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I sounded Fae.
There was a metallic click and the bite of cold iron when Solok clasped something around my neck, the power fading away as quickly as it had appeared.
I became hyper aware of its absence, how painfully fast my heart pounded, the crunch of the Mistress’s larynx beneath my forearm as I debated snapping her neck.
“Welcome to the Kingdom of Caladrius, little thief.” Solok said drily.
“And let my sister go, you’ve made your point.”
10
ANARIA
Itugged at the iron collar as Ember and I cleaned out the soldier’s packs, each of us filling our satchels with meat, bread and a canister of water.
I took as much food as I could, because this place…was a wasteland.
Blue sky overhead, but utter desolation stretched out all around us, not a single leaf or blade of grass, the entire realm reduced to shades of black, or brown, or gray.
Ember stared around us, then at me. I shook my head.
I had no idea what happened here.
Caladrius was completely dead, not a bird in the sky, although the air hummed with nasty, biting insects. I used a discarded knife to cut the bottom off a soldier’s cape to stave off the cold. Since there were only the four of us, we made good time, my healed, newly transformed body brimming with power.
The next three days blurred together.
Even carrying Ember on my back through the desolation, I still kept up with Solok and the Mistress, much to my glee and her eternal displeasure. I was sure the old witch was just looking for an excuse to slit our throats, an opportunity I would never give her.
The thin iron band—forged, according to Solok, from Paelonius iron, out of the Montium Mountains—was to keep everyone safe. But I’d seen the glint in Solok’s eyes after he’d clasped the thing around my neck.
The band kept me helpless.
Unable to escape. Unable to fight back.
But the power was still there. A dark, churning force trapped inside me, contained by the iron, but little else. I’d spent too much time thinking about the possibilities of that power while I picked my way over tree roots and rocks, balancing Ember on my back, the Mistress hissing at Solok with every fly she swatted away.
Was this why I was here? Had Solok somehow known what would happen once I stepped through the portal?
Nights were spent wedged between the tree roots, Ember and I wrapped up in the cape, warm enough as we dozed on and off, exhausted from spending all day walking. Our packs grew lighter and we started rationing our water.
“Why is everything dead?” Ember whispered, huddling against me, my exposed face frozen.
“It’s not supposed to be.” The Mistress’s head snapped up, eyes glinted in the darkness and I lowered my voice. “Every book I’ve ever read said it’s a paradise, so something happened.”
Caladrius might be a barren wasteland, but the stars were so close I could almost touch them.
I’d never known there were that many in the sky, nor such an array of night sounds. Even the humming wings of tiny gnats didn’t escape my newly-enhanced hearing, the scent of Solok’s gamey breath, twenty paces away. Every single one of my senses were sharper, an advantage, if I could figure out how to use this to protect myself and Ember.
I hated to admit it, but the closer we got to Tempeste, the more excited I became.
I’d spent too many stolen nights in Ravenshade Castle’s library, poring over forbidden books and genealogy tables. Little did I know the information would come in handy.
Now all those words on paper were about to come to life, and despite the dangers, I was excited. One more day and we’d step into the biggest city in the entire world.
“Tell me again about Tempeste.” Ember murmured, keeping her eyes down.
My oldest friend—the one person who knew me better than anyone—wouldn’t even look at me.
