Feels like a trap,” Rythos muttered, shifting on his horse as the sun flickered over his dark skin. He ducked his head, barely missing a particularly low-hanging branch. Mountains towered to our east,
their jagged, snowcapped peaks stabbing into the sky.
“Of course it’s a trap.” Marth scowled, pulling his cloak tighter around himself with a wary glance at the ruins of the city in front of us.
The Cursed City had once been the capital of Eprotha. Centuries ago, when humans invaded what was now known as the Barren Continent, they were unprepared for the retaliation they would face.
Now, the capital was Lesdryn—on the other side of the kingdom.
After so many days of travel, most of us could use a good fight. But we had little time to spare. Already, we’d had to ride hard from one of the smaller villages in the east for this meeting.
My skin felt too tight. This was, indeed, guaranteed to be a trap.
As usual, Cavis was quiet. His wife had just had their first child, and he was longing for home. But he hadn’t complained. Like all of us, he knew just how important the next few weeks would be.
“What about you, Cavis?” I asked. “Do you think the stone hags will actually behave honorably for once?”
Cavis sent me a wry smile. “Even men like us should be wary of the Cursed City. And the creatures who roam there.”
Few knew that the Cursed City was now inhabited. Fewer still came anywhere near this part of the kingdom. And yet, here we were, at what were once the gates to this ruined city.
“Come out, hags,” I ordered.
“Come innnn,” a voice called back.
I shook my head. Walk into a city of rubble, when the stone hags could wield that rubble to bury us alive? “We have a bargain. Break it and accept the consequences.”
I allowed a hint of my power free. Mostly because a hint was all that was left. Grinding my teeth, I held up a hand, my magic sparking in the sunlight. Soon. Soon, my power would be returned in full.
“You dareeee threaten usss?”
Rythos’s horse shifted under him. He jumped off and pulled his sword. “Don’t make us come in there.”
“They want us to come in there,” Marth muttered. “That’s the point.”
We didn’t have time for this. I let my power strike at the closest pile of rubble—one that had likely been a watchtower. From the shriek that pierced my ears, one of the stone hags had been using it to spy on us. I smiled. Hopefully that would reduce the time we spent in this place.
Several hags appeared from the rubble. All of them moved slowly, their gray skin wrinkled and dry as dust. The one in the center wore a crown of tourmaline.
I dismounted and waited for them to come to us. I’d always found power in silence. Rythos lazily swung his sword in his hand. I gave him a warning look, and his mouth curved in a feral smile. All these years, and I still didn’t know why he loathed the hags.
“The bargain has changed,” the queen hissed. “We will require more gold.”
Galon jumped off his horse next to me, offense flashing over his face. Once agreed upon, deals were never to be broken. Behind us, Marth and Cavis guarded our backs, although I knew both men well enough to know they were hoping for a fight.
“And you believe we will comply with your demands?”
The queen smiled, a grotesque display of crumbling stone teeth. “I believe I know why you need this little ingredient.” She held up a vial containing the specific moss we required. “And if I am correct, you will need secrecy. Because if the king learned of your plans, all of you would burnnnn.”
I watched the queen until she dropped her gaze. She immediately lifted it, but it was too late. We both knew who was more dominant.
I smiled. “And you believe you are safe here in this cursed land that was once a city? You believe Sabium wouldn’t send his guards here—with all of the magic at their disposal—to turn this stone to dust?”
She studied my face. One of her sisters murmured in the queen’s ear. I kept my expression blank, despite the restlessness that itched at the base of my spine. This was the weakest part of our plan. Without the hags’ cooperation, and the moss in the queen’s hand, my revenge would stay forever out of reach.
“We will agree to the original deal,” the queen said finally.
“Then why waste our time?” Rythos muttered. The hag ignored him, and he mounted his horse, his sword still in his hand as he approached her.
