Chapter 60: Chapter 60

Raven

“I—I need a drink,” Raven announced, rising to her feet.

She moved past him, her mind filled with thoughts of stabbing him with one of his own medals. She navigated through the crowd, reaching the table and grabbing a glass.

It wasn’t the light summer wine she was used to, but something much stronger. The drink calmed her trembling body. Memories of his actions replayed in her mind.

“Destroyer? He must know about your reputation,” General Fleu commented.

Raven felt her breath hitch in her throat, a feeling of suffocation washing over her. Tears welled up in her eyes.

“You should be thanking me. As I predicted, the king took a liking to you, and you’ve become his favorite. Seems like you haven’t messed it up yet,” General Fleu continued.

Raven wiped her forehead and took a deep breath. This was the moment she’d been waiting for, and she wasn’t about to let it slip away because of her impatience.

“You were right, I’ll admit it. There was no guarantee of what would happen, even if I made it home. There was no certainty that it would be accepted,” Raven admitted, hiding behind her glass.

The last part was true, but she would’ve risked it all and dared anyone to try and take her child away.

“I suppose the rumors about the king are true if he’s managed to make you wise. Fear and cruelty can be effective,” he whispered.

Fear and cruelty? The king could be intimidating—cruel even, when necessary. He had tortured her for months, after all.

“As long as I don’t mess up, I’ll be okay. Let me show you my gratitude for this fresh start. I haven’t told anyone about my world yet. You could use that information to your advantage,” she suggested quietly.

General Fleu picked up a cup, studying her closely.

“Fine. Or don’t,” she shrugged, making her way back through the crowd.

He grabbed her wrist. “Alright, let’s hear it.”

A few couples paused to stare at them.

“Not here,” she replied, glancing up at the throne.

Soi-Ji was engaged in conversation, and they took the opportunity to slip away.

The guards let them pass without a problem, perhaps because it was customary for harem women to leave with high-ranking men, regardless of who they arrived with.

She led him to the old, dusty room where she kept her blades. It had its own balcony with a beautiful view. Raven pushed open the sliding doors and headed for the shelf on the wall.

The rack held a few old bottles. She’d drunk from them many nights and never gotten sick. She selected the darkest one.

“You’re still as defiant as ever, I see,” General Fleu observed, stepping out onto the balcony.

“A tiger can’t change its stripes,” she replied, extending her hand. “Glass. It’ll make this easier.”

He handed it to her, and she turned her back to him, heading for the table. Raven reached into her dress and palmed the vial. As she poured the liquor, she dropped in the Daki venom.

“That’s pretty dark,” General Fleu noted.

Raven glanced back, and he was standing right behind her, looking over her shoulder.

Her heart pounded. “It’s the strongest they have here in the palace. Reserved for special guests and important occasions,” she said, her voice deep and mocking.

He chuckled. “Is that so?”

She handed him the spiked liquor, and he accepted the glass, but didn’t drink. Raven sipped from her own glass, hoping he would follow suit, but he didn’t.

“I’m from Earth,” she revealed. “After the last war, we destroyed our ecosystem beyond repair. So we had a limited amount of time to relocate everyone to a new planet.”

“A planet you discovered,” he added.

“Yes, that’s where we were heading until we ran into some debris and the ship was damaged.”

“This is all fascinating, but where’s the part that I can use?” he asked, leaning against the railing.

“The coordinates to the new planet. Where we have an abundance of females,” she said, a smile playing on her lips that he returned. “You can use that information however you see fit.”

“That’s quite a thank you,” General Fleu remarked.

“Then let’s toast to it,” she suggested, raising her glass.

They clinked glasses, and as he brought his to his lips, he paused and looked at her.

“You wouldn’t have spiked my drink, would you?”

She smiled. “Oh, I absolutely did.” His body stiffened. “Then I was going to drag your body through the hall and dump it in the garbage chute.”

His glare softened, and she burst into laughter.

“I’m flattered that you think so highly of me, but right now, I need to survive in my new situation, which means playing nice and making friends.” She took another sip and traced the rim of her glass with her finger. “How’s Laro?”

His eyebrows furrowed. “I haven’t spoken to him in a while.”

General Fleu tipped the cup back and downed it in one gulp.

“Let’s hear those coordinates,” he said, holding out his glass.

Raven took the glasses and went inside. This time she went to the loose tile and pulled out her blades. She returned with them hidden under her dress and two more glasses of liquor.

“One action or inaction can throw the whole world into chaos,” Raven mused.

“That’s how it works.”

“I lost my mother in the first war because I didn’t act. Then, when I took revenge, I inadvertently started the war that ended humanity and destroyed the rest of my family. I didn’t remember the last part until recently.” She laughed.

“The mind will do a lot of things to protect itself—”

The glass shattered when it hit the ground. General Fleu began to cough violently, gasping for air. His eyes widened with realization.

He made a move towards her, and she retaliated, her blade cutting through his hands and torso. He attempted to escape through the door, but she was quicker, slamming it shut and kicking his ~weakened~ form back against the railing.

“If I die”—he gasped, struggling for breath as he leaned heavily on the railing—“everyone will go down with me.”

“Let them,” she replied, her voice trembling. “This is payback for what you took from me.” Tears began to stream down her face. “If I had the chance to kill you again, I would. But this will have to do. Daki venom. I’ve seen it paralyze a body with just a prick. I can only imagine what it does when swallowed.”

“You’ll pay for this.” He coughed out the words.

“You first,” she retorted, giving him a hard shove.

General Fleu tumbled over the railing, and a sharp pain shot through Raven’s shoulder. She watched as he plummeted.

By this point, the venom would’ve completely paralyzed his diaphragm. His organs would be shutting down, and in his final moments, he would experience the terror and helplessness of falling to his death.

If she was lucky, the fall would finish him off.

“Rize-Ji!”

Raven whirled around. Soi-Ji’s eyes were so bright they seemed to burn. Even in the darkness, his face was a mask of fury.