Do we?

"Y-yes." I quietly respond. Raphael flashes his teeth at me, a bright white smile taking over my vision. I bite my lip, sucking on the dried cracks that bleed into my mouth. The copper taste keeps me centered, keeps me from passing out at all the changes around me.

"What's going to happen with us?" Vale throws out into the crown, Jamal digging his fingers into her arm.

"You are the attendant you speak when spoken to." The bastard corrects her wail of pain moving through the room to stir Myrina. The black starts to slip from Raphael's free hand, I try to keep calm when he runs the cracking smoke through his hair.

He moves his hand from my face, gently taking Vale from Jamals deadly grips. I watch him move Vale to my arms, a side eye to test what I do next. She wraps her arms around me in a tight hug as the King himself wraps his hands around Jamals throat pulling him into the air. Jamals choking breaths come through the space, his body shaking in the King's hands. Vale and I scream, dropping to out butts to get away as Raphael shoves his tendrils down the man's throat stiffening him in the air.

"I warned you." The King croaks out, the snap of Jamals neck ringing through the winter air. Our voices are taken as he drops him to the floor, his body becoming a dark ash that floats in the wind. No where to be seen and not a single drop of blood.

Raphael holds his back to us taking deep breaths before turning to look at us, the weaklings he claimed, "Come ladies, we must get back. J'kani it is your responsibility she follows directions."

I look to Vale who is nodding her head at me. We both know that we wouldn't make it far, his apparent ability would take us out before we could touch the front door. He seems hyperaware of his surroundings, waiting for us to make a decision that he will have to correct. We stand together and hold hands taking small steps towards him.

"The world we are going to is parallel to a place very similar to earth, much like going to the other side of a river that is so wide you can't see past the river mist, but when you get there it feels familiar." He calls over his shoulder leading us to the back of the abandoned gas station his cloak is quiet against the floor, but moves beautifully with him, "There are minor differences in our home world, one being the presence of surface lava that we have used for precious metal production in our infrastructures. Other things might include the language, but that will be easily rectified."

We don't respond, and he doesn't press us too. He seems nice comparatively to how people spoke of him, "When we first arrive I will take you to our medical wards. We have similar technology between the parallels, but we have some advancements with our gifts. How parallels work is one world has the gifts, the other doesn't. It's the way the stars balance the power throughout the world. Through the Tazi Rule they would enslave the lesser worlds and build up the gifted. I am sure that Myrina, someone who was once very loyal to me, has spoken ill of the new order I plan to put in place."

Yes you're right, you want to take over the entire world and run everything to nothing.

"Now, Jamal was my second but he has proven to be useless to me, so we will be the only ones traveling back." We get to the door that leads to the very back of the gas station and he opens it to the bright white mound that surrounds us, "And I must admit, darling, I do not enjoy the cold."

He clicks his tongue reaching over to me. I move away from him into Vale and he ignore it continuing to press forward to wrap his hands around my waist. I suck in a breath, Vale letting my hand go, "Our transport is in the forest behind your home. We will need to walk there since neither of you are equipped to flit." Flit?

Vale looks around the snow, then at her uncovered feet something that I caused. Raphael sees her look down and analyze the area a frown coming over his face, "I will concede and say we planned to take you from the home. It was unexpected to be traveling a distance like this back to the transport, however your stubbornness has led us here. I will carry my j'kani while you, Vale, will be walking."

"I can walk." I mumble to him. If Vale has to deal with the biting cold then I should to. There isn't any reason I should be put above her.

The King coughs, looking me over, "As my j'kani, I am to take care of you and bring you comfort until I can't. Carrying you will allow me to do that. Any opposition?" He raises a brow at me lifting me bridal style into his arms. Another test.

"Let's just get this over with." Vale grumbles to me, her defeat resonating with me. What kind of people are we that we got stuck with the lives we've been dealt?

"I must warn you both, Vale has no rank, but she is in care of the Queen. She must not speak until spoken to when we reach Defi."

Is this any better than being beaten to nothing?