The water has been tempting me since I first heard the rush of the falls. We haven’t bathed in a few days and a musty scent has been clinging to me since yesterday.
“Thank you.” I close up the journal but feel her gaze on me. “Are you okay?”
She turns her head towards the water and taps a foot against the rocks. “The others and I were wondering what will happen next?” My eyebrows pinch together. “After we get the flower. I know you are going to convince your father to pardon us, but what if he doesn’t? We have done terrible things in the name of the Queen. Things against your own kingdom.”
“He doesn’t have to know.” I place the journal back in the bag and wave away a bug that circles Ariah’s face. “I know my father and he’ll grant the pardon, especially with the flower in hand. Hell, if you all desire, I could probably convince him to grant you titles.” That makes her smile and her eyes soften. I’m reminded of the other night when she felt comfortable enough to share her story. “I could also help you get back home. If that’s what you wish for.”
Her smile dissipates and she wrings water out of her short hair. “I don’t even know if my family is still there. I used to think they would come looking for me. That my father would teardown every door until he found the right one. Foolish though, they don’t even know where I was taken to, let alone have access to the castle.”
“I’m sorry.” It’s the only thing I can think to say that feels right.
“Don’t be.” A smile returns. “It wasn’t your fault. Life with the Queen wasn’t all bad. I might have ended up a pathetic, silenced creature back at home. Certainly, married off by now to some man I would have had no desire for, in hopes my parents could gain some type of payment from the union. We weren’t as well off as other families.”
The faintest moan sends our attention in Ariah’s direction. Her eyeballs move behind shut eyelids and there is the slightest twitch at her mouth.
“You should go.” Chana moves to Ariah’s other side. “She’ll be waking soon and it’s probably best if you don’t smell like an unbathed mule.” The comment is forward and has me second guessing if I heard her correctly. “Sorry, Your Highness. Not sure if that was too honest, but I felt someone had to say it.”
“No offense taken.” Stripping off my boots and top, I leave my breeches on and head to the water.
The water feels as perfect as it looks. My thirsty skin absorbs it immediately, and I waste no time using my fingernails to scrub away layers of dirt that have built up over the past few days. Eventually, I swim beneath the waterfall, letting it douse me as I wash my hair. Something about the water feels different. It layers my skin, making it feel like velvet. I scoop some up in my palm and notice it carries a sheen—almost like crushed up diamonds amalgamating into a crystal blue.
“Iann!” Deean shouts from the bank. He stands beside Chana and Ariah. “She’s waking.”
33
ARIAH
Iwake on a hard floor— my body uncomfortably face down on what feels like polished wood or perhaps ceramic.
Lifting myself up, my hand slips in a puddle and I fall back down, my face smacking into the ground. It’s another minute, maybe an hour—who really knows—before I try again. Time feels irrelevant and my mind drifts in and out of consciousness.
When I try again, I’m able to push up on my forearms, holding my head up off the floor. My blurry vision is corrected with a few blinks. That’s when I notice my right hand is coated in red. There is a strong scent of iron that churns my stomach and brings about a feeling of nausea. It’sblood.
The image of a body next to me becomes clear.
It’s Chana. Eyes wide open, but no soul inside.
Scrambling to my feet I find myself surrounded by more bodies. I spot Vera and Sky. Luna and Morren. My parents aren’t far off either. All are dead, lying in the ballroom of the castle.
My heart falls along with my knees when I see Iann lying there soaked in blood.
“Think you can escape our deal by dying?” I don’t need to look to know whose voice it is. Morrena walks closer. “If you’re dead then who will be able to see my precious flower? I suppose I could always threaten that sister and know-it-all father of yours into doing it.” She kneels beside me as her face closes in on mine. “The island may look like a blissful paradise, but trust me when I say, something darker resides there. Get me my flower and leave. Now”—her lips move to my ear—“wake up.” Her words fling me back to reality.
My eyes flutter open to Iann. His beautiful smile calms the nightmare I’ve been trapped in.
“Are you real?” My voice is hoarse and I’m not even sure the words come out until people start laughing.
“Very much so.” Iann traces a finger along the curves of my face and I never want him to stop. “I told you, I wouldn’t allow anything to happen to you.”
Vera comes over with a canteen and makes me take a drink before I say anymore.
Chana kneels beside her. “You scared us.”
“Scared myself.” I get up before Vera can shove more water down my throat and find Deean amongst the group. “Nearly killed by a Saden prince,” I tease and see a smile tug on his lips.
Standing up, I rise to the prettiest view. “We made it,” I say with awe.
“You see it?” Chana looks around.
