Page 56 of A Fate in Flames

Nothing.

“Zaheera,” I called again, my patience razor-thin.

Then, I felt it.A nail scraping against the walls of my mind, both invasive and familiar.Good.She was here.Her presence shifted through my thoughts like smoke, curling around the corners of my consciousness.

“How do I find the stone?”I demanded.

“Patience.”

I bit back a growl.

She hummed in amusement—flowing around my mind like ripples in still water.

“You think they’ll let you wander freely?You must play your part well.”

“What am I supposed to do?”

“Tell me what happened,” she urged instead.“What has made you feel this way?I can sense your frustration, your mind a web of tangled emotions.”

“I messed up,” I admitted.“I didn’tbowimmediately and was forced to meet with him and his pet, which funnily enough, liked me.Buthim…he hated me.Looked at me like I was a pest—”

“His pet ‘liked you’?” I winced at the sudden intensity of her focus.

“Well… I think so,” I said, pacing again, unable to remain still.“Who actually fucking cares whenhehated me?If anything, he hated me even more when he saw the snake’s reaction to me!”

“Interesting.” She mused.

What did that mean?She was quiet for a while.I thought she’d left me until the warmth shifted like a breeze in my skull.

“This is the part where you help me, you know?”I said, sinking onto the edge of my bed.I probably looked downright insane, talking to myself in an empty room.“You said to call when I needed you and well…I need you.”

“I know that this is all intimidating to you,” she said.“Thatheis intimidating.But you must stay strong.Your defiance is your weapon.Do not break in fear—thrive among them.Show yourself untouched, unafraid of them and their ways.Be strong and gain their trust.”

I snorted, the sound harsh in the quiet room.Whose trust was I supposed to gain?Jasila, who only seemed to relish in my suffering?Dalkhan, who looked at me like I was nothing more than an insect to be crushed beneath his heel?

“I think you chose the wrong person to do this,” I whispered, the responsibility crushing down on me.

A light chuckle grazed my mind.“I did not choose—”she paused.“Fate brought your mother to me when the world needed her most.”

Fuck fate.The thought was sharp and unforgiving.

Before I could ask for more help or at least gain some knowledge on how I was supposed to complete this impossible task, she left.All that remained was the ghostly caress that did nothing to soothe the chaos churning inside me.

The door swung open.

Theo and Tavrik strode in and my frustration—all the fear and humiliation and confusion—snapped like an overtightened bowstring.

“Knock next time,” I spat, springing to my feet.My hands clenched into fists at my sides.“Don’t justassumeI want to talk—that I want tolisten.” My voice cracked.

They exchanged a startled glance, but before I could completely unravel—before the tears at the corners of my eyes could fall, Theo closed the distance between us.

He pulled me firmly against his chest, one hand cradling the back of my head and the other wrapped securely around my waist.He didn’t ask, didn’t prod, he simply held me—offered his strength when mine was failing.

I exhaled, letting my head rest against him.

“Did we miss something?”Tavrik asked.“Did someone hurt you?”

I pulled away from Theo, rubbing the back of my neck.