AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“No! I need to be there. You don’t understand!”
Cherny took three steps, gaining speed. She spread her wings, flattening the grass around her.
Dimitri lowered the flying goggles and raised the cowl. “Tomorrow. One night and I’ll be back, Tempest, I swear it.”
And then they launched into the air, becoming a black dot growing smaller and smaller.
I screamed his name in rage. Then just screamed until I had no air left. Swaying grass stretched uninterrupted in all directions. Nothing else moved. There were no sounds besides the wind and hidden crickets.
I was alone.
My first time outside Tal and I wanted nothing more than to return.
How far had we flown? Surely, we had not been in the air more than a bell, some of that spent circling the city. The moon came out as if mocking me.
Dimitri and Lumi would kill each other. There would be no cooperation. No solution. All the plans I’d made, for nothing.
I spun, searching for any landmark. Something heavy tugged at my neck. The clock. I pulled it out, checking the time. Four bells until midnight. I wanted to shout at the onyx “DAI” like I had at its bearer. Instead, I flipped it over.
The red needle pointed toward the palace. Was that still true?
With nothing else to guide me, I snapped on my boots, shrugged into the armor, grabbed the water from Dimitri’s bag, and started running.
Chapter fifteen
Vanya
Trying not to limp, I ran below more stars than I had ever seen before. New boots—no matter how fancy—were not meant for a trek for several bells. The water from Dimitri’s bag was also long gone by now.
The man I had been sure I could never have, had lit as many stars inside me, and since he literally caught me, my world had not been the same. He had risked his life to save Lowtown, lost his best friend, and even more than me, been hurt and deceived by the people who should have loved and protected him. He had claimed he knew the real me. How could he think I would stand aside?
Setting my eyes ahead of me, I continued despite the pinched toes and ragged breaths. I would never be a long-distance runner, but every time I slowed, I imagined the two people I cared about most in the world meeting and all chances of cooperation disappearing. My carefully laid plans and hopes meant nothing if I could not make it to Dragon Bridge by midnight.
Lumi would not share the letter. Dimitri would see my twin and believe he had been tricked—again. After yesterday… The terror shaking me screamed the trust I had once sought so I could deliver even harder truths had become more important than anything else.He’d accused me of seducing him. His father had betrayed him, those close to him reported his elopement, and he spent years planning revenge—I did not believe there was an ounce of forgiveness left in Dimitri Ivanov for me unless I stood at his side, ready to explain, when he met my twin sister.
Stars I could not name twinkled, like the forgotten gods watching over my race against the clock.
So far, I had seen eleven Spirits drifting toward Tal. While keeping my distance, I rejoiced, for they confirmed I had made the right decision in following the compass needle. All the world’s dead came to Tal—despite everything I had learned, that remained true.
With a throat as dry as the dark grassland around me and legs wobbling with exhaustion, Tal’s glow finally broke the night. One bell left.
There was no renewed energy to draw from, only determination kept me from sinking to my knees before the welcome sight. I mumbled a prayer for every step. To the Death Goddess to look away. To the Wishmaker to allow me to make it in time. To the nameless goddess of love, and all the other forgotten ones. Then I made up new ones—a goddess for travel, one for stupid men, for difficult sisters, for the kindness Mother talked of, for time itself, begging it to slow.
The Spirits now streaming into Tal brightened the night, and the scent of burned flesh hung in the summer air. I knew where I was.
Steps and minutes passed until the flames and Spirits illuminated the city wall. Despite my urgency, I stopped to catch my breath, the past tearing at me.
The pyre had stood cold for five years, grass overgrowing the burning grounds. This was where they brought Mother’s body. Evenfrom here, the brilliant white of the priestess responsible for all the damned dead shone. Her chant and drum, barely audible above the wind, raised the hairs on my sweaty arms.Did she belong to Morovara or Ealhswip?
The Spirits spiraled around the priestess, caught in her music and magic. She was supposed to guide them to the Bone Grove. But Ealhswip brought the plague for a reason and five years ago there had not been rebellion or attacks—at least none I had heard about—so why had so many had to die?
Anger licked my insides as I turned away from the smoke. It did not matter what had happened with Herebov three hundred years ago. Some people no longer deserved kindness. My mother had never hurt anyone—in her own way, she had believed she brought love and happiness. Even Kirill had cared for her. I had seen how his eyes softened as he spoke her name, knowing he would have sold us off for real if he felt nothing for her. She had deserved kindness; instead, both her life and death had been stolen to fuel a woman who should have been long gone.
Rage narrowed my vision as I found Pilgrim’s Road and followed it toward the only gates always open, for no one stopped the pilgrims from reaching the City of the Dead.
On the left side, the first Vsadnik tribes had set up camp. Firelight played against the colorful tents and neighing horses joining the normal chatter of traveling pilgrims. The Day of the Dead—the largest celebration of the year—was only a month away. I entered the city behind a wide coach, speeding my steps. By the Wishmaker’s miracle, I still had a quarter of a bell left.
I swerved between pilgrims and vendors. If I did not make it before Lumi and Dimitri arrived, at least I would be there beforethey left. Perhaps they could scream at me instead of each other. Perhaps we could share a drink. Perhaps everything would be fine after all.
