───────────────⋆˖☽ ​𝑪𝒖𝒓𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑫𝒂𝒓𝒌 ☾˖⋆───────────────

The silence wasn’t empty – it sat on my chest like a weight, humming with a hard, fragile tension. Emeric’s stare was a physical blow, but I refused to break. I met his hatred with a challenge carved from my own pain.

“Why?” The word was a raw scrape of sound from my bruised throat. “Why did you attack me?”

A laugh tore from his throat, short and sharp. “Why?” His gaze flickered to Mikaeus, a silent indictment, before snapping back to me. “Because you attacked Zarina.”

“And breaking into my room to kill me in my sleep is rational?” My voice cracked, disbelief warring with fury.

“There is no reason in your eyes, just madness,” he retorted, his voice dropping to a cool, lethal calm. “You’ll attack anyone, any dragon. You don’t belong here. You are a disease, and you will be the downfall of us all.”

“That is enough!” Mikaeus’s palm slapped the table, the sharp crack silencing the room. He turned to me, genuine sorrow in his eyes. “I am sorry.” His gaze fell to the polished floor as if it held the answers he lacked.

“Sorry?” I thrust my battered arm in Emeric’s direction, the motion sending a fresh bolt of agony through me. “Are you sorry that this man attacked me? Or are you sorry that you dragged me to this forsaken place to begin with?”

“For both,” Mikaeus murmured, his voice so quiet it was nearly swallowed by the oppressive silence. He still wouldn’t look at me.

“Then send me back,” I demanded, my patience shredded.

“No,” Emeric cut in, his voice hard as forged steel. “We can’t send you back. You are a hunter. A threat to be neutralized.”

I leveled a glare at him that could have chipped stone. “I will leave you alone on one condition: stay out of human lands. Stop burning villages.”

A harsh, incredulous laugh exploded from him. “Us? Burn villages? You’re not just a killer, you’re delusional. We protect all humans.”

“Maybe you try,” I shot back, “but those monsters you call your friends? They slaughter the innocent for sport.”

“Enough!” Mikaeus’s voice was a blade. “This is a circle that leads nowhere. Emeric, you will apologize to her.”

“For what?” Emeric’s hands flew up, palms open in exasperation. “Did she apologize to you? To Zarina? No!”

“I don’t expect her to,” Mikaeus replied, his calm a stark contrast to Emeric’s fire. “Not yet.”

“That famous patience of yours is going to get you killed, Mikaeus. You insist on seeing good where there is only rot.”

“I can handle myself,” Mikaeus said, a weary edge sharpening his tone. “We have been over this.”

I watched them, the focus of their argument shifting from me to an old, deep wound between them.

“No, you went over it,” Emeric corrected, his voice low and venomous. “It was your decision. Yours alone.”

My finger began to tap a frantic rhythm against my leg. They were speaking in riddles, hiding truths behind vague warnings.

“There are currents moving in the dark, Emeric,” Mikaeus said. “You only see the surface.”

“Then tell me!” The words burst from me, raw and desperate, silencing them both.

Mikaeus turned, and his golden eyes seemed to peel back the anger on my face to see the raw hurt underneath. “I told you before, Alanah. It is something you must see for yourself. You are not ready.”

“How can I be ready for something I know nothing about?” I challenged. “If you would just explain—”

“No.” The word was soft, yet it landed with the weight of a mountain, a stone wall dropping between us. “My answer is final. We are here to resolve what happened tonight. Nothing more.”

“This is ridiculous.” The frustration was a physical thing, clawing its way up my throat. “He tried to kill me, and he won’t even apologize. He’s no better than a monster.” Emeric’s jaw tightened, his knuckles turning white where he gripped his knee.

The anger drained away, replaced by a glacial chill as the reality of the night hit me with its full, horrifying force. I almost died. The thought echoed in the sudden silence of my mind. He had meant to kill me.

