Zeroth Law by Guerric Haché

Author:Guerric Haché
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Guerric Haché
Published: 2016-06-07T16:00:00+00:00

“You died? Is that what Venshi meant by you being blessed?”

“That’s part of it.”

Dendre scowled. “Doesn’t sound like a blessing to me.”

Isavel shifted on her feet. He seemed to understand her predicament a lot better than anyone else, so why was he being so hostile?

“And you’re supposed to lead us?”

“That’s what the gods said. Although I don’t want to… take your place or anything, Bulwark.”

“You might not, but I doubt Venshi’s masters care much what you want. Anything the gods say at that shrine is, well...”

Isavel glanced up. “Sacred.”

“Yes.” He couldn’t deny the gods, of course.

“So what now?”

Annoyance flashed across Dendre’s face. “You think I know how this is supposed to work? Tell me, have you ever led an army? A party, even?”

She looked at Sorn, as though he might offer an answer better than the truth, but he did no such thing. She shook her head.

“No, I - I’ve only been in a handful of fights.”

“Wonderful. Did the gods explain why they picked you?”

She sighed. “They didn’t.”

Dendre ran his fingers through his dark beard, and it looked to Isavel as though he were considering yanking it off with his fist. “All right, then. Will your special powers reveal themselves in the midst of battle?”

“That’s already happened.”

He paused. “Oh? And what are your special powers?”

She was about to tell him. She should tell him - maybe that would convince him. But there was something simmering away in the back of her mind that she couldn’t deal with anymore, something frantic and buzzing that was starting to take over.

Frustration.

Here she was, being led about and told what to do and what she was meant for, and yet she still had no answers and no clear purpose, not from the gods themselves. If the gods had chosen her, was it really just so that she could be buffeted around by the winds and the wills of those around her? That couldn’t possibly be the case - anyone could be pushed around. The gods must have chosen her for… something else.

And if they wanted her to learn leadership, she wasn’t going to learn that by reacting to everyone around her. She needed to become worth following.

She ran her hand through her mane of hair and frowned. “You know what, Bulwark? I don’t want to deal with this right now. And neither do you, from what I can tell.”

“You’re beginning to understand.” Dendre scowled. “Get out of here, and we’ll just pretend you didn’t interrupt my day with the news that the most apocalyptic nightmare of the last thousand years is about to show up on my fucking doorstep.”

Sorn spoke up, reaching out to her even as she turned to leave. “Isavel, you need to -”

“No.” She pushed his hand away. “Sorn, not now. Not right now.”

“Okay - well, we can -”

“No. Leave me alone. I need… I’ll find you later, at the docks, like Joon said. Just leave me be. I need to find my own way.”

She walked off at a brisk pace, leaving Sorn trailing behind.

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