Catalyst(120)

“Goodbye, Princess.”

“Some advice?” Cynder asked, after she left.

He'd tried this before, and it had usually resulted in a joke at my expense. However, every once in a while, he's given me some insight. Seeing the serious expression on his reptilian face, I risked it.

“Sure,” I said.

“I don't understand what the princess sees in you. You're ugly, you smell, you have hair on your head but not on your face.” I began to regret saying yes. “But she likes you. She's a keeper, that one. Hang on to her for as long as you can. Dig your claws into her and don't let go.”

I watched the princess go back into the fold of her people. “I will.”

The exhaustion from the day finally hit me. Aside from all the emotions I had gone through, my body screamed for rest. I couldn't ignore it any longer. I put the urn on the ground and sat down against Cynder's rough hide. His rhythmic breathing lulled me. I forced myself to stay awake, staring at the dancing flames on the pyre while they consumed my former master's body. I didn't reach into its magic, fearful of what I might see.

There was only one thought on my mind—Premier. He was out there. And I was going to find him.