“And with that, our agreement is established. Ooh, the mayhem we’d cause together!” Drentack grinned, his eyes narrowing devilishly with a tincture of delight sprinkled within. “The fires! The screams, I knew you’d fall into my embrace, darling.” He clapped his hands with excitement and leaned into her face, which stared defiantly back at him. “Yet, I wonder… What would it be like to see you break? You can never go back now. You made the choice, took the step into the unknown. Will you shatter like grass? Polish like a diamond? You forsook a life of peace, girl. And I can’t wait to see it.”

  “Really. You must not know me very well, God.” Enyah smirked, moving her head up to his, to the point where they were mere breaths from touching, “I don’t have anything left to lose. I won’t shatter. But If I do break? I’ll make sure I'm stepping on your remains along the way.” Her voice simmered, yet her eyes blazed with a burning intensity. Recklessness… Madness.

  “That’s the fire I'm looking for! Really beautiful, darling. You see this mansion, these accursed walls? Let's burn it down. Together. Burn down your past. Set yourself free. Shine bright darling. Bright enough to reach the sun. Because once that happens, you’ll never glow again.” He stepped back, his lazy grin reforming across his face. He turned to his fingers, snapping them together as if attempting to light a flame.

  Her eyes sparkled, visions of the past swirling through her mind. Running through the barren halls in fright with cold, emotionless eyes following her every movement. The rough, monotone voice of her father, and the tub–

  Her thoughts paused and she felt a faint tremble within her.

  No. Not the tub. Not again.

  A fear she quashed as quickly as it sprouted.

  “Fine.” Enyah spoke out, exhaling the word almost like a sigh. She felt a resolution rise up and she let out a self-deprecating laugh, turning her eyes towards the mansion that stood ahead, a spire of darker days, with a grim smile, one that sought destruction. “Let’s burn it all to ash. Until there’s nothing left.”

  “With that, darling, I concur.” Drentrack spoke, yet his lips never moved. His voice seemed to stem from the world around her as her vision began to tremble from the presence that the voice emitted. “I’d love to sit here and chat, truly. But there’s a spectacle waiting for my presence over in Graille that I can’t miss. Imagine it! The prince of thorns, ran away from home! His merry band against the soldiers of the crown. A sight that I refuse to miss, even for you. I’ll be seeing you when you wake, my precious little priestess.”

  The world continued shifting around her as the human presence in front of her vanished as if he never existed. Only a twisted, booming laughter echoed, surrounding her from every direction. The mansion vanished, along with the ground itself.

  Enyah gritted her teeth, bracing herself to find a foothold within the madness, yet she seemed to stabilize, held aloft within some form of embrace.

  “What're you doing now!” Enyah felt her face flush and shouted aloud, startled. She felt like she was being hoisted like some child. No response was given, only a screaming headache that made her lose all sense of surroundings.

  “Nngh.” She groaned, moving a hand to her head, rubbing against the pain that barraged against her. Then, the world stilled, and she felt nothing, only a blissful sleep that comforted her, like a snug blanket.

  Yet the sleep didn’t last long.

  The moment Enyah woke, she felt the comforting presence of the bed below her, along with the familiar sticky sensation of the humid air that clung to her skin. Enyah’s eyes fluttered open to a world of light. Her arm, now bandaged, raised in an attempt to block her eyes from the unyielding light.

  “Miss Enyah, you're up?” A youthful voice sounded from her side. She heard a thump, then small, fast paced steps as Rinne plopped off his chair and ran to the side of the bed. Her head throbbed with dizziness and Rinne's voice felt particularly grating at the moment.

  “Give me some space, will you?” Enyah managed to let out, moving her arm to rub her head and opened her eyes fully. Her body still ached all over, but she felt a noticeable improvement compared to before she fell asleep. Her exhaustion was all but removed, leaving only a seemingly boundless energy that lingered below her skin. The thrumming energy seemed to pulse in harmony with her heartbeat and her chest felt a burning warmth, yet she felt no discomfort nor pain. Whatever this gift from that god was, it screamed within her, begging to be used.

  “Yes ma'am!” He moved away, his steps bouncing with a childlike enthusiasm. His excitement was palpable, yet dimmed as he seemed to think, his thoughts bringing a frown to his face. “Are you alright?”

  “I'm doing just fine, kid.” Enyah let out, stretching her arms out after tearing her eyes away from the brown, wooden ceiling of the inn room. She felt the aches leave her body, her tense muscles unraveling.

  Right by her bedside, where a glass of water rested on a table, prepared for her health, a massive window stood, where the sun glared down at her with vengeance, blinding her eyes with hateful fervor.

  “Burn like the sun, huh…” Enyah murmured, remembering the conversation from earlier. She turned to Rinne, who gave her a beaming, bright smile. A suspicious smile. “How'd I get into the room?” She asked with narrowed eyes.

  “I asked Walt to help carry you up! He had a lot of words to say about your weight. He told me not to tell you, though.” Rinne gave a mischievous grin, betraying the older man in an instant.

