Chapter Seven

Frederick and his dad aren't the only ones who see me off. Kretia, Aolia, Ravenno, and Hazor all come, having heard about Fred's plan. They all come to the door that separates the two districts of the city, and they all wish me luck.

Kretia and Aolia do, anyway. Ravenno and Hazor are quiet, but they don't outright glare at me like they hate my guts, so I'm going to consider it a win.

Kretia bows her head to me. "We have faith in you, Rey. Go in power."

Beside her, Aolia mimics the bow and says, "Go in power, my lady."

Behind them, a crowd gathered, a crowd made of both noble and common folk. They intermingle, watching with wide eyes, whispering amongst themselves, but once they hear Kretia and Aolia say that, they quiet and all bow their heads in unison. Even Ravenno and Hazor bow their heads.

"Uh…" I glance at Frederick and his dad, both of whom stand beside me, and I find that they are bowing their heads, too. Literally everyone is, even the guards near the doors.

It's a weird feeling, all these people believing I'm something I'm not. I've denied it again and again, but it's almost like these people need me to be their savior. They need me to champion their hope, to be their light in the darkness.

No pressure if I fail, right?

The reverence lasts a few seconds, and then everyone lifts their heads. Although I really want to tell them that they've got it wrong, I keep that bottled inside and say something else. "Go in power. It is a cool way of saying goodbye."

Aolia gives me a gentle smile. "It is how we say farewell to our empress."

Her response catches me off-guard, because I'm pretty damn sure Kretia told me to go in power when I went to confront Gladus. That was right when everything turned to shit.

Turning away from them, I face Frederick and his dad, the latter of whom acts like he's got an itch on his nose but he's trying desperately not to itch it. I elect to ignore Fred and focus on Frederick, who steps closer to me. He acts as if he's going to take my hands, but he stops himself short, instead glancing around us, at the crowd who still watches, rapt.

"I have faith in you, Rey, faith enough for the both of us. Go to Pylos and Acadia, get the aethers, and then make haste back here." Frederick speaks softly, barely a whisper, so low it's difficult for me to hear him, but I suppose he only does it because he doesn't want the rest of Laconia to hear.

I grin. "What? You in a hurry to get back to the way things were or something?" It's a joke, albeit a shitty one, but the way Frederick stares down at me afterward makes me zip my lips.

"I'd be lying if I said I don't want to see Laconia safe," he whispers, his dark eyes lit up like warm amber in the sun. "But that is only one small part of why I want you to hurry back. I'll be waiting for you." Even though his words are innocent, I swear there's an underlying tone to them, like he means something else.

Behind him, his dad mutters, "That's an understatement. We'll all be waiting for you, Rey, so yes, do keep a good pace throughout your travels. We will hold the line here as best we can, should the city get attacked again."

Frederick coughs and steps back, a sheepish look on his face, as if he's apologizing for his dad for interrupting… whatever that was supposed to be.

Hey, the man was alone in the dark for so long, I can't be mad at him for not picking up on social cues.

"Okay, well—" Do these people expect me to have a big speech prepped? I will be the first to admit I suck at public speaking, but anyone who's spent more than five minutes with me knows that. "—bye."

Okay, well, bye. That's my goodbye to Laconia. Fitting.

I turn away from the city, away from the councilmen and women, away from Frederick and his dad, and wait for the guards to open the doors for me. Once the wooden doors are open enough, I slip out, and before they close again, I look over my shoulder. The only person I see in the sliver between the doors as they close is Frederick's concerned face.

I can't help but wonder what his goodbye would've been like if we were alone. Not that I have a crush on the guy or anything—the kiss that night was a mistake. I was feeling lonely, touch-starved in the worst way. I basically used him, and that just wasn't right, even if he did the same when we first met.

With my bag slung over my shoulder, full of food, and a bigger canteen resting on my other hip, full of fresh water, I'm as ready as I'll ever be to make this journey.

Pylos is first, so I head to the northern gate. It's a bitch and a half to push open by myself, but I manage, and I slip out of the city and start my long trek back to Pylos's castle, where I fought Empress Gladus.

Without magic, I'm forced to stick to the main dirt road. No shortcuts. Nothing that would, you know, make the journey quicker or more bearable. I keep a good pace, space out my meals and my water breaks. Unlike Acadia, Pylos is more unforgiving the closer you get to the castle, so my goal is to start hardening myself now so it's not so bad once I'm in the heart of the region.

As dusk falls, I let myself pause and look back at Laconia. The city sits upon a hill, rising up against its surroundings. Its high stone walls are all I can see, other than a few of the spires from the taller buildings in the upper district. It's so far in the distance, though, that those spires almost blend with the sky.

I let myself be wistful for a minute or two, and then I turn around and keep marching along.

I walk well into the night, mostly because I don't find anywhere I can comfortably sleep without leaving myself wide-open to any blighted animals that might stumble along me. By the time I find somewhere to sleep, I'm only able to catch a few hours before the sun wakes me up again.

That first partial day after leaving Laconia, I'm hopeful. The second day I'm eager. The third I wish I could blink and suddenly be at my destination. On the fourth day, I have to flee from a flock of crazy, enraged ravens, and I'm thankful no one is around to see how pathetic I look running away from stupid birds.

It's the fifth day that I start to get annoyed. I have a lot of time to think during the journey, a lot of time trapped with my own thoughts. I'm the last person that should be going on this journey. I'm no hero. How many times did I say that? No one listens to me.

On the sixth day I'm a mixture of lonely and annoyed. I hum tunes to pass the time, since I have no one around to talk to. Disney songs, my favorite songs. I pretend I'm on one of those shows where you have to audition in front of a panel of judges, and I go through the songs I'd choose. When I mess up, I pretend like I'm the judges. I take on an English accent and make fun of my mistakes.

Yeah… let's just say it's a good thing no one's around to see me or hear me. I sound like I'm insane, but you know what? There's only so much you can do while you're alone, trudging along in a kingdom that's almost devoid of life.

Besides, it's a way to keep myself entertained, a way to stop myself from really letting my anger take over.

Because I am pissed. I'm pissed at this whole thing. At everyone believing I'm something I'm not, at Frederick for that look he gave me while the doors closed between us, at Fred for interrupting the weird moment his son and I were having… and, of course, I'm pissed at Invictis. I'm pissed at him the most.

He didn't just lie to me. He tricked me. He made me believe we were friends. He manipulated me to get me to do what he wanted me to do. I bet he's the only reason Gladus used her magic to attack Laconia in the first place, so I would march off to Pylos and kill her—and in doing so take whatever part of him was trapped in that castle.

I fucking carried him around with me for so long. We talked about everything. Sure, he had a snide attitude half the time—he could be a bitch of epic proportions—but I got used to him. He was always there. He was…

God, I feel so fucking stupid. No amount of American Idol singing can make me feel better.

Just before dusk that day, I come across a small village that my path leads through. Empty, of course. I find myself a nice bed and call it an early night.

And, what would you know, I must've thought too much about Invictis today, because when sleep takes me, he's there.