Page 151 of A Fate in Flames

Kaseer pressed a hand to his chest, his head falling back in mock agony.“Your words cut deeper than any blade, Elira.”His free hand was already reaching for the pitcher, liquid sloshing dangerously as he refilled his cup to the brim.

Theo’s eyebrows rose toward his hairline.“Good thing you have wine to numb the pain.”

“Don’t worry about me, pretty boy.”Kaseer’s grin was pure trouble, but his gaze flickered to the throne.The shift was subtle, but his shoulders straightened, and his eyes tightened.“Wine is merely liquid courage, and—” another glance toward Dalkhan, this one loaded with meaning, “looks like we’re going to need it.”

Tavrik’s fork froze halfway to his mouth.“Some of us don’t need liquid courage to function.”

Kaseer took another long sip from his cup.“Oh, how very noble of you.Tell me, does that stick up your ass come naturally, or do you have to practice?”

Theo laughed, sharp and bright, his hand slapping the table hard enough to make the platters jump.

As the night unfolded around us, Kaseer’s stories flowed like water from a spring—tales of distant lands, impossible adventures, and questionable encounters with creatures that may or may not have crawled out of his imagination.Despite the laughter that rose from our table like incense, I remained painfully aware of the presence across the room.

Every so often, it pressed against me, a heaviness between my shoulder blades.The sensation of being watched, wanted, and despised all at once.Each time I dared a glance towards the throne, I found only the hard line of his profile, his attention absorbed by whatever Iznia whispered in his ear.

Then the energy in the room drained.Conversations died mid-sentence as Dalkhan rose from his throne.Every head bowed as he moved, mine included.

He passed our table.

Nothing.Not a pause, not even a glance.

It hurt worse than if he’d driven a knife between my ribs.

I was still heaving for air, my hand scraping against my neck when Zaheera slipped through my mind like smoke through cracks.She hadn’t spoken to me since my last encounter with Dalkhan, and her silence was like a knot of disappointment in my gut.Not just in my inability to stay away, but for the countless times she had warned me, so gently, not to fall for him.

It had been nine days since I’d thrown lies in his face.Nine days since he’d looked at me.Nine days of never-ending torment that had carved hollows under my eyes and turned my stomach into a pit of bubbling tar.

I knew what Zaheera was about to say before she even formed the words.

I still hadn’t found the stone.I’d barely been given the opportunity to look for it, and even if I had, I wouldn’t have been of any use.My mood had been declining, frustration at the forefront of my conscious like a curse poisoning every thought.Mira had taken us on walks but remained glued at my side.We’d gone to the library, the pits—still no bathing house—and back to the markets, all while she watched me like I might crumble to dust.

“Well?” Zaheera’s voice sliced through my skull like a sharp nail drawn across bone.

I twisted my fingers into my hair, tugging until my scalp burned.

“I’m trying…” The lie tasted bitter, and I hoped to the Heavens she couldn’t taste it too.

“Are you?Because from where I sit, it looks like you are wallowing.”

“I’m not wallowing,” I snapped.“I’m—”

“Pining.Brooding.Wasting precious time on a man who won’t even look at you.”

Each word hit like a fist to the face.Though she hadn’t spoken to me in days, it was clear she could feel me.Seeme.

Something cracked within my chest.

“You don’t understand—”

“I understand perfectly.You’re choosing him over saving your realm.Over saving yourself.”

“That’s not—” my voice broke, and I had to swallow before continuing.“That’s not what I’m doing.”

“Then prove it.Stop hiding behind grief and guilt.The vision grows clearer now.”

Confusion flooded me.“What does that mean?”

“The sharper the vision becomes, the closer we are to its fulfilment.We do not have much time left.” Her words fell like the blows of a hammer, each one driving me deeper into panic.