If the Gyss didn’t work, I wasn’t sure I’d be strong enough to leave her.
“Stay where you are.” Frustration apparently forgotten, she smiled at me and pulled off her hood. Backlit by the glow of the ruins, by the ancient ties to my past, she stood like a queen. I’d given half of myself before, and in that moment, I contemplated giving her more.
All I could do was watch and break. Shatter into a million pieces and hope that all of this would work so she could put me back together again. Otherwise, she needed to run. Run far and fast, because these emotions were no longer hiding. They were climbing to the surface, reaching out toward her, and if she accepted them, if she admitted her love for me, she’d die.
I wouldn’t let that happen. Not now. Not ever. Not again.
Kneeling against the water’s edge, she tipped her face to the sky and illuminated my world with her glow. The ruins tried to compete, but she outshone them, radiating pure warmth from her skin.
My chest stilled at the first sign of the Gyss. She arrived quickly, parting blades of grass with her hands and floating before Leena’s knees. Wild black hair dotted with tiny white flowers. Pointed nose and rosy cheeks. She looked past Leena to inspect me, her wide-set eyes assessing. Her stare hit me with the force of a train, and my heart trembled.
Leena poked her with a careful finger, and the Gyss giggled. Her wispy tail fluttered as she moved, and Leena pursed her lips. “She’s ready. I’ll take her to the beast realm, grab a key, and bring her back. Wait for me here.”
Minutes passed. With every breath came an unstoppable wave of doubt. What if it didn’t work? What if itdid? How would I know? I paced along the shore of the lake, eyes drifting to the ruins. Everything about this place reminded me of the life I had before I died, the life I wassupposedto live. Amira, my betrothed—dead. My brothers-in-arms—lost to my curse before I could even realize I was responsible for their deaths. My parents, gone. Died of broken hearts.
So much loneliness. Both before and after I’d been raised by Talmage. This place was heavy with it. Crushing despair settled deep in my bones. It was too much. I’d done too much. I didn’t deserve this possible cure. I needed to live with my crimes. I couldn’t endanger anyone else. I—
The groaning swing of a heavy door rushed over me, and Leena appeared in a shower of light. She smiled, and suddenly I could breathe again.
The Gyss floated by her feet. Twiddling the bronze key in her hands, Leena stood before me. “Last chance to back out.”
“Never.”
Her eyes bored into me as she delivered the key to my open hand. “You’ll need to name her.”
The Gyss moved toward me, expectant yellow eyes and wry smile already targeting the key. Cunning didn’t even begin to describe the glimmer in her expression. Leena must have noticed it, too. She tensed, hands shaking at her sides.
Crouching to the ground, I held out my hand to the Gyss. “I think I’ll call you Winnow.”
She peeled back her lips to reveal sharpened teeth.I like that name. Are you ready?She glided into my open palm and placed her hands on her hips.
Tell me the terms.I stood slowly so as not to disturb her, and Winnow glanced back and forth between Leena and me.
“No matter what she asks for, you can’t be mad at her.” Leena wrapped her fingers in the chain of her bestiary. “That’s just how it goes.”
My pulse quickened. “Of course.”
Can she hear you?I thought privately to Winnow.
Not unless I project my thoughts to her.She ran tiny fingers through her hair, wrapping it into a tight bun with a blade of grass.You want your curse lifted? I can see it.Floating down my arm, she pressed her finger to my chest just above my heart.It’s deep. Dark. Nasty.
Leena watched with wide eyes, and I did my best to focus on Winnow.I know. Can you do it?
Winnow laughed, a high-pitched tinkling of bells, and Leena winced.I can see you’ve tried in the past to no avail, but I can promise you: I’m much more skilled. A wish is a wish, a payment is a payment. Nasty retribution for nasty people who use their wishes foolishly.
How do you determine payment?My mind raced. Leena said Gyss were cunning, but there wasn’t much I wouldn’t give to lift this curse. Leena. My brothers. Those were my limits. Beyond that… My gaze shifted to the Charmer I’d grown to care for, to the worry lines framing her eyes and the erratic rise and fall of her chest.
The gods determine payment. I’m simply a conduit.Winnow placed both hands on my chest, the tiniest pokes of pressure.
Then why does Leena care? It doesn’t sound malicious.
Winnow looked up at me, pointed teeth on display, and tilted her head to the side.Gyss have a special relationship with the gods. We can make a case for a less severe request, though the gods don’t always listen. I also enjoy watching bad people endure deserved pain. Are you one of those people?
My answer was swift.Yes.
She nodded, a satisfied look in her eyes.Honesty will go a long way with me. To remove this curse…She pressed her fingers deeper, testing, searching, for what felt like a very long time. My pulse was racing.You must be willing to lose what you’ve worked so hard to achieve.
Worked so hard to achieve?I paused, riffling through potential answers to that riddle. Only one stood out: Cruor. Unease coiled tight in me. The guild relied on me. I was responsible for protecting them, giving them a place to call home. What would they do without me? Could I really walk away? Talmage had given me a new purpose in life. I would die for them again and again without question.
