Once again, fear was overriding his actions. I opened my mouth to say something, hopefully pushing him into getting over this block. At his lost and determined look, however, I recalled his explosion back on the ship and snapped it shut, trying to keep the peace for once.
Cove mistook my actions as another yawn. His eyes flicked up to the clock on the wall, and he wince, the bags under his eyes stark against the bright internal lighting. “There’s no point in staying–not even father will be up this late. Go home and sleep, and we’ll hand this over,” he balanced the spine against the palm of his hand, lifting the book, “with our verbal report in the morning. Just text me once you’re awake.”
Sleep sounded terrific, but I couldn’t help but think of the powerful book Cove held so carelessly in his hands. Now that it was within reach, I couldn’t sleep without seeing what it could do. Intending to conduct a brief test, I reached out, palms up. “May I?”
Cove recoiled as though I’d smacked him across the face. His empty hand twitched defensively, and I watched his body language cautiously, fearing retaliation. Once a little color had returned to his face, he turned around and said, “I think you’ve done enough.” His knuckles were pale against the book.
“What does that mean?” I demanded, taking a step forward. The temperature of the room dropped, and I smelled the faintest hint of salt. Ani pressed himself against my legs in silent support as Ranch did the same for Cove.
The words and emotions boiled over his lips in a torrent, loud and bubbling, “We’re supposed to be better. But you did the exact same thing that witch did!”
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
“It was not the same.”
Cove scoffed, squaring his shoulders. “You killed the king and placed Shahrazad on the throne. Sounds the same to me.”
The words struck deep inside me, burning like fire through my veins. My hands shook with rage and the aftershocks of adrenaline. “Shahrazad would have been executed against the original outcome of the story. If anything, I kept the story on its proper path,” I explained, my voice traitorously uneven. The words I’d withheld earlier came seeping out unbidden. “Something you’d see if you weren’t blinded by your phobia and blustering through things! We might not have been in that situation in the first place if you’d only paused and used that brain of yours for half a second!”
My words hung in the air momentarily before my mouth kept running. The poisonous words continued to pour out of me, swatting away Cove’s chance at retaliation. I’d honed and developed the art of verbal engagements over time, a way of protecting myself when I couldn’t simply punch my problems away. I often got the last word in, watching my enemy stalk away, voiceless and defeated. This time would be no different, and I focused on Cove’s weakest point. “Besides, you did the exact same thing to the Mayor.”
As soon as the words left my lips, I realized that was the source of his entire problem with Zenith Online.
Cove’s face slammed shut, and he took a glacial step forward. The scent of sea salt was overwhelming, and the pressure was almost knee-buckling.
I swallowed. At my feet, Ani growled.
“Jack killed him,” Cove insisted, his voice leaving no room for arguments.
I argued anyway, pushing past my fear like Cove needed to learn to do. “Perhaps. But you tried to. And that’s just it, isn’t it? You’re realizing that no matter how much you try to be otherwise, you’re still Ava’s son. And that terrifies you.
“So you insist on not interfering while you rush through the situation and make things far worse than they would have been otherwise. But instead of admitting that to yourself, you take it out on me. You’re the one who has ‘done enough,’” I said, shoving past him.
As I turned out the door, I saw Cove’s face and nearly stumbled.
I had won this fight and shattered his composure. Yet, where pride should have been, I felt nothing. Even as I attempted and succeeded in accessing the inventory, I felt no joy in the convenience.
I changed and headed home, thinking of Cove standing shattered in the training room and feeling like I was the true loser of this fight.