  “Old man's losing his strength. Not my fault.” Enyah grumbled, leaving the bed and planting her feet firmly on the ground. She felt the hard touch of wood against her, removing the faint sense of offness that lingered when she woke. A thought that rang constantly within her mind since waking finally left her mind, “Am I truly here?”

  She walked lazily to the window, viewing the dull, uninteresting town of Operite that appeared before her. She saw where her skirmish started and ended last night, the empty patch of dirt that remained stained with the crimson touch of blood. The dead bodies must have been cleaned up by somebody.

  “A thankless job, cleaning up after mercenaries.” she mused, scanning the rest of the town. It was surprisingly back to normal. Most of the citizens seemed to be going about their jobs, uncaring about yesterday's incident.

  “I got some pie from a helpful lady down the street! I saved some for when you woke up.” Rinne continued behind her, his tone light. “Zarts was worried about you! I was, too! It's great that you're awake.”

  If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  “Yeah. Good to see you too, little man.” Enyah turned towards Rinne, scrutinizing his appearance, moving up to his eyes, which seemed to tremble at her gaze. “You went out while I was asleep, huh.”

  “Eeh? How'd you know?” Rinne gasped, almost exaggeratedly as he reeled backwards, his eyes widening in shock.

  “You told me yourself. Pie down the street.” Enyah rolled her eyes, though her voice held no blame, only exasperation.

  “Oh… I did, huh…” Rinne murmured, his voice shrinking and his head lowering. He closed his eyes, as if expecting rebuke.

  “It's alright.” Yet Enyah leaned forwards, ruffling his hair gently. “You did good, kid. Real brave.”

  “Oh... I… Um… Thank you!” Rinne stuttered in shock, not expecting those words. He looked up quickly, staring into her eyes with questioning eyes.

  “We need to get going. I’ve had enough of Operite to last two lifetimes.” Enyah ignored his unasked question, instead standing straight and scouring the room, searching for her possessions. They were stashed haphazardly within the corner, bundled over a chair.

  “But the pie!” Rinne objected weakly, turning towards a pie that lay on the table, which was emitting an acrid stench into the room. Not as bad as a dead rodent, but slowly working its way there.

  “Have you left that here all night?” Enyah frowned, recoiling from the smell. She picked up the pie, dumping it in the can near the door.

  “Nooooooooo!” Rinne howled in disbelief. He fell to the floor, his knees thunking against the floor of their room. “It tasted so good!”

  “It’s gone bad. Won’t taste good anymore. We’ll eat on the road.” Enyah grimaced with a shake of her head. She moved back and fixed her attire, reattaching her belt which contained her holster along with her sheathed cutlass.

  That's when she heard it.

  Her senses seemed to magnify in an instant, like an unsheathed blade. Sound, scent, the world itself seemed to slow down. The sticky scent of Operite seemed to cover her, but below, a thick, coppery tang seemed to hide underneath. The stench of blood. It coiled around her like a spring, seemingly taunting her confused appearance..

  “Don’t you think these mercenaries downstairs could use a bit of… revenge?” A cold voice whispered to Enyah. It was unnatural, yet familiar. The voice that haunted her dreams only a few minutes prior seemed to return. Drentack was back. “Burn the building down.” He cooed softly into her ear, like a parent urging a child. “A bit of arson revenge has quite the tingly taste.”

  “You’re back?” Enyah narrowed her eyes in defiance, her gaze dashing around the inn for some sort of sign. Some differentiation that could pinpoint his arrival. “But you've only just left.”

  “What do you mean, Miss Enyah?” Rinne stood up, his dreary face now only showed concern as he stared quizzically at her. “I was here the whole time.”

  “Not you, Rinne. Do you hear the voice?” Enyah asked, frowning in confusion. The world looked exactly the same. Was she truly still in the dream? Was she some plaything of this God, trapped in some endless facsimile of life?

  “I don't hear anything… Maybe I'm not strong enough to?” Rinne responded with a hint of loathing in his tone and the tilt of his head.

  “The boy can’t hear me. This is just a teensy little perk of being my priestess.” The God whispered, his smug voice swirling around her. She could almost feel his finger curling under her chin. Now I’ll have a front row seat to all of your escapades. Your struggles and worries firsthand, oh just the icing on the cake. Marvelous, I can almost taste the despair already!” Drentack whispered his sophistry into her ear, which she elected to ignore.

  “No, it's… it's nothing.” Enyah closed her mouth, hiding the nausea the god gave her. She gave one last sweep of the room, yet it stood exactly the same. Besides the stench of blood and the voice within her ear, it was like the God wasn’t even in the room with her.

  Rinne stood next to her, his head hidden below her cloak, his thoughts unknown.

  “Let's depart.” She murmured, patting the boy’s back. The pair left their room and headed downstairs.

  “Don’t pretend you can’t hear me, darling. You’re breaking a poor God’s heart.” the god spoke mockingly.

  “You have no heart.” She muttered under her breath, moving down the hallway. Rinne must've heard her words, because he turned towards her in confusion.

