Chapter 52 Fire and ice
Dinner ended.
Warriors dispersed. Laughter faded. The hall emptied.
Cain stood. “I’ll show you to your chambers.”
Her voice was flat. Professional. Nothing like the person who’d demonstrated in the training grounds earlier.
“Cain, we need to talk”
“Your chambers are this way.” Cain walked toward the door. Didn’t wait to see if Lilith followed.
Lilith exchanged glances with Sera. Sera’s expression said this is bad.
They followed Cain through corridors. Silent. The only sound was footsteps on volcanic stone.
“Here.” Cain opened a door. “Everything you need should be inside. Breakfast is at dawn. I’ll have someone fetch you.”
“Cain”
“Goodnight, Lilith.” She turned to leave.
“Don’t do this.”
Cain stopped. Didn’t turn around. “Do what?”
“Shut me out. Pretend nothing’s wrong. Act like”
“Like what? Like everything’s fine? Like I didn’t just watch you return from my brother’s kingdom looking like someone who fell in love?” Cain’s voice was controlled. Too controlled. “I’m not pretending. I’m being professional. You’re here to learn about my kingdom. That’s what I’ll show you.”
“That’s not why I’m here.”
“Isn’t it?” Now Cain turned. Her face was blank. Carefully blank. “Two weeks in each kingdom. Learning. Observing. Eventually choosing. That’s the arrangement. I’m simply fulfilling my part.”
“You’re being cold.”
“I’m being smart.” Cain’s jaw tightened. “Goodnight.”
She left. Just walked away. Didn’t look back.
Sera let out a breath. “Well. That’s worse than yelling.”
“Much worse.” Lilith stared at the empty corridor. “She won’t even fight with me.”
“Because fighting means engaging. Engaging means feeling. And I think she’s trying very hard not to feel anything right now.” Sera squeezed her shoulder. “Give her tonight. Maybe tomorrow she’ll be ready to talk.”
“And if she’s not?”
“Then you have two very long, very uncomfortable weeks ahead of you.”
Morning came with a knock.
A warrior. Female. Scarred. “Prince Cain requests your presence for breakfast. Then she’ll begin your tour of the kingdom.”
“Thank you.”
The dining hall was half empty. Warriors eating quickly before training. Cain sat at the head table. Reviewing documents. She didn’t look up when Lilith entered.
“Sit,” she said. Still not looking up. “Eat quickly. We have a full schedule.”
Lilith sat. “Cain”
“The forges operate on three shifts. I’ll show you the night shift today. Most impressive. Hottest flames. Best smiths.” Cain’s voice was mechanical. Reciting facts. “Then the eastern training grounds. Then the war college where we train officers. Then”
“I don’t care about the schedule.”
“You should. You’re here to learn.” Finally, Cain looked up. Her eyes were empty. Guarded. “That’s the point of these visits. Understanding each kingdom. Each brother’s domain. What you’d be ruling if you chose them.”
The emphasis on ‘them’ was pointed.
“Is that what you think this is? Just research?”
“What else would it be?” Cain returned to her documents. “Eat. We leave in ten minutes.”
Lilith wanted to scream. To flip the table. To force Cain to actually look at her. Instead, she ate. Mechanically. Tasting nothing.
The tour was thorough. Professional. Completely impersonal.
Cain showed her everything. The forges. The training grounds. The war college. The armory. The city. All while maintaining perfect emotional distance.
“This is where we train new recruits,” she’d say. Flat. Informative. “Mortality rate is approximately twelve percent. Acceptable losses for the caliber of warrior produced.”
“Cain”
“The eastern quadrant focuses on ranged combat. Archers. Siege weapons. We supply four of the seven kingdoms with artillery.” She kept walking. Never stopping. Never engaging. “Any questions?”
“Yes. When are you going to stop pretending you’re a tour guide and actually talk to me?”
“I am talking to you. Providing information. Answering questions about my kingdom.” Cain’s voice remained level. “Isn’t that what you wanted? To understand Wrath? To see what I built?”
“You know that’s not what I meant.”
“Then perhaps you should be more specific.” Cain stopped at an overlook. The city spread below. “This is the central market. Economic hub. Trade routes connect to”
“STOP!” Lilith grabbed her arm. Forced her to turn. “Just stop. Stop talking about trade routes and mortality rates and acting like you’re showing a stranger around!”
Cain’s expression didn’t change. “What would you prefer I do?”
“Be angry! Yell at me! Something! Anything but this” Lilith gestured helplessly. “This nothing!”
“You want me to be angry?” Cain’s voice was still calm. Eerily calm. “Why? So you feel less guilty? So I make a scene and you can feel justified in whatever choice you’re leaning toward?”
“That’s not”
“Or maybe you want me to fight for you. Compete with Azrael. Prove I’m better somehow.” Cain pulled her arm free. “I’m not doing that. I’m not going to beg. Not going to perform. Not going to make this easier for you by being dramatic.”
“Then what are you doing?”
“Surviving.” The first crack in her armor. Small. Quickly covered. “Showing you my kingdom like I was asked. Keeping my distance so I don’t” She stopped. “So I don’t make this worse.”
“Worse how?”
“By caring too much. By hoping too much. By letting myself believe I actually have a chance when we both know” Cain stopped. Shook her head. “The Dinner was the same. Professional. Distant. Cain sat at the head of the table, discussed strategy with her warriors, barely acknowledged Lilith’s presence.
When it ended, she stood. “Tomorrow we visit the northern territories. Training starts at dawn. Dress appropriately.”
“Cain, please”
“Goodnight, Lilith.” She left. Again.
Sera appeared at Lilith’s elbow. “This is torture.”
“For her or for me?”
“Both.” Sera guided her back to chambers. “She’s protecting herself. Building walls. It’s either that or fall apart. And Cain doesn’t do falling apart.”
“So what do I do?”
“I don’t know. Wait? Push? Give her space?” Sera shook her head. “This is above my pay grade.”
Lilith collapsed on her bed. Stared at the ceiling. One day down. Thirteen to go.
Thirteen days of Cain being perfectly professional. Perfectly distant. Perfectly unreachable.
Thirteen days of walls and silence and careful nothingness.
This was worse than fighting. Worse than anger. Worse than anything.
Because at least anger meant she cared enough to engage. This? This was Cain shutting down completely. Protecting herself the only way she knew how.
By feeling nothing at all.
Or pretending to.
And Lilith had no idea how to reach someone who refused to be reached. market closes at sunset. We should continue the tour.”
She walked away. Again.
Lilith stood there. Frustrated. Helpless. Watching Cain retreat behind walls she didn’t know how to break through.