My hands found each other, fingers locking in a desperate grip. “I don’t trust any of this,” I said, my voice shaking slightly. I focused on Mikaeus, who still refused to meet my eyes. “You want to resolve this? How?”

I shifted my weight, and a searing pain lanced up my side. I clenched my jaw, a gasp trapped behind my teeth, fighting to keep the agony from my face.

“I don’t,” Emeric snarled, his eyes locking back onto mine, hot and furious.

I couldn’t stop the ghost of a smirk that pulled at my lips. It was a mistake.

In a blur of contained fury, Emeric was on his feet. But Mikaeus moved with the impossible speed of a striking Glimcoil, planting himself between us like a living shield. He shoved the heel of his hand into Emeric’s chest, and the larger man stopped as if he’d hit a wall.

“Sit. Down. Now,” Mikaeus seethed through clenched teeth. “And you will apologize.”

For a tense heartbeat, Emeric’s murderous gaze remained locked on me. Then, with a shudder that wracked his entire frame, his shoulders slumped. He sank back into the chair, defeated. He tore his eyes from me, glaring at Mikaeus. “Fine. I’m sorry.” The words were spat from his mouth, utterly devoid of sincerity. “Happy?”

“No,” Mikaeus said, his voice a low growl. “An apology is not enough. You will promise this will never happen again.”

Emeric shot him a look of pure venom. Then his shoulders sagged further, and his eyes fell to the floor.

A promise means nothing, I thought, the bitterness a poison on my tongue. Words are air.

“I… promise.” The words were a strained whisper, the sound of a blade breaking. “It won’t… happen again.” He hunched forward, a portrait of coiled rage and complete surrender.

“Good.” Mikaeus finally turned to me, his expression softening with exhaustion. “You have nothing to fear from him, Alanah.”

I simply tilted my head, letting my silence speak my disbelief.

“He will not break his word,” Mikaeus said, as if trying to convince himself as much as me.

There was no point in arguing. My body was a map of pain, my throat felt like it was lined with sand, and all I wanted was for them to be gone. I need my bow. And I need to get out of this place.

Sighing, Mikaeus dropped his head into his hands, rubbing his temples. “It’s been a long night. We will speak more in the morning.” He lowered his hands, his golden eyes finally meeting mine. “You are safe for tonight, Alanah. Emeric, you’re with me.”

Emeric shot me one last look of undiluted hatred before rising. Each step he took toward the door was heavy with resentment. Mikaeus stood as well. “Goodnight, Alanah.”

I didn’t answer, offering only a stiff, formal nod. I listened to their footsteps fade down the hall. The click of the latch was a final sound. A cell door locking.

Alone.

My mind raced, a frantic torrent of questions with no answers. My fingers dug into the fabric of the chair. I forced them to relax, then slowly raised a hand to my throat. Even the slightest brush of my fingertips sent a spiderweb of agony down my neck.

I hate this place. The thought was a cold, hard stone in my gut. I have to leave. Or burn it to the ground on my way out. They needed me for something, that much was clear. But what?

Gritting my teeth, I pushed myself to my feet and limped to the window. They wouldn’t just let me go. If I ran, they would hunt me.

The rain had stopped. Below, silhouetted against a sky of bruised purple, were strange, elegant spires, the distant teeth of mountains, and the vast, black mirror of water. I was trapped.

I turned from the window, my eyes scanning the room for anything that could be a weapon. My gaze landed on a heavy, bronze candle holder on the nightstand. I picked it up. The metal was cool and solid, its weight a small comfort in my hand. This will have to do. I slipped it under my pillow and eased my aching body onto the bed.

As if on cue, a shadow fell over the room, eclipsing the dim light from the window. I looked up to see a shape so vast it blotted out the stars—the silhouette of a dragon, its wings spanning the sky as it swept silently past. A cold shiver traced its way down my spine.

And I am in the heart of their nest.

──────────────────◯ ☽ ◑ ● ◐ ❨ ◯──────────────────