  “Oh. You're right.” Drentack spoke after a moment, as if pondering. “You're breaking my nonexistent heart, girl. It's going to crack! How about some despair to fix my poor, aching soul?”

  She rolled her eyes, ignoring him. The duo plus one reached the downstairs, where the mercenaries from yesterday were simmered down, speaking in hushed tones and frowns littered the floor.

  Though, when she reached the floor, the silence pervaded the room as mercenaries began to notice her. The group of men and women put down their breakfast and turned towards her with mixed expressions. Some had expressions of guilt and apology, while others had pure anger. Walt, who was eating downstairs as well, gave them an apathetic wave and turned back to continue his meal.

  Enyah ignored the silence, electing to snort and continue her walk. She was done with Operite. The less she saw while leaving, the better. Yet, she wouldn't be left alone. A mercenary stood up, sporting a bruise on his head from yesterday's brawl.

  “I'd like to apologize, madam.” The man said, bowing his body with sincere eyes. “I believed in the rumors and fought against you. Walt set me straight, thankfully.”

  “Don't apologize!” A man growled, sporting a crutch and an arm wrapped in bandages. His eyes were lit with fury and his fist was clenched in rage, “The wench shot me!”

  That man made her pause. A spark of fury rose up within her. Fury she was unable to put down. She turned towards him, her eyes narrowed with a burning intensity. “You tried to steal my grintliss! Put a sword to his throat!”

  “Well you were ‘sposed to be a kid-thieving whore! Beat all of us up, along with the mayor, and now you’re some hero? Don’t give me that lixdung.” The man spat, moving his uninjured arm to his sheathed sword. “Don’t give you the right to hurt me like this! How’m I ‘sposed to be fighting like this?”

  “I ain't a hero. And I don't care. You only have yourself to blame.” Enyah growled out, turning away from the man.

  “Kill him.” Drentack whispered into her ear. “He touched your belongings. You know you want to. He deserves death, doesn’t he. I know you want to savor your blade against his skin. To see him bleed.”

  “Shut up. Not now.” Enyah gritted her teeth. He was getting to her. Killing the man… deep down, maybe she did want it.

  Maybe that's why his words infuriated her so much. Acknowledging her inner desires to slit this man's throat, to make him pay for what he did to Zarts. She didn’t want that part of her to be acknowledged. She felt revulsion at the dark, cold emptiness within that part of her that no warmth could cut.

  “You’re not angry at what I said, are you? You agree with it. I bet you’re viewing it right now. You want it. Your power wants it. You can feel it, can’t you. Bursting out of your chest. Unsheathing the sword. His blood in your hands.” The whisper seemed to grow in volume, turning to a scream as his voice seemed to overwhelm her from all sides. She put a hand to her head, a throbbing pain that his voice seemed to influence. “All you have to do, darling, is let go. Who cares what the world will think? Use my power and BURN HIM TO ASHES!”

  She felt her sanity wane as fury and impulse seemed threatened to take over. She sped up her steps, leaving the building as fast as she could. Rinne hurried behind, his steps small and quick. He frowned at her hurry, looking up at her as she held her head.

  “Are you alright, Miss Enyah?” He asked her, reaching an arm out to clasp her free hand.

  Enyah felt the warmth within her hand, transferred from Rinne, cutting through the haze that swarmed her mind. In an instant, her rationality returned. The world morphed back into the small, walled town of Operite and she felt a sense of calm within her.

  “Yeah. I’m fine, kid. Thanks.” Enyah nodded in recognition, pushing his hand away with a gentle touch.

  “Alright…” He mumbled, staring at his arm for a few moments before hiding it beneath his cloak.

  “What are you doing?!” She muttered under her breath, the lingering sparks of anger turning towards the God that now resided within her head.

  “What, me? I'm only freeing you. It's your emotions, darling, not mine. I'm only giving you the push you need.” Drentlack whispered. She could almost see the smug smile of his human form beside her, urging her onwards. “Wouldn't that be quite the amusement? You saw them all, didn't you? They tried to kill you, but they're oh so unpunished. Oh will those poor lambs ever learn the consequences! Maybe consuming their souls would teach them a thing or two.”

  “You call that a push?” Enyah growled, reaching the stables next door, but her mind remained focused on the God within her that was toying with her mind. Giving her a few glances, Rinne furrowed his brows and moved forwards, entering the stable alone. She seemed to not notice, however. “Are you trying to turn everybody I meet against me?”

  “Oh, what a delectable idea! You should do it!” Drentlack’s voice animated, a hint of excitement and expectation in his tone that refused to stay hidden.

  “You’re impossible.” Enyah let out, her tension easing and her focus returning to the world around her. The scent of fur and manure assaulted her senses while the chirps and whines within blasted her ears. Alone in front of the stables, she frowned, her eyes scanning around her. “Kid? You here?”

  “Yes! I’m here!” Rinne responded with a hint of pride in his tone. He strutted out of the stables, his head held high and with Zarts’ reins in his hand. “I got Zarts!”

  He stared up at her, eyes innocently waiting for praise. Yet she only turned with a hint of a smile on her face.

  “Let's get going. I'm sick of this town.”