Marth went with him. Rythos held out his hand for the moss. Marth offered the coins. All of us waited in tense silence. One wrong move, and there would be bodies on the ground. I didn’t particularly mind if I had to wiggle that vial free of the stone hag’s cold, dead hand. In truth, a part of me ached for the fight. The queen met my eyes and gestured to her underling. The moss hit Rythos’s hand, the coins were snatched from Marth’s palm, and it was done.
The hags sneered, drifting back into their stone city. The first part of our plan was complete. Grim determination simmered through me. If I could, I would wage war right this second. But the next step would take even longer.
Above our heads, a falcon swooped. My brother had insisted on training the independent bird to send his messages. Hopefully, the tiny piece of parchment it would be carrying contained good news and we could move on to the next stage of our plan.
The bird landed on Marth’s shoulder, its claws tangling in his blond hair, and he winced, untying the message.
“Our contact says we need to meet him at the Gromalian border.”
The antithesis of good news. I went still. “That’s the opposite direction.
It means going past the city.”
Marth sighed. “I know. According to your brother, his contact says he can’t risk traveling into Eprotha right now. Security is too tight.”
“This will cost us at least two days of travel.” If we took too long on the road, we would cut into our time in the city—and our search for what had been taken from us. That search would need to be carefully executed. Methodical. And yet, without the other vial, we wouldn’t get anywhere near the castle.
We needed to risk it.
I forced myself to take a deep breath. My revenge was so close, all my plans falling into place. If this was the worst calamity we faced over the coming weeks, I would gladly welcome it.
Marth handed me the other note in his hand. Unfolding the parchment, I scanned it.
Dear L,
My sources tell me you will be /orced to travel back to the border in order to /ind the package. I can practically hear you grinding your teeth, but it must be done. As long as you travel quickly, you will still be able to make your meeting.
Riniana has been asking a/ter you. Shall I
tell her you’re thinking o/ her?
/our older, extremely patient brother, C
Shaking my head, I took the quill Marth handed me and scrawled my reply.
Dear C,
I suppose you think the situation with Riniana is amusing. We can’t all be happily married and sickeningly in love. Nor would most o/ us want to be.
We’ll travel to the package. Although I suggest next time you organize a meeting like this one, you consider just who we’re dealing with.
/our younger, much more handsome brother, L
“We leave now,” I said. “Nothing else must delay us.”
We would need to ride all night without stopping to make up for the time we would lose. Because we were heading back in the same direction we’d come. My teeth clenched at the wasted hours.
Marth nodded. Rythos slitted his eyes at the stone behind us. “Better traveling through the forest than anywhere near this place.”
Hands trembling, I reached for a pillow and shoved it beneath Mama’s head. There was nothing we could do when the visions took her, only keep her safe.
“I’m sorry,” I murmured, my stomach twisting. “We shouldn’t have left you alone.”
Long moments later, my mother went limp. I stroked her gray hair back from her face, the same way she did for me when I was sick or upset.
“Prisca?” Her voice was groggy, her movements slow, as if she were half asleep. I closed my eyes for a brief moment. I still wondered if one day she would become lost in a vision and I’d never see that spark of recognition again.
“I’m here, Mama. Do you want me to help you into bed?” “A few hours of sleep. Just a few.”
“Okay.” I kept my voice low and soothing.
Only the gods knew why they’d given my mother visions that came randomly, usually about people she didn’t know. She’d once told me her power had been useful when she was younger, ensuring some of the wealthiest people in the kingdom came to her for advice on their marriage contracts and business dealings. But little by little, the helpful visions disappeared. Now, she was often left like this, shuddering on the floor in the aftermath of a vision she either couldn’t—or wouldn’t—understand.
Mama’s eyes closed as soon as she lay down, and I spent the rest of the afternoon sitting by the window, picturing Lina, alone and terrified in the back of a barred carriage. I would never forget that excited, hopeful grin she’d flashed. My eyes flooded.
