CASSANDRAI was certain that I would never forget the look on Ms. Benn’s face when I’d threatened her and alluded that her daughter’s condition could easily worsen if I stopped offering help.The head housekeeper’s already fair complexion blanched so white she looked like a ghost. Her lower lip trembled and her icy blue eyes widened so large that they appeared like they could fall out of her skull.Though her terrible expression haunted my thoughts, I didn’t regret that I’d done something awful like this. Given the chance, I would have done it over and over again, but still, I some part of me did feel sorry for Ms. Benn. I couldn’t imagine how I would feel if someone had threatened me with Finnick’s life.But, I did what had to be done. I was powerless in this castle, in this entire country, even. Without nasty ploys and fierce cunning, I wouldn’t get any closer to getting out of here and returning to my homeland with Erika and my son.After our discussion, Ms. Benn left the room at o
CASSANDRAI was a little taken aback by Finnick’s serious request. His face appeared timid, yet his tone was solemn, much more solemn than a child’s should have been. As I studied his expression, I felt ashamed of myself for borderline neglecting my son these days. I’d been so immersed in this undercover business that I didn’t have much time to talk with Finnick, aside from our daily goodnight kiss.When I shifted my gaze, I realized I’d left Helene’s map on the table not too far away.“Okay, honey,” I agreed. “I just need to do something really quick, okay?”Finnick nodded politely, and then I moved forward and folded the map up. I stashed it aside, and once it was gone, I gestured for Finnick to join me.“Come here, baby,” I urged him, and after I took a seat, I extended my arms out to him. “Would you like to sit in my lap?”My son nodded and then gave me a little smile. He climbed onto my lap and I held him close. I ran my hands through his dark hair and then stroked his cheek affe
CASSANDRAI froze in place and my heart pounded in my chest as my head drowned with what felt like a million thoughts.Had I heard Finnick correctly?Did my son mean to tell me that Lila was a sorceress?I knew he didn’t know the word “sorceress” nor did I explain to him what kind of tricks Raven had played during that visit to our chamber. So, there was little chance that he was making this entire thing up. Besides, Finnick wasn’t a liar.So, did that mean…?Finnick’s gray eyes grew wider still and he glanced around the room as if to make sure that no one would hear us.“Mommy, Lila can read my mind,” he uttered, his voice filled with a mixture of shock and amazement as his eyes bore intensely into mine.I forced down the lump that had formed in my throat and searched for the right thing to say. If this was truly the case, I needed to speak with Lila and try to get to the bottom of what was going on.A child sorceress… it was a concept I’d never considered before, but it made a great
KALEBI diligently stood in front of my mother’s grave solemnly, and after staring at the ornately carved slab in the ground, I began to dust off the stone. This was my first visit in quite some time, and the thick coating of grime on the stone was greater than it had been in a while. I normally didn’t allow it to get this bad, but as of late, things had been infinitely busy, and I rarely had a moment alone.As I cleaned it, I pondered the state of things and then allowed myself to consider my mother. Ever since she died, I’d never had a nightmare about her passing or otherwise. Nor had I after I’d killed all of my siblings and most of my cousins. Not even when I’d ended my father’s life.I wasn’t afraid of ghosts or gods. I wasn’t afraid of punishment from the Moon Goddess for the acts I’d committed in the past.But last night, I had a nightmare, one that I couldn’t shake. It was haunting my thoughts and bleeding into the waking world so vividly it made me uneasy.In my dream, I saw
ASHERAs I stared at the beautiful yet disgusted face of the raven-haired sorceress before us, I searched my mind for the right ways to go about questioning her. Now that we knew her name, Roxy, it was clear that she was on the verge of breaking. It was just a matter of prying her further.I remembered that I had once attended an interrogation with my father before his death. He’d been silent our entire walk to the dungeon, and once we reached the staircase, he turned to face me with a tense expression and his cold eyes trailed over me.“We’re going to teach you some techniques that will be useful in the future,” he remarked sternly. “Pay attention. This will be useful in the future when you need to dig out the truth.”Though I wasn’t too keen on the idea, there was no refusing my father, so I nodded, and then we continued our walk. Once we were in the dungeon, we were met by a pair of my father’s men and then escorted to a cell in the back.They were interrogating a servant who had b
SILAS Much to my irritation, it was my duty to watch over the sorceress tonight. I wasn’t thrilled by the prospect, but as the Beta, I had to follow the orders of my king. Unlike the others, I hadn’t believed a single word that poured out of Roxy’s mouth this afternoon. In her stories, which she’d claimed were completely factual, she’d implied that the great sorcerers of old were omnipotent and incredible, while werewolves were utterly useless. According to supposed legend, the most powerful of the magic-wielders could read people’s minds and even manipulate them when they saw fit. But at the end of the day, these legends were merely stories. There was no proof that her stories were true and I only believed in solid evidence. Stories had never been enough. I needed to witness things with my own eyes, and thus far, I had no reason to believe her. Besides, the sorceress was cunning. All she wanted was to play with our thoughts and intimidate them. Her sea-green eyes had a fierceness
ASHERThe next day, we began our ascent up the mountain.The Sky Pride Pack resided near the top of these hills, and it was a grueling journey. Speed and swiftness had no advantage on steep hills, which was how Sky Pride had remained intact throughout the years, while other Packs suffered from constant wars and disputes. The location was advantageous and strategic, and while the climb was far from ideal, I had to admire their resilience.None of us had ever visited this technically autonomous Pack before, nor had we expected to have such difficulty. We had to abandon most of our belongings on the way, as they only weighed us down and made the climb more cumbersome.The only source of relief was the fact that I didn’t need to disguise myself here, as no one would be able to attack us in Sky Pride. No assassin would be able to reach the remote Pack, so a shroud or costume was unnecessary.It was around noon when we reached the first gate. Our party waited around for nearly half an hour
ASHERBy Darwin’s reaction, I knew at once that the voice belonged to the Alpha of Sky Pride. I shifted in my seat and turned around to face him. When I did, I was surprised by his appearance.He was quite tall, with dark skin, gray hair, and beard, and a large belly. His brown eyes crinkled at the corners and when he smiled, I was impressed by the whiteness of his teeth.He walked into the room with the support of a young woman. They both appeared ill, though they wore it differently. The young woman was beautiful, with long, thick curly dark hair, and pretty hazel eyes, but her frame was incredibly thin. A small wind could easily have blown her away.The Alpha himself appeared to have difficulty breathing. Once he reached us, he opened his mouth to speak but began to cough before he could utter a word.Darwin rushed over to support him on the other side. He smiled at the young woman, and she lowered her head to avoid his gaze.They helped the Alpha sit down, and once he was seated,