*Briella*
My pulse picked up, and I felt irrational nerves rise to the surface at the thought of eting Alpha Ray. I went into the tiny guest bathroom and washed my face with so cold water to get the redness down and cool myself off.
Water trickled down my face, and my dark hair dripped wet too.
I knew that General Tian was going to be there. Not only did that smarmy man make my skin crawl, but the stress of having to stand up to him and not offend the Alpha also made my stomach churn. I couldn’t get the image of that glassy-eyed woman out of my head. All she wanted to do was to celebrate the end of the plague, and she ended up dead.
It wasn’t fair.
She didn’t deserve to have the one person capable of saving her co up short, which was .
After a year of focusing on learning magic instead of my physical training, my magic still wasn’t strong enough. It was for nothing. I should’ve stuck with my strengths and let Kai handle the magic.
“Hey, Black, you ready? You okay?” Kryzen knocked on the bathroom door. His voice was neutral, but I bristled at the questions.
I didn’t need soone to check up on like that, least of all Kryzen. Whenever we’d play fake-stick fights as kids and rapped each other’s knuckles or got jabbed in the side, it was just a given that we were okay. We’d just announce that we got another point.
“I’m fine.” I ripped open the door, damp hair flying.
Kryzen’s eyes bugged out at , and Roy’s keen eyes darted between us both. I brushed past Kryzen’s arm as I bolted out of the bathroom and across the room to avoid his annoying hovering.
He was acting like a nervous mother coddling her first-born toddler.
“Got it. Well, since you’re... fine, let’s go. It’d be rude to keep the reigning Alpha waiting, right Roy?” Kryzen deadpanned to hide his annoyance. Roy straightened, putting his palms out.
“Decorum would agree, but I’m not stepping a toe into whatever is happening between you two,” the young prince protested.
I didn’t have a problem with Roy, except when he tried to insinuate there was sothing between Kryzen and , so I let it go.
My skin itched for an argunt. I wanted to remark that since this Alpha didn’t take the safety of his citizens seriously, he could wait another ten minutes for us to arrive so I could gather myself, but I let it die.
“Let’s just get this over with,” I grumbled, grabbing my bag from the table and slipping on my shoes.
I ignored the two pairs of eyes burning holes in the back of my head as I swung open the door, blood burning.
“Well? You two were rushing , and now you’re just standing there like statues. Roy, you look especially dumb, like so clueless cal.” All the muscles in my body tightened like steel cables as I stalked away, exasperated.
I heard two heavy boots stomping quickly to catch up to .
“Hey, Black. I know you’ve had a really hard ti, and I get it if you’re angry with because you always are, but don’t take it out on Roy. He’s literally done nothing to you and doesn’t deserve it.” Kryzen rushed up to block my path. I stopped short to avoid running smack into him.
My nostrils flared as I tried to keep all my emotions in. I hated admitting that Kryzen was right, but he was.
“Briella, it’s fine, I’ve been called worse during card gas.” Roy joined us, looking unfazed.
“No, it was uncalled for Roy. My bad. I’m sorry. I’m just tense because I know I screwed up and... I just don’t want to deal with an Alpha who is barely older than I am rubbing my face in it.” I swallowed, my throat thickening.
“Whoa, hold up,” Kryzen put his hand on my shoulder. I shrugged it off, but he still fought to look in the eyes. “You aren’t to bla for what happened. Roy and I will back you up on that to the end.”
“Yeah, that may not do much good.” I scoffed.
“Well, truth be told, if Alpha Ray really thought you were to bla, he’d probably send ard escorts to collect us, so you’re most likely in the clear,” the soft-spoken prince pointed out, disarmingly.
Surprisingly, that made feel a bit better. My muscles loosened, and my posture straightened.
“And this is why I keep you around, Roy,” Kryzen joked, moving around to stop blocking my path. “Always serving the logic.”
“You make sound like a soulless robot sidekick. I think I prefer the cal comparison.” Kryzen’s best friend side-eyed him.
Even I managed a smirk at that comnt, despite my stomach still being in knots.
“Aww no Roy, c’mon, you’re at least an android,” Kryzen ribbed Roy, and he just rolled his eyes.
Kryzen and Roy continued to bicker like kids as we made our way to the Alpha’s palace. I wasn’t offended by being left out of the conversation. I welcod the space and ti to calm down and try to focus on what I was going to say.
Plus, I could feel Kryzen’s burning gaze on my back as I led the way. It irked that he thought he had to look out for , but it strangely reassured that I wasn’t alone, even if it was him. I would’ve killed to have Kai there, but he was needed in Embervale.
And I needed to take responsibility for my failings on my own.
We arrived at the steps of Alpha Ray’s ho. The blue sky and light breeze almost tricked into thinking this would be a pleasant day.
Two mbers of Ray’s pack escorted us to the throne room. I noticed that they weren’t ard beyond a ceremonial saber that most likely hadn’t even been sharpened in months.
Ray sat upon the throne, his cheek propped up on his fisted hand in boredom. He straightened to attention when we entered.
“Ah, you’ve arrived already, excellent. Thank you for coming so quickly. We have much to speak to you about.” Alpha Ray stood up and walked over to us with an urgency in his step.
While I noted the four guards, two at each doorway and one next to the throne, I inwardly sighed in relief that General Tian was nowhere in sight.
“Hello Alpha Ray, we’re glad you’re well,” I greeted.
I rembered that I was representing my people. I knew I couldn’t be sullen, even if all I wanted to do was go back to my room and continue to not exist.