She hadn’t even known she still had her power. So she hadn’t known to run. I scrubbed the wetness from my face.
“Prisca?”
Mama was lying in bed. Thankfully, some of the color had returned to her cheeks.
“Help me up, darling.”
I obeyed, helping her sit. My mother was losing weight. I needed to make sure she ate more at dinner tonight.
“That was a bad one,” I said quietly.
Her glazed eyes sharpened, and she nodded, reaching her hand up to cup my cheek.
“I love you so much. And everything I did was to keep you safe.”
My heart tripped at the way she looked at me. It was as if she was already in mourning.
“I know, Mama. Believe me, I know. Now let’s get you settled before Tibris comes home and fusses.”
She smiled. “He does so love to fuss.”
I helped her clean the sweat from her face, settled her at the table with a cup of tea, and heated some of the soup she’d made yesterday.
“I love you so much,” Mama murmured. “I just need you to know that.”
Whatever she’d seen in that vision had obviously shaken her. It wasn’t like her to be this emotional. “I love you too. Hey, what’s this? It’s going to be okay.”
A solitary tear trickled down her cheek, and I reached out with my other hand, wiping it away. She caught my hand in hers.
“You know you can’t stay here, Prisca.”
My chest hollowed out. For her to talk so openly about it… I had obviously featured in her vision.
“What did you see, Mama?” Silence.
I took a deep breath. “I know the plan was always for me to leave, but I have an idea.”
Mama just shook her head. “Whatever you’re thinking, it won’t work.”
The dismissiveness in her tone pricked at my temper. I couldn’t just give up and flee. If I ran, I would have to keep running for the rest of my life. How could I resign myself to such a fate?
I couldn’t. I wouldn’t.
I would snatch at whatever hope I found, no matter how small that slice of hope was.
Kreilor had access to the oceartus stones. I could follow him to see where the entrance was. I’d pay attention to how he got in and steal a stone myself.
I sucked in a deep breath, and my words came out in a rush. “What if I could just store my magic in the stone temporarily? Until the Gifting? The assessor would see I had no magic, and I could—”
“Your magic doesn’t work like that.”
I stiffened. My magic didn’t work at all. Except at the worst possible moments. But this time would be different. It had to be.
Mama studied my face, amusement warring with weariness in her eyes. “You have your father’s stubborn nature. It will help you in this life—when
it’s not making that life so much harder than it needs to be.”
Grief made my throat tight. I still sometimes woke up thinking I’d heard Papa’s voice. “It’s all going to be okay. You’ll see.”
She just nodded. But her expression was still forlorn.
When Tibris returned, Mama was sipping the soup I’d warmed for her. “How was the feast?” I asked.
He gave me a faint smile. “Fine. Natan insisted on playing King’s Web.”
I rolled my eyes. Of course he did.
The game was based on myth. According to the old stories, the king’s great-great-grandfather was so sneaky, so sly, he slipped his people into foreign courts when they were children. Those children were unknowingly spelled and called “sleeping spiders.” When they were awakened, they were called to supply information or assassinate the old king’s enemies. I was still learning how to keep my face carefully blank, but last time we’d played King’s Web, I’d almost won.
I studied Tibris as he pressed a kiss to Mama’s forehead and took a seat at the table. The crease between his brows told me he was angry. And the paper clutched in his hand told me why.
Ever since Tibris’s friend Vicer had passed his Testing—with enough magic to be plucked from our village and sent to the city to apply for work, my brother had been even quieter than usual.
The letters he sent and received from Vicer were written in the same code we’d created as children. Back then, Vicer and Tibris had included me in all their plans, and I’d been privy to every secret note and hushed word. I’d trailed after them—usually with Asinia at my side—and Tibris had tolerated us with the put-upon sighs perfected by older brothers everywhere. But these letters were different. For reasons he wouldn’t explain, Tibris refused to allow me to read them. Of course, the more secretive he was, the
more curious I became. If Vicer was in trouble, I wanted to help.
