Chapter 112: Shadows, Serpents, and the Cost of Not Apologizing
Chapter 112: Shadows, Serpents, and the Cost of Not Apologizing
Elyn’s POV
Zorathys gave Azerion a half-lidded stare that screamed he was wholly unimpressed.
It was the kind of look one gave an inconvenience—not even an enemy, just something mildly annoying that refused to stop making noise. Then, as if Azerion’s tears were no longer worth acknowledging—honestly, I was sure they were never even worth any acknowledgment by Zorathys—he rolled his eyes and reached up to adjust the pillows behind his head, tugging one closer and shifting another beneath his arm like he was settling in for a nap.
One, Zorathys looked good in my bed. Too bad he was annoying and extremely lazy. And perhaps that was why I snapped—the fact that he was so nonchalant when a child was crying in his presence. Or perhaps it was because I was just annoyed from hearing Azerion’s cries.
I didn’t say anything at first. I didn’t need to.
Something in my gaze must have changed, because Zorathys stiffened.
Just barely—but I noticed.
His movements paused, fingers curling into the pillow, and then he turned his head slowly to look at me.
Our eyes met.
And in that moment, I saw something I hadn’t noticed before.
The shadows.
They weren’t just behind him.
They were everywhere.
A stretch of my bedroom wall—one I had just assumed was poorly lit—was darker than it should have been. Too dark. But it was not the fact that it was dark that caught my attention; it was the fact that the shadows there weren’t still. They trembled, shuddering like living things caught in the act of doing something they knew they would get punished for.
My breath caught in shock, and the shadows flinched, maybe misunderstanding my shock for anger at them.
They recoiled the instant Zorathys looked at me and realized I was glaring at him.
Wait—no, that’s not accurate. These shadows were reacting to me and not Zorathys.
Before I could even process that realization, the darkness peeled itself off the wall in rippling waves, retreating like frightened creatures. The shadows slid across the floor, crawled up furniture, and then sank back into Zorathys, dissolving into him until they were one with his form again.
The wall looked normal and was bright like the rest of the room.
I stared at the spot, my pulse pounding. I wondered if I was the only one who had noticed and turned to Rin and Vaelory, who were still staring at Azerion in shock.
Zorathys tilted his head slightly, studying me now. "What," he asked calmly, "did I do to earn that look?"
My hands clenched at my sides.
"Why," I asked, my voice sharp despite myself, "are you threatening a child?"
He blinked once.
Then frowned.
"Azerion," Zorathys said evenly, "is not a child."
I laughed, short and humorless. "He looks like one. So he is one as far as I’m concerned."
Zorathys opened his mouth, clearly ready to argue, but I continued before he could.
"And besides," I added, turning my glare back toward him, "he’s only a little over fifty days old."
That got his attention.
Zorathys straightened slightly. "That is irrelevant."
"How is that irrelevant?" I demanded.
"In Syrenthis language," he replied coolly, "that age translates to roughly fifty years in maturity. He is, by his people’s standards, an old man."
Azerion’s sobs grew louder.
The sound cut through my head like a blade.
I rubbed my forehead with my palm, already feeling the familiar throb of a headache building behind my eyes. "That does not change the fact that he is crying," I said tightly. "And you’re the reason why."
Zorathys glanced toward Azerion, irritation flickering across his features.
"Apologize," I told him.
The room went still.
Zorathys turned his head slowly toward me. Then toward Azerion. Then back to me.
He let out a low chuckle, and I hated the way it warmed my body... I didn’t.
"No," he said. "There is no world in which I apologize to a Syrenthis—and especially not this one."
Azerion’s cries spiked, loud and raw.
Zorathys shot him a glare sharp enough to draw blood.
I stepped forward immediately. "Do not look at him like that," I snapped. "You’re staring at him like you want to kill him."
"An accurate interpretation of what I feel, then," he said.
Azerion hiccupped loudly, wiping at his eyes with shaking hands. His voice came out broken and uneven.
"I—I only wanted ta help," he said between sobs. "That’s...that all I wanted ta do. I wanted ta help da queen."
My chest tightened.
"And—and itsh cause I wike her too," he continued, voice cracking. "Dat why..." He hiccuped. "Dat why I want ta pwotect her."
Something twisted painfully in my chest.
I turned back to Zorathys. "Apologize. Now."
He met my gaze evenly. "I am not apologizing to the snake."
My headache pulsed harder.
"You will," I said through clenched teeth, "because I am getting a migraine from his crying."
Azerion froze.
Mid-hiccup.
His sobs cut off instantly, eyes widening in alarm. "I—I didn’t mean ta gwive you a headache," he said quickly. "I’m sowwy."
I was getting a headache from his crying, but why did he sound so cute right now?
The room fell silent again.
Zorathys stared at him, expression unreadable.
I turned toward Azerion and softened my voice. "Come here."
He hesitated only for a heartbeat before shuffling toward me obediently.
I crouched and wrapped my arms around him, pulling him into a gentle embrace. His body was warm, trembling slightly, but he leaned into me like he’d been waiting for permission.
"It’s alright," I murmured. "Don’t be sad."
He sniffed. "I can still pwotect you?"
"Yes," I said without hesitation. "You can."
His head lifted slightly. "Weally?"
I smiled at him and nodded. "Of course. You’ll come with us. You’ll go with me and Zorathys to the Beast Territory."
His eyes widened. "Are you shwore?"
I nodded. "You’re strong. And you’re my knight, remember?"
His chest puffed up just a little.
"Then... then I have ta come," he said solemnly.
He paused. "But... the king might have an issue with it."
I stood slowly and turned back toward Zorathys, one brow lifting.
"Well?" I asked him coolly. "Are you going to have an issue with Azerion following us?"