Chapter 10

“Then came the day, as dark days do, when the king fell ill, and his time was through. With a last, cruel laugh, he faded away, leaving behind debts that none could repay.”

Recovered excerpt from the untitled allegory, source remains unknown.

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It comes sooner than I expected. At some point I closed my eyes and resorted myself to the inevitable fate I’d signed myself up for. When I hit the ground, I expected it to hurt more. But maybe Hesperia has granted me a mercy and allowed me to die before my body could register any pain. Death is also warmer than I imagined. And noisier. Some obnoxious ringing goes off near my ear every few seconds, which is enough to make me realize that the impact didn’t come from below me, but from behind.

“Ryn!”

There it is again, that incessant ringing that just won’t stop. I move to push off the ground, but find that I’m being pushed towards it instead. The ground is soft and warm… and breathing?

“Will you stop pushing me away? Do you want to fall to your death?!” The ringing suddenly takes on the voice of Nex, and my eyes snap open.

I’m immediately met with Nex’s grey eyes, the concern palpable on his rain-soaked face. He is also obscenely close. I can feel his warm breath brush across my face, and I realize I’m tucked against him. Nex’s left arm is crushing me against his chest while his other is extended above us, holding his harpoon with a white-knuckled grip.

“Nex?” I mouth, my mind finally catching up.

Falling... I was falling... I was falling and my harpoon wasn’t working. Nex… He… caught me?

Nex glares into the storm above as we ascend at a steady speed. The blackness above us moves like it’s a living entity. Before it swallows us, Nex looks between the clouds and me repeatedly, his concern mixed with the same emotion from before our jump etched on his face. As the clouds thicken around us, I close my eyes and wait for the sunlight to guide us home. I don’t care that it feels like the winds has claws that yank at me. I don’t care that the rain feels like paper cuts against my face. I focuse on matching my breathing to Nex’s, and how his harpoon sometimes stalls for a terrifying moment before continuing its recoiling.

Sudden warmth gives away our successful ascent. I open my eyes again only to be blinded by the sharp sun bathing my face in a welcomed tranquility. All of which would’ve been rather peaceful had Nex’s tense body not been pressed flush with mine. Our clothing drips from the rain, our hair tousled and wet, and my harpoon nowhere to be seen.

“Where’s my—” I start, but Nex cuts me off.

“Left it behind,” he says curtly, his jaw twitching as he stares above us.

I try to reposition myself more comfortably, being as my arms are pressed to my sides, but Nex only tightens his grip, refusing to allow me any further movement. I’m not sure how Nex managed to release his spear and redeploy it during the ascent with his one arm holding me up, but I was too distant in my mind to pay attention.

I could’ve died… I should’ve died, I repeat in my mind on loop till Nex’s rope clicks to a stop, and he clears his throat to get my attention.

“Climb,” he commands, his face showing less anger than his voice holds, but it still spurs me to wiggle out of his grip and climb up. I ignore how awkward it is climbing up on his shoulders to drag myself up into the arena. Nex pushes off the cliff wall and jumps into the arena with trained grace.

How long was he a Scavenger for again? I wonder privately.

As soon as his feet hit the ground, he stalks towards me, water dripping from his soaked clothing.

“I told you that you weren’t ready!” he yells, a finger pointed accusatorially at me.

My defenses raise. “I did everything you showed me! It’s not my fault that the rain never broke,” I shoot back, stepping closer to assert myself. He bares his teeth at me, adding a new level of fury to his expression. His wet hair hangs past his ears and frames his eyes, the eyes that are so intense, yet so uncertain. I can tell that Nex is fighting with himself in what to say. Twisted emotions of anger and concern swirl around in his eyes like dark wisps of storm whenever his mouth twitches. Then they cloud like a muggy summer afternoon and his features soften. The minuscule scars on his face catch the sun and glisten angrily. But it’s concern that ends up on his face.

With a deep sigh, Nex rubs a hand over his face. “What happened?” He asks in a low and rough voice.