I watched Tibris frown down at the letter in his hand. Now, he would likely brood for days. “I’ll go bathe.” He wandered out.
I attempted to get some answers from my mother one last time. “Mama…is there something I need to know?”
Water sounded from the other room. Tibris was filling his bath with cold water.
Mama would tell me if the king’s assessor was going to come looking for me. So what had she seen? Why was she so shaken?
Her eyes filled, and she shook her head mutely.
Seers had rules in place. Because sometimes, to tell someone their future was to bring about a fate that was much, much worse. Dread flowed into my gut and stayed there.
“I’m tired,” Mama said. “Let me help you to bed.”
“I can do it. Good night, darling.”
I made my way back into the main room, which also served as Tibris’s bedroom. From the splashing coming from the bathing room, I knew he was still busy. But he’d left the letter from Vicer on the small, rickety table near his bed.
I shouldn’t. We weren’t children anymore. Tibris deserved his privacy. And yet…clearly, something was seriously wrong. It was my duty as his sister to help him—even if he didn’t particularly want that help.
Besides, my brother had no problem pushing his way into my life whenever he felt the need. He was forever trying to protect me, but maybe this time, I could actually help him for once.
I peered down at the letter, hands behind my back. But it had been too long since I’d last read our code, and translating it would take some time.
I did recognize one word, though.
“Prisca.” Tibris plucked the letter from the table and glowered at me. I jolted. My brother could occasionally move like a cat.
“Why is Vicer writing to you about Crawyth?”
Tibris’s face went white with fury. “Stay the fuck out of my things.” Stung, I reared back. Tibris had never spoken to me that way.
“Children?” Mama called from her room.
I stared at my brother. “I’m coming, Mama.”
Tibris shoved a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry.” “Forget about it.”
“Pris—”
“It’s okay.” I had, after all, been invading his privacy. He could keep his secrets.
He grabbed my arm. “Are you free for training tomorrow after you finish at the bakery?”
I attempted a smile. Tibris had insisted on teaching me what he’d learned as soon as he’d begun training himself. I’d spent more hours than I could count wrestling with his friends and learning to use the element of surprise.
“Sure.”
The rest of the evening passed quietly. Both Tibris and Mama fell asleep earlier than usual, and I lay awake, continually picturing the king’s assessor knocking on our door.
When I did finally sleep, my dreams were unsurprising.
The man had blazing green eyes and a full mouth that curved into a feral grin. He stared back at me with one eyebrow raised as if in challenge. Yet every time I reached for him, he drifted farther away. And when I could no longer see him, it felt as if my heart might break.
I woke with the sun, restless and…sad.
Hauling myself out of bed, I dressed, ate breakfast, and stared out the window, my eyes gritty and dry.
Tibris was already in the kitchen. He’d be out healing in a few hours unless someone came to him with an emergency.
My brother had passed his Testing two winters ago, and thanks to his ability to heal small wounds and sicknesses—along with my work at the bakery—we’d almost paid off our debt to our creditors. As soon as that happened, we could start saving for our future, and our family could leave this village. My chest ached at the thought.
He reached out and ruffled my hair. I gave him the look that deserved, and he smiled.
I leaned down and pulled on my slippers–light, comfortable shoes I preferred to wear while cleaning.
“You’re not wearing your winter boots?” Tibris asked.
“I’m only walking to and from the bakery. Look after Mama, okay?
That vision really shook her.”
He nodded. “She’ll be fine, Prisca. We’ll make sure of it.”
A knock sounded on the door, and I jolted. Tibris and I glanced at each other. He pulled the door open, and my heart skipped several beats.
Thol grinned at me. The breeze ruffled his light-brown curls, and he looked so handsome I wanted to sigh.
“Hello, Prisca.”
I managed to smile back. Inane, but coherent. I was getting better at this.
