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As the hole in his chest closed, the glass orb spun slowly, moving towards me. I cupped my hands beneath it. I did not dare to touch it, did not dare to taint this crisp, beautiful thing with my dirty hands. I could feel it reach out to me, feel a comforting weight fall on my shoulders, as if a blanket had been placed on them.
Just as Kaleb would do.
“You must say goodbye now,” the raven said, her voice soft, kind. “The longer we stay in this realm, the harder it will make it for him in the next.”
“Will you take care of him?” If I could ensure he would have someone, anyone, that he wouldn’t be alone, then I wanted that for him.
“Yes,” the raven answered after giving it some thought.
I could tell she meant it, but still—
“I don’t think I can say goodbye,” I said, wiping at my tears.
“Then don’t,” she suggested, as if it were that simple.
“Will I see him again?” I asked, my words sounding so very wrong, like they did not belong in my mouth. The thought of not seeing Kaleb again . . . My brain shut down, unable to process such a thought.
The raven did not answer for a long time. Finally, she said, “We all are reunited in the Spirit Realm.”
Her answer was far from a yes or a no, but it sounded, well, hopeful. And that was something I could latch on to.
The marble moved away from me. I watched as it spun towards the raven. Gently, she caught it in her beak.
“Wait,” I said, reaching towards her, my voice but a rasp, bound in thistles.
But she gave me little mind, drawing out her majestic wings and flying away, taking the blanket of warmth with her.
I looked down and stroked his cheek. He was so cold, so terribly cold. My gaze lowered, stopping abruptly when I saw the metal cuffs locked around his wrists. They were made of a thick, heavy metal, the sides so sharp they bit into his skin.
This was wrong—shackles had no place on my brother’s wrists, no place on any of the innocents’ wrists.
I took his hands in mine. I had no idea what I was doing, but somehow, some way, I used my lilac-blue flame to disintegrate those shackles, reducing them to ash. I never let the fire touch his skin, but even when the shackles were gone, the evidence of them remained—the flesh raw and tattered beneath. I filled with anger.
I craved one thing—vengeance.
Standing, I let my protective wall of flame come down.
“Did you burn yourself out, Cursed Bitch?” sneered a soldier as his fingers wrapped around the hilt of his sheathed sword. Slowly, he pulled the blade out, moonlight glinting off the sharp edge.
I didn’t answer. I merely watched as they unsheathed their swords, their glinting blades singing for blood.Good. My Curse was singing for it too. I could taste that insatiable need for vengeance on my tongue, feel it nestle within my bones, filling me with purpose. I would end them all for Kaleb.
This is wrong, said my inner voice.
But how could it be wrong? These soldiers deserved to die for what they had done—deserved to die because of who they fought for.
And yet, their minds have been warped so badly by the Crown, they do not know the monsters they have become. Have mercy on them.
Mercy . . .
Wrath’s chokehold released, its fingers drifting from my throat. I crumpled to my knees, fisted my hands in the ground, and thought of every young boy and young man that had been forced to leave their families to come to this fucking camp—forced to wear those shackles. I thought of the little girl I had met at the Temple of Light and how she’d prayed for her brother so he could come home—what if he was here?
My need for revenge receded, caving to something else.
Just as I tracked the droplets of water, I searched for the metal cuffs scattered around the training barracks, each and every one of them lighting up like a star in the blank sky in my mind. I focused on them and conjured from that lava pit of flame that swelled inside, and when I let it out, a warrior’s cry tore through me.
I pushed with everything I had, diving well past the limits of my powers. The harder I pushed, the more it felt like my magic was being torn from me, but I continued anyway. Sweat perspired from my skin, my teeth threatening to shatter as I bore down. My legs trembled, threatening to give out. No matter how hard I tried, the cuffs did not budge—there weretoo manyof them.
Tears of flame rolled down my cheeks as I roared to the gods,Help me!