I keep my guard up, but slowly relent my anger, gathering the bottom of my shirt and wringing water out of it. “I waited for the rain to stop, but it never did. I deployed my harpoon, but the rope was soaked as soon as it went off. It… I couldn’t stop,” I admit, the sting of my failure and gravity of my mistake hang heavy in the air. Sweat stings my eyes.

Nex closes his eyes and ends up rubbing the bridge of his nose like he’s physically siphoning out his anger. Apparently it works because he isn’t as tense anymore. His hand shades part of his face, which surprisingly affects his scars. Even in the shadow of his hand, the tiny scars have a faint but distinct silvery shine.

Are those… Carving scars? I wonder, my right hand reflexively tensing and my eyes flaring. I haven’t paid extensive attention to his scars before. My main focus has been on the prospect of learning his ‘secret Scavenger ways’. But now, standing a mere foot or two away from him, watching as his face screws into a grimace, then relaxes into a glimmer of relief, only to take on his expressionless demeanor again, I notice how tired he looks. There are dark circles under his eyes, and I’m not sure if I’ve seen his jaw not tense since we stepped into the arena.

Nex’s hand drops to his side, his suddenly blank face bathed in sunlight again. I’m almost disappointed that his face settles on that blank and completely unreadable expression. His eyes widen, just for a moment, but it reveals something through the cloud cover in his eyes. Restraint. Control. Fear.

Huh. Maybe Nex is not as recklessly careless as he makes himself out to be.

“The fourth layer was closer to the third layer than the last time. You were probably looking for it further down, like when you were on my back. It moves around. You can’t expect it to stay in one place. You have to pay attention,” he says flatly, then unbuckles his harness and drops the harpoon to the ground, turning towards the edge of the cliff with his hands on his hips.

“I was paying attention,” I fire back firmly. “But… I suppose I was expecting it to be the same distance from the third layer as the first time I saw it,” I offer, then bend down to pick up his harpoon. I walk over to hang the device on the wall again next to the empty hook where mine should hang, suddenly uncertain about what happens next.

He has shown me what to look for now. He technically did his part. After a few bowls of noodles, our deal is done, and we don’t have to put up with each other anymore. I sigh, unsure why I do. I hesitate at the wall, curious whether I’ll turn around and find the stoic man staring off into some metaphorical distance, or the obnoxious boy who acts like the world is for his entertainment. Either one is a noxious weed that is completely unnecessary in any area of my life. The only reason he’s still firmly rooted in my side like a thorn, is because I need his particular skill set… and to satisfy my curiosity about why he tried to steal the compendium. And that’s it. I don’t need anything else from him.

A gentle hand on my shoulder pulls me from my complaining, making me flinch.

“You’ll get it next time,” Nex reassures in a tender voice, one I haven’t heard from him before. “Now, about our deal…” he trails off, waiting for me to do or say something. I turn and there he is; not the stoic man or the obnoxious boy, but someone genuine. The dull clouds in his eyes have cleared, the softest of smiles playing on his lips, and caution written all over his body. It’s… unnerving how easily he flicks between these different versions of himself. I can barely keep up with staying true to one version of myself. But in this moment, I’m convinced I’m seeing the real Nex for the first time. Of course, that’s before Nex leans in closer and with pleading eyes says, “Please feed me, I beg you.”

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

Any sympathy I developed for him evaporates and I push his hand off my shoulder. “You’re worse than a toddler. Come on, before you wither away,” I chide, pushing him towards the tall stone staircase leading out of the arena.

Voices bounce down the sun-heated stone steps, and Nex stops dead in his tracks without warning, leaving me to run into the full length of the back of him.

“Are you so hungry you forgot to walk?” I banter, but Nex is staring up the staircase and doesn’t even indicate he’s heard a word I said. “I’m just saying I’m not dragging you all the way to my house just because you feel emaciated.” Still no reaction. “Nex?”