Thol’s grin widened, and he glanced at my brother. “Hi, Tibris.”
“Hey.” Tibris liked Thol, but he still gave him a warning look. I elbowed him, and he rubbed at his stomach with a smirk, disappearing into Mama’s room.
Stepping out of the house, I closed the door behind me. Already, my cheeks were heating again.
Thol smiled at me as if he found me particularly cute.
It was mortifying, that’s what it was. I wasn’t some innocent, inexperienced young girl who’d never spoken to a man before. I’d had more than one lover over the years. But something about Thol turned me into a stuttering fool.
He stepped closer and clasped my hand in his. His hand was large and warm and everything I’d imagined. “Prisca. Will you take a walk with me tomorrow morning?”
I smiled. After all the time I’d spent thinking about Thol, at least this part was easy. “Yes. I will.”
“I’ll be waiting for you in the square.” With a final grin, he released my hand, tucked his hands in his pockets, and strolled away.
I watched him go, my body suddenly lighter than air.
But reality intruded, bringing me sharply back to the ground. Thol’s father was head councillor for our village.
He’d traveled to the city multiple times. And according to rumors, he’d even met the king.
The king who would happily burn me alive on Gods Day.
Thol was the kind of man who never walked past a beggar without dropping a coin. The kind of man who hunted—not just for his family, but for some of the poorest families in our village. The kind of man who never used his father’s reputation to make his own life easier.
I could lose myself in fantasies about what it would be like to stay in this village and marry Thol. Both of us knew how to work hard. Together, we’d work until we could afford to live in one of those big houses. Then we’d have children and grow old together. A nice, quiet life.
Except, that life will never happen. Because staying in this village will mean you die. Painfully. And your family too.
My shoulders slumped. Mama was right.
There was no point in even spending time with Thol. It would just make it harder when I left.
The village was awakening as I walked toward Herica’s bakery. Villagers brushed their stoops, gossiped with neighbors, called their children in for breakfast.
I attempted to push Thol out of my mind and contemplated Tibris instead. Poking my nose into his business was the perfect distraction. What was my brother keeping from me with his letters to Vicer? Why exactly had Vicer mentioned Crawyth?
The ruin lay directly inside our southern border—close to the fae lands. Just decades ago, it was known as a place of learning—where those from all kingdoms came to study, to live, to thrive.
Then the fae came. No one knew why they’d turned the city to rubble. I’d heard multiple theories, but the most popular was that the mad fae king wanted the city for himself. When our king chose not to comply, the fae king’s vicious brother burned the city to ashes with his horrifying powers.
Halfway to the bakery, I began shivering. I’d left my cloak at home. I picked up the pace as the bakery came into view. The squat wooden building had been continually patched up over the years, but for me, it was a second home.
Herica would be gone already today after beginning her baking before dawn. I’d clean the floors and surfaces, while Thol’s younger sister Chista sold the remainder of today’s bread.
The bakery door was cracked, and I pushed it open. Kreilor stood with his back to me, but I’d recognize that thick neck anywhere.
Dull panic spread through my belly like mold. “What are you doing here?”
He glanced over his shoulder with a smug smile. Someone moved behind him, and I took a step closer, craning my neck. Chista. Kreilor’s hand encircled her wrist, and her face was wet with tears.
Fury punched into me, and I swiped the broom from where I’d left it leaning against the wall.
“Chista, go,” I said.
Kreilor just laughed. This was yet another way to strike out at Thol. But Kreilor was too much of a coward to challenge him directly. Instead, he was targeting Thol’s sister.
It was all just a game to him.
He pinned me with a predatory stare, and I took a deep breath. “Think carefully, Kreilor. I’m not afraid of you.”
His gaze dropped to my throat, where my thumping pulse betrayed me. “Oh, Prisca. We both know that’s not true.”
Kreilor stepped closer, dragging Chista with him. I readied my broom, prepared to use it like a staff.