“Yes Alpha Ray, how can we help?” Kryzen spoke up as soon as he got to my side, with Roy flanking on the other side.
“I need to know how you,” Alpha Ray pointed to , and my heart shot to my throat, “Miss Briella Black, managed to get the shadow monster off the late Mrs. Renta.”
Mrs. Renta had a husband and maybe even children. I didn’t just fail her, I failed her family. She probably had siblings. She was also young enough that her parents were probably still alive. My mind wandered to the thought of them having to bury their own daughter because I didn’t stay disciplined.
An elbow to my side jolted out of my spiral.
“I practice Embervailian magic, sir. On the spectrum of magic, it is the purest. That’s how I was able to dispel the shadow creature,” I explained, my pulse thundering in my ears.
All I could hear was the word “failure” repeating in my mind.
“You seem like a master at it. Is it sothing you can teach us?” Alpha Ray’s amber eyes glittered with anticipation and hope.
I shook my head, confused.
“No, I’m far from a master. I’ve only been training at it for a year. Even if I was, I couldn’t teach those who don’t descend from the Embervalian bloodline,” I continued, astonished that Alpha Ray could possibly think I was a master when Mrs. Renta passed away.
“Oh, that makes sense. I’m afraid I don’t know nearly as much about magic as I should,” the Alpha scratched his hand through his head. He looked so young.
It seed impossible that he’d be an Alpha at this age, but it only ant he must have lost both of his parents at a very young age. More guilt drowned at possibly making him feel ignorant in front of his subjects.
“No, this is all my fault. I failed. I’m so so sorry I couldn’t save her. If I had trained more or better...” I stamred, my face heating up again and flushing red.
I ducked my head to hide my visible sha.
I would not cry in front of the Alpha of another kingdom and especially not in front of Kryzen. I hadn’t cried in front of him since I was nine and he beat on a mathematics exam by one point and told I’d never be good at math.
“Whoa, what? Miss Black, you didn’t fail at all. You saved countless other lives. That shadow creature looked like it would stop at nothing to kill us all. Like you just said, we need you here because you succeeded,” Alpha Ray insisted, his glaze level and serious.
“Uh... thank you.” I felt numb, not really processing what I said.
“I formally request that you, Miss Black, Mr. Stormfall, and Prince Roy Crimson remain here in Celestial City and investigate this shadow monster. I want you to figure out everything about them so we can stop them from murdering more of our civilians.” Alpha Ray took my hand in both of his, his eyes lasered into mind.
I blanked for a mont, thinking about Celestial Valley and how I wanted nothing more than to return, see Kai, and check on all the refugees. Celestial City had done nothing but drain .
“We’d be honored to, Alpha Ray,” Roy said, nodding once.
“Yes, we wouldn’t want a repeat of this occurrence, right, Briella?” Kyzen answered to my right. His saying my first na for the first ti in what seed like forever snapped out of my daze.
“Of course, Alpha Ray,” I heard myself say, even though I yearned to just go back to the valley and pretend none of this happened.
“Superb! You can stay in the guest house and enjoy any anities you need. Whatever you need, we will provide.” Alpha Ray’s face lit up. Suddenly, my head filled with white noise.
Kryzen’s and Roy’s voices rged like water in a stream as they responded to the exuberant Alpha. My body lumbered slowly and heavily out of the Alpha’s ho.
“See the Alpha loves you, maybe too much,” Roy teased. I didn’t have the heart to argue it.
“He does not,” Kryzen huffed. All I could think about was Kai and the valley.
When we returned to the guest house, I went straight to my room and closed the door. My breath started to get shallow as I reached for my magic scroll to summon Kai.
Soon the scroll glowed.
“Hello?” Kai answered, his voice muffled.
“Kai, it’s .” A genuine smile spread across my face for the first ti in days.
“Oh hey, Bri.” I heard him suppress a yawn.
“You sound tired, Kai. How’s ho?”
“We’ve begun to regrow so crops, but even with our enhancing magic, we aren’t certain that anything will take. We’ll have to ration food. We’re printing vouchers to hand out to all the families and refugees.” Kai sighed.
“Oh, I’m so sorry, Kai. You sound exhausted.” If only I could just go back.
“It’s okay, I’m going to get so rest here soon. How are you? How’s the city? Find anything?”
I swallowed.
“It’s pretty bad here. There’s this creepy general nad Tian. I don’t know how, but I know he’s not a good influence on Alpha Ray, who’s actually a pretty decent guy,” I started.
“Oh, that’s not great, but Alphas don’t just do what their generals say.”
“You’re not wrong. The general wasn’t there after...” I trailed off.
“After what?” Kai’s attention seed turned back to the conversation.
“Soone was murdered. A shadow creature appeared during a grand ball and possessed her. I tried... I tried so hard to save her, but when I exorcized the monster, she had already passed.” I paused. I could tell through the intense silence on the other line that Kai was still processing everything. “I drove it off, but we have to stay longer and investigate for more of them.”
“Bri, you got this. You’re stronger than you know, and you aren’t alone. Kyrzen and Roy know what they’re doing. Just be careful, okay? You’re strong enough to overco it, but I don’t have a good feeling about this either,” my younger brother admitted candidly over the scroll.
“Yeah, neither,” I muttered. “I wish I could co back and help out there.”
“We have to serve where we’re needed. For the ti being, you’re needed there, and I’m needed here. You got this,” Kai cheered on, and I smiled.
I listened to him gossip about so of his friends and tell about Lillian working non-stop interpreting for the refugees. Before I knew it, I woke up forty minutes later with the summoning scroll dark.
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