Page 20 of The Heart of Nym (The Twisted Roots Duology #1)

If it hadn't been for her, none of this would have happened. He would have been able to handle the drunk and cease the rumors that were starting to spread, but he'd allowed himself to get distracted, his mind racing with everything she said.

He watched her with Oran, saw how obedient she was, how she brushed and batted her eyes whenever he touched her—

Gods, it shouldn't have been this way. He shouldn't have felt that way about seeing her with his brother. Everything she said to him was just making the truth harder to bear.

Aziel cursed under his breath, blinking at the spot where one of his Runners was once slumped against the wall. He hadn't planned on killing the bastard, anyway, but he wanted to make sure the man remembered to keep his mouth shut about anything regarding Mystics. The bastard got away.

Nymiria misread things. Of course. And granted, he hadn't given her the best impression of who he was, so she probably believed that he was going to torture someone in broad daylight in the middle of an alley.

How would she know that he wasn't going to gut the little shit?

He let out a rough sigh, dragging his gloved hand over the disheveled silver locks of hair.

He found comfort leaning against the building at his back, closing his eyes to ease the throbbing that was starting to form behind them.

"My darling boy, what's got you looking so down?" The voice from the shadows didn't scare him. Instead, it sparked a feeling of greater annoyance.

Slamming his head into the wall seemed like a good thing to do. Trio showing up at a time like this was expected, but not favored, nor was it appreciated. "I was interrupted." Aziel grumbled.

"And that is why you're standing in a back alley, sulking and pouting?" Trio cocked his head to one side and tisked. "It's better not to lie about your feelings."

"I don't want to talk about my feelings. And I'm not pouting, I'm thinking."

Trio let out a small laugh before leaning next to Aziel, observing the assassin's features. "I clearly see a pout." He sighed.

"Stop looking at me." He shoved at Trio's chest, both of them chuckling as they started towards the mass of shadows that loomed in the corner. "We've got a lot of ground to cover today and I have to be back in time for dinner."

It didn't make any sense. In all of the time Trio had known Aziel, dinner had never been much of a concern for him.

In fact, they would usually spend all hours of the day as far away from the palace as possible.

But understanding Aziel's motives was always a battle one was predestined to lose.

His plans and his tactics didn't always make sense until everything unfurled in front of them.

Trio could only assume that there was some greater picture than what he was not seeing just yet.

Judging by his horrible attitude, it was a conversation for another time.

Stepping into the shadows, Aziel held his breath.

The harsh sting of Trio's magic ripped across his skin, encompassing him until the icy-cold burn of it was all that he could feel.

The world around them blackened, their senses obscured.

He continued walking, using Trio's form as a guide in the darkness until the shadows opened into a forest. Aziel looked at the thorned vines that surrounded them and reached into the pocket of his jacket, pulling out a mask that covered every part of his head, save for his eyes.

Trio let out a sigh and did the same, both them exchanging a quick nod before they stepped into the Choking Vines.

The vines were alive. Not in the way that Aziel or Trio were alive, but they had minds and they had motives—to capture and drain the life out of anything that their thorns touched.

It was said that one drop of blood from their prey could drive them mad with insatiable thirst, that they would root their ways through the soil and dig through the earth to find the person they pricked.

Not many believed that it was true, but Aziel had seen it happen first-hand.

He'd watched, as a young and tortured boy, as the vines plunged in and out of a soldier's body.

He watched the thorns tear through the soldier's skin and squeeze him until his body splintered into hundreds of tiny, fragmented pieces.

So, they covered every inch of their bodies. Because one brush of their skin and they would be dead. The vines did not discriminate, nor did they listen to begging. No amount of pleas could keep them from doing the job they were enchanted to do: protect the Beyond.

Aziel clenched his fists, watching closely as the vines slithered and contorted like snakes, weaving their way around one another. Surely, they scented them already. Still, the men pushed through, dodging the vines that swiped for their ankles and their shoulders.

