The Soul on Fire | Slow Updates

Chapter Fourteen

Armaita appeared in her private quarters, immediately falling to her knees and succumbing to her heartache.

How could he have been so cruel? How could he make what they had sound so foul? He said he got what he wanted out of her – claimed he had no use for her.

He was a coward.

She didn't understand what made him suddenly push her away. Just that morning he had been so tender and caring with her. He had asked her to stay with him, even when he knew she had a job to do.

The last few days spent in his castle weren't meaningless to him. She didn't care that he claimed they were. Something else was at work here.

Still, it hurt.

Her heart blazed with agony. So, this is what it felt like. She finally understood what so many of her charges had felt when their hearts had been broken.

It was excruciating.

Slowly, she lowered herself to the ground and brought her knees to her chest. Her eyes fell shut and she drowned in her sorrow – letting the tears streak down her face freely. She didn't care how pathetic she looked. In that moment, she was certain she would die from the harrowing torment.

A loud bang made her jerk upright and her eyes grew wide when Barachiel barged into her bedroom – a look of fury on his face.

"What is the meaning of this?" he barked, towering over her.

Leaning forward, he grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet. She wavered, the strength in her body having left her the moment she arrived there. She wiped at her tears and brought her gaze to her superior.

"Explain yourself," he demanded. There was no warmth in his tone. No compassion.

"What?" she asked, shirking away from his grasp and turning away from him.

"Why did you call on the collective power? You have weakened us again, Armaita!" Her master bellowed out the words, making no effort to hide his anger.

She hugged herself, rubbing her arms up and down to chase away the chill that seemed to permanently settle around her. She didn't have a good enough reason to give him, so she elected to remain silent.

"You will answer me, Armaita." Barachiel turned her around roughly and forced her to meet his gaze.

She wasn't in the mood for this. "Curse the collective!" she shrieked, pushing her superior away. "Curse this entire mission! I wish you'd never given me the assignment at all."

A vein pulsed in the Head of Guardians' forehead. His jaw was clenched, and his eyes were wide – filled with fury. "You are suspended," he grinded out, "effective immediately."

She should have cared, but she didn't. Nothing mattered anymore. Her duty, Abdul-Haq...both paled in comparison to what she cared about most.

"Fine," she hissed, crossing her arms over her chest and giving Barachiel her back.

His footsteps sounded behind her, getting farther away as he exited the room. She exhaled when her door clicked shut and she was alone again.

Her breathing was stifled as she felt the walls closing in on her. She had to get away from here – away from anything that reminded her of her duty. Calling on her light, she teleported back to Earth.

Purely out of habit, she appeared outside of the mosque in Mosuruk. The moon was high in the sky now and the earlier commotion had long since come to an end. Her senses told her that Abdul was no longer in the temple, more than likely having gone home for the night.