Page 123 of The Last Guardian

“Did Arthur know that?” I whispered, observing the monstrous thing lying on the ground.

He couldn’t have, right? He wouldn’t have hid it from us…

I wanted to convince myself of that, but Zaid spoke again. “He knows. Arthur is part of this, too. He has searched for the Last Guardian with us for years.”

A blow.

It felt like a god-damned blow.

Arthur had been aware of this for years.

Why didn’t he tell us? Well, no one would have believed him in Perygan, but still—he kept this to himself for years. How did he join them in the first place? I needed to know how he found out about this.

“Why… why didn’t you tell me all of this?” Pointing to the Arakma on the ground, I shook my head, scoffing. “I need to be aware of these things now. I want to know the threats. I want to know about the real danger.” I stopped, letting everything sink inside my chest, my mind. “You should have told me,” I breathed, shaking my head, “but since you’ve been avoiding me for days, it’s not like you’ve had a chance to tell me anything, have you?” I remarked bitterly. “Why did you shut me out?” I asked. “What happened during the Rite for you to keep your distance that way?”

Zaid’s jaw clenched. His chest moved with his quick breaths, and he hesitated.

He was going to leave me without explanation again.

No way!

“Don’t leave again!” I shouted. “Answer me.”

Zaid loudly sighed. “I was doing research and… I can’t find out how Haedeon used your blood, Alyana. I don’t have the answer, and it drives me mad not to know how he was going to use you.”

“You can’t shut me out when something concerns me! I already told you that. Stop doing that,” I shouted. “Everything that concerns me, I have a right to know about. Alright?”

Zaid nodded, a dark hue crossing his eyes.

A silence fell; our eyes locked.

“Is there anything else you need to tell me?” I sighed, crossing my arms, arching a brow.

Zaid looked down at me. His eyes flickered and he shook his head, clenching his jaw. “No.”

Another silence.

“When are we going back to Perygan? To Lys?” I tried to ignore the giant spider-like creature near me.

“That’s why I originally came.” Zaidkiel reached for something in his pocket. “I received a letter from your brother this morning.” He gestured to the note in his hand. “We are going home today.”

We were returning to Perygan today. Something warm fizzed in my chest.

“We are going right away?” I asked, a glimmer of hope in my heart.

Zaid nodded. A soft smile played on his lips at my reaction. “Yes. It’s time to go back. Go get what you want to take with you. I’ll meet you on the ship.”

Before moving to take my things with me, my mouth opened on its own. “Are you going to stop ignoring me now?” I asked him boldly.

Zaidkiel leaned in; that infuriatingly confident smirk returned to his lips. “Admit it—you missed me, Princess.”

I shot him a glare. “Don’t flatter yourself. I’m only using you for my own benefits.”

Zaid chuckled, low and teasing. “Oh, I’m counting on it. Just make sure you use me properly.”

“Hard to do when you’re never around, don’t you think?” I teased, narrowing my eyes.

Stars, was I flirting back?