The Choking Vines were all that remained of the Beyond's defenses against the outside world.

In the last ten years, the snarling oaks and tumbling pines had gone entirely extinct, having burned in a fire that consumed one of the most advanced Mystic kingdoms in all of Gaellagh.

Even now, all these years later, Aziel could still smell the charred earth.

There was a distinct smell of earth that had been touched by fire.

Even the plants that grew from the ashes had a different look, a different smell.

They were entirely untouched by the corrupt world on the other side of Yaar's Wander.

The clearing that they were looking at now was the carcass of the Mystic world that once housed the Seelie.

It remained desolate until a few days ago.

Now, it was swarming with families—mothers and children reunited, husbands and wives clinging to one another as they looked around at the temporary homes that Aziel did his best to provide for them.

They were living in tents, but the Mystic occupants were fast and hard workers.

Homes were being built already, wooden structures with thatched roofs blotted their surroundings.

People bustled about, carrying lumber and various supplies that would aid them in construction.

It was a sight to see. One that silenced the vicious darkness that seemed to constantly cloud Aziel's mind.

"What do you think?" Trio sighed, tugging the mask from his head.

Aziel did the same, squinting his eyes against the unfiltered sunlight that cascaded across the manicured grass. "Better than I would have guessed. They work fast, don't they?" They started towards one of the larger cottages, watching as passed by with bundles of flowers.

"As soon as we got them here, they started working. A few are already talking about forming a small band of volunteers to help with defending the land, in case someone stumbles upon this place. They're still worried Dorid will find out."

It was logical. These people had been through too much to be unsuspecting or to think that there weren't any dangers that could arise.

Aziel had fought hard to get the protection that they did have, but it wasn't foolproof.

And despite his hatred for his father, he knew that Dorid was a rather intelligent person.

The slightest inkling that something was happening beyond Yaar's border would send him into a frenzy.

When he purchased the land, he did it under a moniker, disguising himself as a prince he'd met years ago.

Their features were similar enough that the landowner was easily swayed, believing that Aziel was purchasing the land to build him self a leisure home for the summer.

Which was not entirely a lie. In the next few weeks, they would be erecting a larger home that would house the new king of this budding kingdom.

Trio began making his rounds, assisting the new villagers with their chores and tasks as best as he could. Aziel watched him for a moment, smiling fondly before he turned and headed in the direction of the burly man that was barking orders at some of the young ones.

"Listen here, we have six more hours of daylight and I need all of you putting a little more elbow grease into your work.

Raven, stop moping and pick up that ax!" Thorn was a large man—too large to not be a threat.

Appearance aside, he had a soft spot for the young ones.

He taught them how to work hard, but he also loved them.

They were the children that'd lost everything.

All of them had lost parents in the camps, but some of them had lost every single family member they ever had.

"Aziel!" Raven exclaimed. The boy charged for him, slamming himself into Aziel's stomach and squeezing him as tightly as possible. Aziel stiffened. Never good with physical contact unless he was punching something, the assassin lifted his eyes to meet Thorn's, a subtle plea for help.

"Alright, alright. Let the man go, Rave. Some people don't like being hugged."

When he said it like that, it made Aziel hate himself even more. The hatred only grew when he saw Raven's disappointment, the slight frown he wore as he picked up his ax and walked away. Aziel sighed. "You couldn't just let him think that I was alright with it?"

Thorn shook his head. "I'm raising a boy, Aziel. One I expect to grow into a man that respects boundaries. It's a fine line you walk with boys."

"No one raised me and look how I turned out."

"Aye, yes, look how you turned out— just as murderous and bloodthirsty as they come."

Aziel gave a lazy smirk, shrugging as he stuffed his hands into the pockets of his trousers. "I have no issues with accepting someone's boundaries. So, there's that."

A deep laugh sounded from Thorn, his bright green eyes twinkling. "Yes, there is that." He shook his head before looking down at Aziel's hands, his lips forming a tight line. "Did you find her?"