The strength of the sun forces me to squint up at his face when I walk around him, and the voices grow in volume. His face is completely frozen again and I can’t pinpoint one definite emotion that could attribute to his sudden paralysis, but the strength and angle of the sun clues me in to who the approaching voices belong to. I turn towards the stairs. Shadows creep down the staircase. No, not shadows. People. Scavengers. Dressed in black and steel.

“You’re not exactly on friendly terms if you leave the Scavengers before…” I hesitate on finishing the sentence.

“Before you’re killed?” Nex clips.

“Essentially,” I reluctantly admit.

“No.” Not even a a breath passes. “Time to go,” Nex says through clenched teeth, then flings his hood over his head and climbs the stairs two steps at a time.

I want to yell for him to wait, but I’m mostly annoyed that he’s making it up that wretched staircase like it’s of no consequence to his travel plans while I’m already 10 steps below him sweating from trying to keep up.

The footfall of 10 grow louder, and I lower my head enough to hopefully hide my face casually enough for none of the Scavengers to recognize me. Granted, if I was so lucky, I would’ve noticed the uneven step before my foot slipped off it. My knees crash to the ground as my palms slap the stone step loud enough to draw attention.

There’s my lack of luck.

“Is that Ryn?” the voice jeers in an all too familiar way.

Stars, I hate the way he makes everything sound like a challenge.

I slowly get back on my feet and heavily debate just taking off after Nex without answering, but a bulky frame is blocking my path like a stubborn mountain goat before I get a chance to take another step, his light hair cut short to match the rest of the Scavengers’.

Pure ire claws at my throat. “We both know you know it’s me, Raiden.”

“I knew you were just chasing fame. Suddenly more intrigued now that I’m a Scavenger?” He taunts, but there’s an aftertaste of threat to his words. There always is.

I square my shoulders instinctively. “Not in the slightest.”

I turn to start up the stairs towards my escape, when a hand clasps around my wrist. My eyes snap to Raiden’s. His dead glare always froze me. This time is no different, and for a second I’m the lonely young girl again unable to detach from the toxic dependency Raiden provides and craves.

“Pretending you don’t care won’t win you any favors,” he sneers. His words leave a sheet of ice over my nerves, reminding me of the pit that lived in my stomach for the months I shared my bed with him. The detachment I felt from myself numbs the back of my mind. Usually he’ll behave when in public, but with his new title of Scavenger, he’s grown bolder. It might be growth or time, but it’s probably just remnants of the adrenalin that makes me reckless. My free hand clenches into a clammy fist. I want to rip my wrist from him and lay all of my body weight behind a sharp punch to his arrogant face. And why the hell shouldn’t I when he’s got his filthy hand on me.

I plant my shaky feet in preparation, when a shadow falls over us.

“There you are!” A hand slides around my waist. “Can’t let you out of my sight, can I?” Nex says soothingly into my hair like he’s kissing the top of my head, immediately making my scalp tingle with heat.

“What are—” I start, but he turns his attention to Raiden who is standing with his mouth wide open.

“Is there a problem here?” Nex asks, his voice as smooth as butter. It takes Raiden only a second to recover. Then he notices Nex’s arm around my waist. He snorts.

“Not if you’re fine with another man’s spoils.”

I want to scream at him and claw his beady little eyes out that look at me like I’m his property, but his words still leave me hesitant. I avert my gaze, ashamed that I might not have changed as much over the years as I thought. But Nex remains as poised as ever, his grip on my waist tightening.

“Don’t worry, I won’t judge how you view yourself,” he says to Raiden.

I snap my gaze to Nex who smiles ever so politely for someone who has just delivered such an insult.

Raiden’s face reddens. “I think it’s best if you get lost.”

Nex’s eyes lower to Raiden’s hand still holding my wrist in such a tight grip my hand is growing numb. Nex remains the perfect picture of amicability, but I can tell his eyes flash dark again.

“Your hand lost, Scavenger?” He says with a polite smile, his tone even, but I can feel the disapproval rolling off his tongue.

Well, that’s terrifying.

