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I pause my retreat and stare up at the tiny holes dotting the canopy. One last look at the stars. I close my eyes and take a deep breath.
One of my last ones, I suppose.
I’ll finally join the women I love: my mother, Eleanor, and Lilith. My heart skips a beat at the thought of seeing my flower again. Being able to see all of her—the haze completely gone.
I’m coming Lily.Meet me at the gates of the Underrealm.We will be together again soon,my flower.
Making peace with my end, I look back at the creatures. Five sets of eyes stop just inside the clearing, while one set moves closer to me. My vision goes black at the edges the closer it gets. The pressure in my head is all-consuming.
I pull myself to sit on my knees and push my hands against my temples to counter the pain. I blink and look up again. The eyes are nearly to me now.
Another shot of pain sears through my head, and I fall to the floor, writhing in agony. My mind feels as though it’s being shredded. Darkness comes in waves as my vision fades.
I won’t cry out and give these beasts the satisfaction of my screams. I push through the pain and open my eyes again to see ...
Is that a giant rabbit?
Chapter 13
Lily
Nothing. There has been absolutely nothing reported back to us. It has been three days and not a single spy or raven has found anything of value.
Lux has always been bursting with gossip and tales to be told. It appears intentional that there are no rumors or hushed conversations about important information.
Whatever King Leopold has planned, we won’t be getting ahead of it. Nor will we find the amulet soon. With the lack of details coming forward, we are stalled.
I let out an enormous sigh, my exaggerated breath ruffling the feathers of my raven, who is perched before me on the edge of the stone bridge. She tilts her head down to look at me suspiciously, and I resume scratching her chest. Her soft feathers caress my fingers as her head falls back, and she gives me a small warble of approval.
The black stone is warm beneath my bent arms, the light mist from the waterfalls preventing it from getting too hot in the sunlight. I peek over the wall at the grunts of nobu below. They’ve been restless the past day, and I haven’t been able to figure out why, which makes my uneasiness grow.
My raven returned this morning after a few days scoping out Lux from the air. From the viewing crystal secured to her chest, there was little captured, only the regular comings and goings of the kingdom.
She did capture Theo sitting on the bank of the river, visibly upset about something. Unfortunately, she was too far away to pick up on anything other than his pained scream, which echoed through the forest on the opposite bank. The sound cracked off a piece of my heart and twisted a knot in my stomach, my instincts raging.
It feels like every nerve in my body is on a parapet expecting a fall. But all I can do now is wait. For what? I’m not sure. The endless possibilities have dominated my thoughts all day, and nothing seems to calm my mind.
I trained with Nyx and the rest of the crew shortly after reviewing the viewing crystal. Blow after blow, hit after hit, my mind still battled with what’s to come. All day, each attempt at a distraction has been futile.
There is one last thing to try, drinking. Even though I know it will end badly, I will do anything to ease my mind.
Patting her head, I bid farewell to my raven and use my adveho ring to portal straight into my chambers as to remain unseen. I don’t need a lecture about remaining safe, especially from Nyx or Hiram, when what I need is to not be myself for a little while. Plus, I can protect myself. If anything gets out of control, I can always call upon Asher, but that would only be if I were desperate.
Entering my quarters, I peel off my dirty clothes, dropping them into a pile on my floor. I slip into a cream, low-cut, long-sleeved dress, and lace a faded purple corset around my chest.
