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Meet me at the northern edge of the forest at dusk.
- T.W.
I bit my lip, setting the note back onto the mahogany table. It was wrong how my body hummed at the thought of seeing him again. How I longed to be near him. My friend had just been killed, and I had the audacity to have these lustful thoughts? I tried to convince myself it meant nothing, that it was simply a byproduct of loneliness and raw need, but a nagging, persistent voice told me it might be something more.
“You’re alive.” Pipion’s small voice caught me off guard.
I startled, turning to find her sitting at the foot of my bed.
“Sorry for showing up unexpectedly. I needed to see for myself that it was true.”
I almost brought up her unexpected appearance, but I reconsidered. Sitting up, I hugged my knees to my chest, thankful for the company. “What do you mean?”
“There were rumors the king was going to kill you. But you escaped. How?”
My limbs went cold. “I’m sorry?” A plot to kill me?
“How’d you escape?”
“I—I don’t know. By accident. Stupid luck if you could call it that.” My insides turned. I’d begged for luck! Begged Lady Luck to get me out alive, and she’d listened. Taking Breana’s life in return. My bones turned to liquid as the realization of what I’d done settled over me again like a thick cloud of rain. “Wait. Who told you the king was going to kill me?”
“You don’t know yet, do you?”
“Know about what?” I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.
Pippin scratched behind her ear with her hind leg. “If I were you, I’d thank your lucky stars. Twice. Someone up there is watching over you.”
“Pipion, what don’t I know? Why was the king going to kill me?”
“You’ll know soon enough. I must get back before they realize I’m gone. I only needed to make sure you were okay.”
“Who are they? Pipion, please?—”
“Stay alive, Elowyn. No matter the cost, stay alive.”
She disappeared into thin air.
My shoulders fell, guilt and confusion plaguing me. I shouldn’t be alive. I should be dead, decaying deep within a forest. And it wasn’t a secret that was where I should’ve ended up. Apparently, it was the talk of Faerway. The king had planned for me to die—wanted me to die—and decided before the trial had even begun. It was getting harder and harder to hold out hope. For my mother. The cure.
I should’ve been happy to simply escape with my life. Relieved, even. Yet, there I sat. Perplexed and disappointed.
The birds nesting in the canopy above chirped wildly, almost as if they were warning us of impending danger, but I didn’t care. I couldn’t care. Not when I was trying to catch my breath. My head fell back against the tree with a painful thud, and my chest cramped from dehydration.
I felt Talon’s presence before I heard him, the energy that rolled off him choking what little oxygen remained.
“Why are you stopping?” he asked.
“I’m tired.” I groaned. “We’ve been walking for miles. My legs have had enough.”
He shook his head, annoyed with my theatrics. “We’re almost there, firefly. Just a little further.”
“You’ve been saying that for the past thirty minutes and yet.” I took a deep breath. “A little further never comes along.” Dropping my hands to my knees, I let my head fall between my arms.
“The reward will be worth the pain, I promise. Keep moving. Come on.” He offered his arm, raising his brows expectantly. “I know you can do it.”
I looked at it—like it would bite—unsure if I should take it or smack it away. It meant nothing, I told myself. He was simply taking pity on me, and I’d be stupid not to use his help. Not if he insisted that I finish the hike. I knew him well enough to know I’d get nowhere fighting with him. It was a simple, humane gesture. That was all.
Still, when I placed my hand on his forearm, energy coursed down to my core.