“Think about this,” I told him. “Think about what you’re doing here.” “You think I’m behaving abnormally? Thol has everything,” he hissed.
My gaze met Chista’s. She was a few years younger than me. We’d never talked much, but in that look, I caught wild hope. I was the one she was counting on.
Maybe I could make Kreilor focus on me. I let my voice drip disdain as I sneered at him. “That’s what this is about? You’re jealous of Thol?”
Kreilor’s hand tightened around Chista’s wrist, and she winced.
“Be careful how you speak to me, Prisca. I know about your creditors. I know just how much it cost to keep your father alive, and how you and your family barely have enough to live on after paying those creditors each month. What do you think will happen when I tell everyone I caught you attempting to steal from this bakery? When no one else will offer you work, and your family is begging in the village square?”
Something dark rippled through my entire body. I bared my teeth. “Let her go.”
He laughed again.
And then he was swinging one meaty fist toward her face.
The world narrowed, until all I could see was his hand. His hand, and the terror in Chista’s eyes as she attempted to duck.
Time stopped.
And I was already moving.
Darting between Kreilor and Chista, I pushed her aside, using my forearm to sweep his hand away from her.
The world resumed once more.
And I prepared for Kreilor to begin screaming. To summon the guards. A dull hopelessness spread throughout my body—the inevitability of my own death.
Kreilor’s face turned purple, and he stumbled. His surprise allowed Chista to pull her wrist from his hand.
I watched his eyes for any recognition, anything that would tell me he knew just what I’d done. But there was nothing. He’d been focused on Chista and hadn’t seen me move. My limbs went weak, my legs unsteady. Was I…safe?
Movement flashed out of the corner of my eye. And my eyes met Chista’s. She’d backed away and stood next to the open door, her eyes on me. Her face was white as death, and she turned, sprinting from the bakery.
My knees quaked, and my whole body went numb. Chista had seen exactly how I’d frozen Kreilor. How my power had tugged at the thread of time.
Kreilor moved closer to me, his lips pulled back from his teeth, face almost purple. He was a large man, and he stood between me and the door.
Another step closer.
If he got his hands on me, I was done.
Darting to the side, I struck him in the face with the broom handle. He cursed, rearing back.
I dropped my hand, angling the broom up between his legs. Kreilor folded in two, his face draining of color as he clutched at himself.
Our eyes met. It was as if I was floating above my body, staring down at myself.
“If you go near Chista again, I will kill you.” Kreilor’s eyes widened. “You crazy whore.”
He finally managed to straighten, although his face had that green tinge once more. It wasn’t an attractive look on him.
“You’ll pay for this.”
“You’re right,” I said, thinking of Chista and the terror in her eyes as she’d looked at me. “But not as much as you will if you don’t leave me alone. Try me, Kreilor. I have nothing left to lose.”
He cursed and stumbled out, still bent in two.
I sat directly on the ground. My hands shook, nausea slid through my body, and I suddenly couldn’t breathe.
My last words hadn’t been true at all. I still had plenty left to lose.
I wiped my wet face with the heels of my hands. I didn’t have time to sit here rocking and sobbing. I had to fix this.
Where would Chista go? My only hope was to find her. To beg for her silence.
Even just long enough for me to steal a stone from the priestess.
I choked on my next sob. It was far too late for that. It was only a matter of time before the village was locked down, the king’s guards summoned, and my family slaughtered.
Then I’d be taken to the city to burn.
I made it to my knees. And then to my feet. My entire body was numb.
But I stumbled out of the bakery.
My legs barely worked, and I had the odd sensation of my limbs turning to water. The world spun dizzily around me, until my vision narrowed and all I could see was the route to my house.
The few options I had battled within my mind. Find Chista, find the stone, warn my family.
Family first. I had to find them.
I ran faster, ignoring the stares and whispers from the villagers. Someone caught my arm, and I spun, arm raised, hand in a fist. Not a guard. And not the king’s assessor.
