Six of Ruin (Heirs of Irenwell #1) ✔

Chapter 41: Broken Rules

The next obvious step was drinking myself into oblivion. With each gulp, pain eased a little, promising to come back with vengeance. But I couldn't stop. Not when I kept on wondering whether I did the right thing, wondering whether I gambled my chance at happiness away.

What Rixen did not understand about me was just how deep my flaws ran. Back in Irenwell, I was safe and protected and had everything I could ever wish for.

Out here, in the middle of nowhere, I'd never be safe. And I wondered whether a part of me would hate him if I allowed him to take all of that away from me.

So, I played it safe. He thought he was in love with me, but it was merely infatuation. If he actually spent time with me, he'd realise we weren't meant to be together. This was a flaw in the universe, a residue from a twisted spell, it shouldn't have happened.

I was still young; I had no idea how tough life would get. There was no need to complicate things so early on.

Then, why did I feel my heart cracking with each breath I took?

"What time is it?" Ace suddenly lifted his head, waking up from his drunken slumber. Immediately, he grabbed another flagon and swigged.

"I don't know." I sighed. "It's not midnight yet."

"Fuck, my head hurts." The mage grunted.

"That's because you drank half the tavern." I mumbled.

Ace looked at me sideways, his green eyes slightly more sober now, "It's our last night in the Spirit territory."

A laugh fell off my lips, "I'm aware, old man."

"You call me old an awful lot."

"You deserve way harsher insults." I said.

"Fair enough." Ace shrugged, then looked at me again. "When you're as old as I am, you give up on wishing for eternity."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I took a sip of my fruity drink, briefly wondering whether we even had something similar in Irenwell.

Ace shifted in his seat, "When you're young, you have illusions of eternity. You hope for a love that would last a lifetime, unbreakable friendships and eternal happiness. As you grow older, you realise nothing is permanent. Love dies, friendships break and happiness is a fleeting emotion."

"It's more complicated than that." I shook my head, not in the mood to discuss my love life with a drunk mage who hadn't had a shower in two months.

"No, it's not." Ace ordered another drink with a spin of his finger. "Just because something won't last forever doesn't mean it shouldn't happen."

Whether I wanted it or not, the words carved themselves into my mind. Breaking down in front of a seven-hundred-year-old mage at the edge of the world wasn't something I thought would ever happen to me, but there I was, blubbering like a baby, unable to breathe in.

"You shouldn't eavesdrop on my conversations." I reprimanded, drinking down the tears and the lump in my throat.

Ace simply raised his eyebrow, "Maybe you shouldn't have your conversations in front of me. Go, it's your last night in the Spirit territory."

I wiped the tears off my face, grabbed my satchel and ran.

Just because something won't last forever doesn't mean it shouldn't happen.

The most beautiful things in life weren't permanent; my mother's smile, my father's eye roll, frost lingering on the strands of grass, the Star of Orath illuminating the dark, midnight sky.