Free Web NovelChapter 380: What Will You Do?
Rhydian;
I give her hand a reassuring squeeze before standing up, and this time, she doesn’t try to stop me again.
She won’t.
Because she wants the same thing.
Truth.
I walk away with my heart heavy, but my mind steady.
Tonight... tonight is the night I put an end to it.
***
By the time the sun starts to set, Gravemaw is unrecognisable.
The work is done. The decorations are in place. lanterns hang from beams and branches, waiting to be lit. Tables are lined with food, barrels tapped and ready. The entire kingdom hums with anticipation, like a breath being held before something larger.
I move through it all without drawing attention.
I’ve always been good at that.
Helping where needed, carrying things... Saying just enough to avoid questions and letting people assume I’m part of the rhythm instead of something outside it.
However, I’m not part of it tonight.
Not really.
Tonight has a purpose, and it isn’t celebration.
I see her again more than once.
Always at a distance... Always where she can be seen without needing to be noticed.
She never comes near me.
She’s careful.
Which I commend...
That means he’s careful. It means he’s thinking, and that makes this more interesting.
Igma stays moving, too, but I notice the way she positions herself now. Not close. Never close. But always within my line of sight. Always aware.
We haven’t spoken to each other since our interaction this morning.
We don’t need to.
The plan is already in motion.
Night falls properly, and with it, the festival begins.
Lanterns are lit one by one, soft golden light spreading across Gravemaw until the entire place glows like it’s a city of gold. Music rises from the square as drums set a rhythm that people fall into without thinking.
Voices lift in songs, cheers and gossip. Laughter grows louder. Movement becomes looser... freer.
It looks like a celebration.
It feels like one, too, if you don’t know what tonight means to me.
I take a drink when it’s handed to me.
Then another... and another.
I need the liquid strength to do what needs to be done tonight.
I let my movements loosen as the alcohol washes over my stiff joints.
So much has been on my mind lately, I haven’t stopped to think about how heavy my heart is.
So much is going on at once, and I feel like a bug in the face of it all.
Here, we’re being toyed with by a disgusting, despicable creature vile enough to steal another person’s entire identity.
Somewhere else, Elian is pregnant with Koda, and Koda is with him now...
I can’t return to the capital because Koda entrusted me with looking after this place in his absence.
I swipe a pouch of alcohol from the nearby table and begin to take long, deep swigs.
I didn’t know I wouldn’t be able to stop the moment I started drinking. But my heart needs it.
As I lower the bottle, I see Igma staring at me with large, panicked eyes.
Oh, right. I’m not supposed to be drinking this much.
Ah... fuck it. I need the booze.
My balance shifts dangerously before correcting itself, and that’s my sign to stop drinking. My focus blurs at the edges when people speak to me. I manage to answer them, making sure to speak little and not expose that I’m already floating.
I’ve seen men drunk enough times to know how to wear it. And I wear it well. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
Of course I do. I have to. Our plan is dependent on that.
Someone says something I don’t fully catch, but I laugh anyway. I clap him on the shoulder fondly, and I lean in slightly heavier than I should when I move past.
I don’t rush my movements. That would ruin it.
I let the act settle in slowly until it stops being questioned.
I let a few more minutes pass, and when I know it’s time for me to take my leave, I slip away from the crowd.
I struggle to stand straight, and my legs drag, but I keep moving.
I greet people as they walk past me, with my bottle still in hand.
I need air. I’ve had too much.
No one stops me from leaving.
Why would they?
It’s a festival. People drift... They go to find a quieter place for their heads to stop banging when they’re drunk.
And I need that now.
I move toward the edge of the square, into the woods, with the warmth fading slightly with each step.
The music dulls into something distant as I leave the main square behind.
The trees begin where the lanterns end, and quiet darkness embraces me.
I step into it without hesitation.
The ground changes under my sandals, softer, uneven, with the scent of damp earth replacing the heavy sweetness of the festival.
I go far enough. Deep enough that the noise behind me becomes irrelevant.
Then I stop.
I lean one hand against the trunk of a tree, letting my head dip slightly as I try to catch my balance.
My breathing is uneven and slow.
The laboured breathing of a hopeless drunk.
The hairs on my skin rise, and suddenly, I feel it.
That presence. Closer now.
No longer watching from a distance... But following.
There’s a shift in the air behind me. It’s subtle. Controlled... Confident.
My shoulders slacken slightly in exhaustion.
This is not a good situation for me.
I’m drunk, alone and easy.
I shut my eyes as I feel the warmth of the wine flow through me. Forcing relaxation into every rigid muscle of my body. A moan escapes me as I roll my head, releasing the stiffness in my neck.
I can feel him getting closer. Every slow, ’careful’ step he takes toward me, I can hear and feel.
But I wait...
Because the next move— is his.
He finally has me in the palm of his hands...
What are you going to do, Bram?