My knees went so weak, I almost stumbled. “Mama?”
Safe. She was safe. We still had time.
“Quiet, Prisca.” Her face was ashen. “Come with me, and don’t draw any more attention.”
No one who had seen my mother recovering from a vision would recognize her now. She strode with fierce determination, walking purposefully, almost dragging me with her toward the forest bordering our village.
A strange metallic taste filled my mouth.
“You need to go find Tibris, Mama.” We had plans we’d made over and over throughout the years. If the worst ever happened and we were separated, we would find one another again.
Mama had a particular plate she would leave out on the table. One we never used. If Tibris ever came home to find that plate out, he was to flee. But we hadn’t discussed those plans since we were children.
“They’re already looking for you. Tibris knows what to do.” Already looking.
I’d had nightmares about this day my entire life. And yet even in my nightmares, it hadn’t happened this quickly.
“Where are we going?”
Mama ignored that, pulling me faster, until I had to trot to keep up. I winced as a bramble slid between my slipper and my foot. I’d left both my winter boots and cloak at home, never imagining I wouldn’t return straight from the bakery.
I’d lived in fear my entire life. And yet I’d also somehow gotten complacent.
“They’re coming,” Mama said. “Faster, Prisca.”
Thoughts raced through my mind as she led me deeper into the forest, urgency in her steps, panic written across her face.
Shouts sounded in the distance. I tugged on her hand. “Mama—” “The king’s guards,” she said.
My breath caught in my throat as terror seized my entire body. “Already?”
She nodded, hands fluttering. Beneath the determination was sheer terror. Even her lips were white. “Chista has been flirting with one of the guards these past months. She’s already speaking to him now. I saw them and came straight to you.”
“Are you sure Chista told him?” “I watched her tell him yesterday.”
She was talking about her vision. She’d seen this happen and hadn’t warned me.
I had a bag packed for just this situation. A bag with warm clothes, food, weapons, even a few coins I’d tucked away over the years. If Mama had told me, I would have grabbed it. Without it…how long would I last?
The world spun around me, and my lungs seized. It took several tries before I could talk. “You’re going the wrong way,” I got out. We weren’t far from the cliff overlooking the river. We had nowhere else to go from there.
By the time we stood on the cliff, I was shuddering with fear. “You need to go warn Tibris. I’ll run.”
My mother was shaking her head. “Tibris will be okay. I left him a note explaining—”
“A note? Mama, they’ll come for him.”
“He’s smart. He knows what to do.” She took a deep, shaky breath. “I thought when the time came, it would be easy to do what needed to be done.”
Something about the way she said those words, about the way her face tightened in grim resolve…made the top of my spine itch.
“We don’t have time to waste here, Mama. I need to get to the next village to buy supplies.” Thoughts spun through my head, plans created and discarded within seconds. “Then the city. And I’ll stowaway on a ship…” A ship south to the other human kingdom of Gromalia. Before I left Eprotha, I’d create a false trail, make sure the guards thought I was going elsewhere. Distract them from hunting my family.
Mama just shook her head. “Listen to me carefully. I had hoped we would have more time, but fate had other plans.”
My heart thumped faster in my chest, and I watched as she turned to pace, too close to the edge of the cliff.
I couldn’t think. Couldn’t breathe. “We need to run.”
“Wait. There are things you need to know.” Her voice had turned eerily calm. Her face was blank, and the color had returned to her cheeks. It was as if we could have been discussing the weather.
Shouts sounded in the distance. It was too late. We’d taken the wrong path. It was only a matter of time before they cornered us both here. My mouth went dry, my entire skin itching as I practically danced on my feet, desperate to move.
“Mama, please. We have to…to hide.”
Hiding would be no use. The king’s guards were trained for exactly that.
My chest clenched until my lungs felt like stone.
