Page 59 of The Last Guardian
Zaidkiel also headed towards the exit, stopping for a moment and saying, “Stay here, I’ll be back,” turning his back on me as he moved to leave the tent.
I replied in a loud, clear voice, “No.”
Zaidkiel froze at the entrance of the tent. Slowly, he turned his face, looking over his shoulder. “Are you refusing a direct order?” Zaidkiel warned with an icy tone, glaring at me.
“You are no one to order me around. And I refuse to be left behind without an explanation any longer,” I replied, getting up from the chair. “I am not a soldier under your command.”
Silence fell between us.
“You’re clearly not.” Zaidkiel glared down at me.
Hands on my hips, I tried to remain calm. ”What was that? How did she know about my lost memories? Can she read my thoughts? What is this rite? And what is this Last Guardian?”
Zaidkiel’s eyes gleamed as he debated. For a second, I thought he might ignore me entirely, but he didn’t. Instead, Zaidkiel stepped inside, letting the flap fall closed behind him with a soft thud. He moved toward me with slow and calculated steps.
I didn’t budge a muscle as Zaidkiel stopped a few feet away, his eyes fixed on mine.
“Eirlys can enter into minds, yes. A few Noxari have this gift, and as the High Mistress, her powers are far stronger. I should have warned you. I didn’t think she would use it on you,” Zaidkiel explained, clearly pissed off about this. “As for the rite, it serves as initiating a being into the place where its soul and power reside; it’s in your mind.”
“Can you be more specific?” I snarled, crossing my arms. “How does it work exactly?”
“If you had waited two minutes for me to return, I would have brought Arystan here to tell you more about the rite, but—”
“Are you too busy to do your own dirty work, Commander?” I interrupted him.
Zaidkiel took a step forward, almost closing the distance between us. “Oh, don’t get me wrong, I would be thrilled to spend more time with you, Princess. Sadly, I have a meeting to attend before spending all my free time with you.”
The sarcasm in his voice matched my own annoyance. For whatever reason, he was moodier than ever since we had landed here.
“Well, if you feel that way, why can only you do it with me?” I frowned, crossing my arms. “Where are the others?” I asked, crossing my arms. “I am prepared to wait if it means I don’t have to spend time with you.”
Zaidkiel narrowed his eyes at me. “Does my presence annoy you this much, Princess?”
“I cannot say I particularly enjoy your company.” I sighed, rolling my eyes.
A large smile spread on Zaidkiel’s face, and a chuckle escaped his lips, his green eyes gleaming at my remark.
“What? Something amuse you?” I blurted out.
Zaidkiel shrugged. “You cannot control your tongue, can you?”
Most of the time, I could control my tongue, but I wasn’t going to admit that only he had the power to put me on edge like this.
“Arystan,” Zaidkiel yelled, turning his head toward the flap, “Can you come inside, please?”
I opened my mouth, ready to insult him, when the tent opened, and Arystan entered.
“Apologies,” the old wizard mumbled, carrying old books in his arms, “I was waiting for you to give me permission to enter.”
“No inconvenience at all,” Zaidkiel replied, still looking at me with a smirk tugging on his lips. He averted his eyes to look at Arystan. “Can you explain the Rite of Initiation to the princess before she returns to her quarters tonight?”
Surprise crossed the old wizard’s blue gaze, a frown creasing at his brow. “Of—of course, Commander.” Arystan nodded; one book fell from his arm. The wizard gestured a finger, activating one of his runes. The book flew through the air before landing on the enormous table.
“Thank you,” said the commander. Zaidkiel turned toward the exit, the tent flap lifting with him—then stopped. For a moment, he stood there, his back to me, his shoulders tensed.
When he looked over his shoulder, his emerald eyes caught mine. A frozen stare. I forgot to breathe.
“If you still wish to recover your memory,” Zaidkiel said with a hint of irony in his voice, “let me know.”