“Not at all,” Raiden tilts his chin up as if I’m just the railing of the staircase he’s holding onto.

Then Nex’s eyes narrow. “You sure? Because it looks like it’s not remotely close to where it should be.”

I appear all but forgotten, so I attempt tugging my hand free again, but Raiden only tightens his death grip. I grit my teeth and shoot as many daggers at him with my eyes as I can.

“It’s exactly where it needs to be,” Raiden spits and points his stare at me as if to say I own you and for a second, I lose my breath. So much malice is etched into his face that I can’t say anything against it. The shame I feel for not being able to say something, speak up, or just kick him in the groin already makes me sink into myself. Even with the Carving in my hand, I’ve never felt weaker than under Raiden’s scrutiny.

Nex shifts his weight beside me and his other gloved hand wraps around the wrist of Raiden’s hand that’s gripping mine.

“If you don’t let go as soon as she tells you, I will personally make sure to show you exactly where it should be.” Judging by his tone, he might as well be giving directions to the bakery, which only makes the way he smiles more threatening. “How attached are you to your hand?”

Raiden’s eyes flick to Nex’s with a mix of shock and the same malice he’d granted me a moment ago, but they do flare for just a second.

“You have no right to order me to do anything,” Raiden hisses. His grip tightens to the point it’s beyond painful.

“Let. Go,” I wince at the pain, but use it to mask how my knees tremble.

When I look up to Nex again, he’s smiling like he has all the power in the world.

“She does, and I don’t offer second chances.”

How does he deliver a threat and composure with so little effort?

Raiden looks between Nex and me, but it isn’t till his eyes fall on my waist that hesitancy fills his eyes and he finally throws my own hand at me like a molded slice of bread.

“Not worth the effort, is she?” He sneers and trots down the stairs in pursuit of the rest of the Scavengers congregated near the edge of the arena. As Raiden’s figure grows smaller as does the grip his presence has on my nervous system. A sharp and deep breath escapes me, not realizing I was holding it.

“That was fun,” Nex chirps and nonchalantly tugs at my belts. I flinch at the touch, but as I look I see him slipping my dagger into my belts again. My eyes widen.

“You brandished my dagger at him?” I squeak.

Nex raises an eyebrow at me as he turns to walk back up the steps. “I’m surprised you didn’t. You had a dagger and a flasklock pistol at your disposal and you still let him near you?”

“Let him?” I scoff affronted.

Unbelievable. One second he’s almost respectable and the next he’s… begrudgingly astute.

I stomp up the steps fully intent on leaving him behind, but he keeps pace easily with me.

“You look like you’re more than capable of handling yourself—”

“I am,” I snap.

“So why did I have to step in?”

I stop. “First of all, you didn’t have to do anything,” I force out through clenched teeth. “And second, I didn’t let him stop and grab me.”

My anger boils, so close to overflowing, and the only reason it hasn’t yet is simply because I know that my anger doesn’t stem from Nex’s audacity.

Nex has stopped on the step above me, and he turns with that curious look in his face. Then there’s a flash of black and his hand wraps around my wrist, where Raiden’s just was. I don’t think. I don’t even register the way my heart leaps into my throat or how my feet immediately take a defensive stance. I just act. Everything around us is a blur as I focus on the tip of my dagger that’s now pushing into the side of Nex’s neck. My hand quivers, but I don’t lower the dagger. He’s smiling at me like I just answered a question correct, his hand barely applying any pressure to my wrist.

“You let him, because else you would’ve done that to him,” he says plainly, then pushes the dagger away with his index finger. Logic breaks through the instinct that clouds my brain, and I slowly let my shoulders slack and my arms relax.

I must still be on edge from the interaction with Raiden.

I take a step down and shove the dagger into my belts again. “Sorry.”

“What for? You had an appropriate reaction to someone grabbing you. Just don’t hesitate next time,” he shrugs and turns back around. He’s walking before I can collect my jaw off the ground. My anger is reduced to embers as Nex somehow managed to cushion the shame at its core.