My mother took my face in her hands, forcing me to focus on her. “While you have always been the daughter of my heart, I did not birth you.”
“What are you talking about?”
She gave me a trembling smile. “I didn’t expect to love you as I do. I…I did what I could to protect you. I’m sorry I took you from your family. But I could never be sorry for saving your life.”
The breath froze in my lungs. “You…you kidnapped me? When?”
“I knew you had to live, so you could save us all. But first, you must find the prince,” she told me. “Find him and meet your fate.”
I just shook my head. The prince had only seen nineteen winters. King Sabium—his father—wanted me and anyone like me dead. What could the young prince possibly do for me? How would he help?
“The prince,” she insisted. “We’re wasting time.”
“Promise me you’ll find him.”
My mother’s mind was breaking. It happened often with seers.
“I promise.” I grabbed her hand. I’d drag Mama with me if I had to. I would find a way to save us both.
My mother struggled, lashing out wildly. Despite her thin frame, I could barely hold her still. What would Tibris do when he arrived home from healing and learned we were both dead? When he became the only surviving member of our family? When he learned his life was forfeit?
“Please,” I managed to choke out, as the shouting increased, the guards approaching. I gazed around wildly. We could head east if they hadn’t blocked that route yet. It was our only chance.
Immediately, more hollering sounded from that direction. We only had one choice left to us. I choked on guilt as it thickened in my throat. I should’ve known Mama’s mind had given out. By not taking control of the situation, I’d doomed us both.
“We need to hide,” I snapped.
But it was too late. Three of the king’s guards had already found us. One of them stumbled over a tree root as he burst through the tree line, and any other time, I might’ve smirked.
The guards were panting, but there was no mistaking the grim satisfaction in their eyes.
“Submit to arrest,” one of them ordered. It was over.
My mother held out her arms. I nestled close. One last embrace before we were both slaughtered as a warning to those who would attempt to hide from the gods.
“Swim, my darling. Swim.”
Mama stood back and shoved me with both hands. A scream ripped from my throat.
I felt nothing but air beneath my feet. Then I was engulfed in a cold so all-encompassing, my lungs stuttered out the scant breath I’d been holding.
I kicked out desperately, fighting against the current. My arms strained as I thrust them through the water. But the river carried me away. I lifted my head, choking, and pulled in one precious gulp of air, angling my body toward the bank.
Something hit my back, driving the air from my lungs. A rock. Water closed over my head. I kicked up, reaching for the surface. But something else held me down. Sharp pain radiated from my shin as my leg smashed into another rock. The urge to inhale was almost inescapable.
die.
My dress was caught. Caught in the depths of the river. A stupid way to
Oh gods, oh gods, oh gods.
I tugged at it. Nothing. I would drown here.
My lungs screamed for air. Was drowning a better death than being
burned alive?
My vision dimmed at the edges.
Fury burned through me. I couldn’t die like this. I refused.
I bent at the waist and kicked out with my free leg, reaching for my dress with both hands.
I pulled. Nothing.
My panic was turning dull, my body becoming sluggish, already losing the battle against the cold water. My fingers were stiff, numb, almost useless.
My lungs contracted.
I clawed at my dress. One final, desperate pull. Yanking upward with all my might, I smashed my elbow into another rock. And then I was spinning, floundering as the river carried me farther from the cliff. From my home. From my family.
I gulped one life-saving breath of air before I hit a fallen tree branch, my body shoved beneath the water once again.
Each time I managed to lift my head, I caught glimpses of trees on either side of the river. A slice of blue sky. A blur of greenery. I was traveling so fast. Too fast to keep track of where I was.
Cold. It was so cold.
My movements became slower. Lethargic. I sucked in another breath, but it was mostly foam. Inhaling more water, I choked as I was pulled down once more.
Maybe it would be quick. Maybe I would just…fall asleep.
Something wrapped around my arm. I pushed against it weakly, but it only tightened.
And then everything went black.
