Hydromancist (Seven Forbidden Arts 4)

She looked at him and gave a cynical laugh. “They found me in a garbage bin.” Tim flinched at that, but she pushed forward. “Whoever helped my mother when she gave birth didn’t know what to do with another unwanted baby, another bastard, another mouth to feed. Lucky for me, a beggar going through the trash for food found me. They say mixed breeds have stronger genes, and it must be true, because I was alive.”

Tim pressed his shoe against her foot. “Maya—”

She shook her head. She had to finish this. Only Cain, Joss, and Lann knew the story, but they knew the facts, not the part that mattered, the part that hurt.

“An Anglican priest who ran an orphanage for abandoned children took me in. Eleven of us lived in the dorm, a big hall adjoining the church. Where I come from, most kids in a similar situation don’t get that chance. They end up on the streets, joining gangs to survive. Violence is their only value, fear their only currency.

“Darren had been left on the church doorstep the week before. We never knew our dates of birth, but he liked to brag that he was older than me.”

She fell quiet, allowing the memories to flood her for the first time in fourteen years, filling her mind with Darren’s face. She saw his curly hair and coal-black eyes, his flawless coffee skin. One could see the hardness of his heart in his eyes, except for when he looked at her. He saved the only softness he could muster for her.

“Darren was my rock. When the bigger kids bullied me, he defended me. He got a black eye for it the first time, and he vowed that when he was grown up, he’d never take a black eye from anyone again. He kept that vow. Instead, he handed out the punches.”

“It was only natural for you to fall in love with him,” Tim said in a soft tone.

“It was more than love. He was my family, my security, my teacher, and my only friend.”

“Then he left you,” he said gently.

“Then he left me.” She paused.

When she said nothing for a while, he urged, “Tell me what happened.”

She understood what he was doing. He was offering to share her burden, and it would make the revelation of her betrayal all the more bitter.

“Gangs, they rule the Flats. You have to belong to one if you want to survive. In order to belong, you have to prove your worth.” She chuckled. “I was a pretty mean-ass chick. Darren taught me what I knew about guns and fighting with knives. Always told me a girl could kick butt just a well as a boy. We were good at it—at fighting. We stole what we needed to stay alive and lived like there was no tomorrow.”

She stared into the dark corner of the room. “Then I got cocky. Survival wasn’t enough. I wanted to rule. I was tired of living in fear. Wanted to take on our biggest rival. Darren told me to let it go, but at the funeral of one of their members, I challenged their leader. I thought I was invincible.

“It was a knife draw. We met on the beach at sunrise. My people stood on the right, his on the left. I knew I could gut him. He was strong, but slow. The bastard was a coward. I should’ve known better. I should’ve known honor meant nothing to him.

“We were both searched for other weapons before we started. He was clean. For a while we trudged around. I was tiring him out. He was a big pound of flesh, and it took a lot of energy for him to move his weight around, especially in the thick sand. I cut his arm and then his leg. I was only getting started when one of his men threw the gun to him. Before I knew what was happening, he aimed it at me.” She paused again at the painful memory, seeing it play off in her mind as if it was yesterday.

“Darren took the bullet for you,” Tim said with understanding.

“He got himself shot. He promised me he’d stay alive, and he didn’t.” She looked at her hands. “As soon as the gun went off, I slit our rival’s throat. War broke out between the two sides. I tried to get someone to call an ambulance. I screamed for someone to help, but Darren’s blood just kept pouring through my fingers and over my hands.

“The police arrived. Someone from our gang grabbed me and hauled me away. I kicked and fought, clawing my way back to Darren, but we were caught up in the running mob. The other members locked me in a shed, saying they couldn’t let me do something stupid. When they let me out that night and I could finally make it back, his body was gone.”