I pull myself up.Only three more stories till I reach the roof.
“That’s it! I warned you!”
I tune out her screaming.
Self-preservation is still a good enough reason to keep moving. It is the reason I've made so many questionable decisions. I’ve stolen before and will likely have to steal again. If I don’t, I will die. That is a good enough reason to pilfer expensive goods.
Right?
Some moral compass that I didn’t know I possessed points me in the opposite direction. Still, the physical exercise necessary for scaling a wall makes it much easier to ignore my principles simply because I don’t have the time to listen to the call of morals.
Daemon woman has stopped screaming, and worry quickly settles low in my gut. Not only are my muscles screaming, but now my body is racing against the efficiency of the DaePolice. Their speed depends mainly on how efficient a ruler my uncle is, whether or not he appoints good leaders or simply his insufferable friends, like my father.
The war inside my head takes my attention away from the burning in my arms and legs as I grip the decorative gargoyle crowning the top of the building. I push out rough, scalding breaths and prepare myself to vault over the edge of the sculpted creature and onto the hopefully flat surface of the rooftop.
When the moment comes, it carries a fresh dose of fear. Cold sweat beads on my forehead as my stomach clenches. Vertigo takes over in the same instant I am heaving myself upwards. Gulping, I look down at my hand. In this body, I am so... mortal.
The realization that I could be moments away from death fills me just as my hands grow slippery with sweat. With a terrified cry, I lose my grip. The stone scrapes my hand raw as I tumble down. I barely manage to grasp onto the lower foot of the ominous-looking beast.
My legs dangle half over the rust-red fire escapes and half into the open air. My heart is racing so fast that I fear fainting.
Stop, I command myself.
A familiar flame alights in my stomach. The same one caused me to jump off Erik’s ship and flee for my life. This fire, the one Erik awoke in me, is the one that propels me forward in my own miserable life.
I will not yield to death simply because I don’t want to.
It feels impossible to get more breath, so I rely on my rage to give me strength. After conjuring the face of Conrad, I gain an inch. My mother's painting in Aqualis flashes before my mind, and my other hand is on the statue. Hallie, Henrick, Daddy... their faces are all swirling together as I recall their abuse, their lies, and their manipulations.
The crowning jewel to my diadem of fury comes into view: a carmine firestone encasing Erik’s betrayal. The man I had begun to trust and feel safe with was meant to be my murderer.
And like a foolish young Merling who didn’t understand the way of the world, I had trusted him. I had trusted his salty kisses and muscular arms. I had trusted the curve of his lips and the honesty in his brown eyes. He made me care for him, all the while betraying me in the shadows.
He made me look like a gods-damned idiot.
All these thoughts coalesce and create a hideous monster. Armed with boiling blood and a broken heart, I successfully pull myself over the top of the stone creature.
The wall is taller than expected, and I fall flat on my back. Beneath me is some kind of lounging couch, which satisfies my body's demand for softness. Without it, I am sure I would’ve broken several bones.
I’d choose tender, deep purple bruises over broken bones any day of the week.
My body protests as I straighten. The couch-looking thing is deep-seated and easily enough for ten people to perch on at once. The fact that it didn’t break denotes good quality and a strong base. Music is playing somewhere close by.
My heart races as voices reach me from the other side of the partitioned room. My hands grow clammy as I focus on drawing myself back together in record time.
“… this is the last time,” someone says in a husky tone.
It’s met with a female voice saying, “You don’t mean that.”
“Don’t I?” the low voice asks. “My-my wife—“
“Has her own lover. I can show you proof, remember?”
My relieved exhale mingles with the wet sound of their kisses. It makes me roll my eyes.
Unfaithful bastards. Why would two people be together if they have no desireto be together?
They continue to volley scandalous words back and forth. I drag my gaze over the rooftop. My breath catches in my throat as I spot a mink blanket draped over a polished wood chair. The simple, elegant design whispers “expensive.”