Twisted Metal Heart - Eve Langlais Page 0,65
off the edge eventually.”
“You think the Earth is flat?” he said with some surprise.
“Doesn’t everyone?” She held her serious expression a moment longer before busting out with laughter.
“You laugh, but my uncle swore the Fall sheared off half the planet. Which might have been believable if he didn’t also claim it exposed hell and only demons and the eternal fires of damnation waited for those who didn’t believe.”
She gaped. “Your uncle believed in the old religion?”
Ancients from Old Earth used to believe in a deity that would grant them a position in a beauteous place called Heaven, or, if sinful, in Hell.
He offered her a wry smile. “My uncle also claimed he spoke to the trees in Seimor Forest. He was somewhat eccentric.”
“The only religion we learned was to obey the Enclave. But as part of our history, we were taught about the Ancients and how they used to all believe in these hidden gods. Even fought wars in their names.”
“What was it like being raised in the Enclave?”
“Hard.” The first word that came to mind. “From as far back as I can remember, I was training. Learning.”
“What about when your lessons were done for the day?”
She shook her head. “We rarely had free moments. We never got to play. Everything was about increasing our power. Working for the crown or anyone else who asked.”
“But you were a princess. Surely you could say no.”
“Not until we became full Enclave and received a proper rank. While my siblings and I were higher than a regular citizen, we had to show obedience to full Enclave members. Everyone in the city is sorted into tiers of power.”
“Sounds complicated.”
“I would have said deadly if you make a misstep. As prince and princesses, my siblings and I were in constant rivalry. Three sisters, one brother. And none of them as good as me in the psionics, which meant they were constantly trying to take me down.” She was the only one to inherit two powers and the strength to use them both.
“Your rare strength is why your mother kept you even after you lost your arm.”
“Kept me but made it clear I’d never be seen in public. Never be her true heir. I got to live in the city but was little better than a prisoner. And then, after she killed my father, I was shipped off.”
He reached for her hand and held it. “I am starting to think your life was pretty shitty compared to mine.”
“I had shelter, food, and all the education I could ask for.” She pointed out the positive. Because, hard as she had it, at least she didn’t have to survive in the Wasteland.
“What happened if you disobeyed?” he asked softly.
She stared out at the still water. It was said back before the Fall the ocean used to move in waves, lapping against the shores with something called high tide then ebbing on a low one.
That was before. Now it just sat there. Pretty and still until something long and sinuous emerged from it, slapped a passing bird in the sky, and dragged it under.
“Did I just see—?” he exclaimed.
“Yes, you did.” Then because she felt like it. “If we go the market, there are vendors who sell skewers of kraken meat roasted with herbs.”
“You’re fucking with me.” He glanced at her then huffed. “Fuck me you aren’t. You can eat that monster?”
“It’s actually quite delicious, which is good because it makes the city less dependent on farms and outside food.”
“The world is a big fucking place,” he muttered.
“It is, and you’ve barely explored any of it yet.”
“I wish the people in Haven could see this.” He swept a hand. “They deserve to know we don’t have to stay in shitholes or keep running. There are places to go. Freedom to live.”
“If you stay out of the clutches of the bad people who want to keep their power, like my mother.”
“I didn’t get the impression the swamp king was bad.”
“He made himself king, meaning he went after power.”
“Maybe, but that doesn’t mean he’s evil.” Titan shook his head. “I had a chance to see how things worked, and while the Marsh king rules tightly, he’s also loose at the same time. His citizens make their own decisions and follow some simple laws. If they don’t, then the punishments are public, and the person being accused of a crime has a chance to defend themselves.”
“If by defense you mean battle. Which hardly seems fair. The weak can’t fight,” she remarked. “It