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Sinsorias had ridden a white horse with a flashy purple saddle blanket. He trotted off, triumphant, ahead of us. Rafael sat silently in his saddle, but remained beside me.
As we rode back through the strange little fae village, my eyes glassed over and I barely saw the huddled windows shining from the dirt mounds or the rooms lit by swaying lights in the massive trees. My mind wandered, and my anger deepened.
I gripped the reins so tightly my hands ached. Papá had married me off to a devil. He would break if he ever learned the truth.
A whispered voice from behind my right shoulder startled me.
“I vowed to protect you.”
My head whipped around, and I glared at Rafael.
His mouth never moved, but I heard his voice. I did choose you to die. In the market in Puerta, I saw you only as my freedom from this curse.
I grimaced and my head was spinning from his unspoken voice in my mind.
But after I brought you through that gate, I knew I could never give you this curse.
I couldn’t frown deeply enough to match the confusion whirling through my thoughts. I shook my head and leaned forward, eager to put Rafael and this madness behind me.
“Run, Espera,” I muttered to the horse. “Light the world on fire.”
The horse responded. He lunged into a full gallop so quickly I nearly sailed off the back but for my tight grip on the reins. I tucked into a racing stance, the night wind pushing back the fear and rage heating my entire body. Sinsorias yelled, but there was no stopping this horse.
Below me, little pops of light stole my attention from the road ahead. His hooves glowed orange like hot coals, and the ground exploded with sparks, then flames, with each hoofbeat.
Crazed laughter spilled from my lips. I looked up at the stars and relished the thrilling freedom of the race. A snag of fear warned me that the hounds Sinsorias spoke of might appear, or that he might toss out a spell to throw me from my horse. But I charged on, not caring about the consequences.
Espera’s gallop was the smoothest I’d ever felt. My traitorous mind pictured Rafael in that cave below his mansion, shirtless and vulnerable. I imagined his face against my neck, when he’d said I’d see the blackness of his soul when I learned the truth. Black wasn’t a dark enough color to describe it.
But he had warned me that night in the library. And when he and Everence had insisted I pretend to hate him. Little good he’d done protecting me from his strong arms when he carried me through those awful gates, his hand against my back as we danced, or his eyes after we’d kissed.
The fires exploding beneath me mirrored my own heart. Hot, angry tears spilled down my cheeks as I rode Espera away from the little village. My entire body ached.
I could hear Rafael’s voice again, speaking into my mind, but I shouted as loud as I could, to no one but myself, “Your words mean nothing!”
Rafael had saved me only so I could take his curse. I hated him, and I hated that I hated him. This wasn’t right. Marriage was supposed to be full of love, not deceit and death.
Maybe it was panic or madness or fury, but I drove onward, taking the road past the estate and thundering into the thick forest. We raced past fallen logs with curtained windows and spotted, tree-sized mushrooms with ladders up to the top. Tiny creatures yelped and dove out of the way. Running into the wilds of Rivenmark wasn’t smart, but staying meant death.
I gritted my teeth as Espera’s hooves skittered to a stop and ceased sparking flames. “What is it, boy?”
Something heavy crashed in the woods. The skin on my arms prickled with fear.
“Talia, wait!”
My blood boiled at the sound of his distant voice. How dare he keep following me?
A massive, scaled face surged toward me, fangs opening toward my throat. I twisted away so fast I crashed from the saddle. A red snake as broad as a fattened pig slumped to the ground beside Espera, whose hooves thrashed at the beast. It recovered and reared up for a second strike.
My hand fumbled so violently with my hem that I screamed in anger, but finally, I grasped my dagger and drew it out. I yelled again, this time issuing a battle cry as I lifted my blade. The sound disappeared in a loud hiss and the muddle of approaching voices as a second beast, a man with a bull’s head, crawled right over the writhing snake and lunged for me.
Then his hands were around my throat, squeezing hard, his awful ringed snout pressed against my left temple. His breaths snorted in my ear. He shoved me backward and lifted me to my toes. Lights danced in my vision, and I knew my last sight would be this nightmarish visage. I spat, but most fell on my chin.
The monster squeezed. My throat burned, and my vision tunneled. I couldn’t breathe. He threw me to the ground so hard I dropped my dagger. Choking and wheezing, I clutched at my throat. The horrid beast rolled me onto my back with his foot. Then his knee pinned my arm to the dirt. His black eyes gleamed with bloodlust. He grabbed my other arm and yanked it up before I could grasp my blade. My lungs burned. I rocked my hips and kicked my legs, but my body was too weak.
He took my knife and stabbed the snake once, his swing swift and deadly. The enormous snake flicked and twitched as it died. Panic drew more choked coughs from my lips. Then metal pierced my side under my raised arm. He slowly drew the point downward, bumping over two ribs and tearing my flesh apart.
I couldn’t scream. A rasping sound hissed from my mouth as tears fogged my vision. I closed my eyes and was lost in the pain. Then the knife was out and there was only agony.
