“I’m sorry, too.” I mean it, and I think he also means it. I can’t imagine all of those people dying. Why would anyone do that? I don’t think Gavin Solberg is my father, but if he was, I wouldn’t want to admit it. Maybe that’s why Kieran is here. He doesn’t want to be related to him anymore either
*Kieran*If I was smart, I’d rest during the day and run at night. But I guess I’m not that smart because the sun is hanging overhead, and Blanca and I have been running for hours. We hug the base of the mountains for shelter to exclude anyone coming up on that side. So far, despite the messages fro
Rogues.“Fuck,” I think to myself as I size them up. They are large, four males and two females, and by the looks of things, they are not from Dun’s Crossing. Their fur is brown and silver. My best guess is that they are from the kingdom on the other side of this mountain range, and they’ve crossed
*Blanca*I’m wrapping strips of my extra skirt around Kieran’s shoulder wishing I had something to disinfect the wound with. Of course, I had nothing like that in my room back in the castle, so it wasn’t like I just forgot it. I had very little. If Kieran would’ve known he was coming with me, he cou
“What was the story?” He yawns a little, and I know I should let him sleep. But he asked.“He said that many years ago, the kingdom across the sea, Sundrop Gem, grew quickly and became a flourishing kingdom. They had a lot of horse drawn carriages and the like, and they needed all of the surrounding
*Kieran*It makes me uncomfortable to admit that she makes me feel comfortable.It seems ironic, but it’s true.She’s not supposed to make me feel this way because, in the crevices of my mind, the ones that haven’t adjusted to the new reality yet, she’s my sister.Even though I know she’s not, and e
By dusk, we are higher up in the mountains than I intended. I think I may have swung us a little too far to the west. I start to think about going back down, but somehow I’ve lost my bearings. We are on a cliff, and it’s getting darker by the moment when I start to think I might smell rogues in the
*Blanca*My heart thrums in my chest, and it has nothing to do with the fact that I almost died. With Kieran’s arms around me, his muscular chest pressed against me, I don’t even feel the scrapes and cuts I collected slipping down the mountainside. He pulled me back from the darkness, and now, here
My quill flows across the page, writing down every word of the story. Mother’s voice rings in my ears, soft over familiar phrases. When I’m done, I don’t read it over. I’ll just crumple it up if I do. But I scribble one last thing at the end.Even if the tower never falls….Seconds tick away as I st
HollisI’m a moron. Worse than that, I’m insane. That’s what Mother said when she found out I’d stuck my tongue to the frozen pole outside of the kitchen three times in a week and basically skinned the damn thing every time. But every time, I thought it would be like in a story Eva and I read, where
“I want something more active,” I say. “Like you. I want to… I don’t know… make something?”“Easy.” Ingrid claps her hands together. “Have you ever done any fine arts? Drawing, painting, sculpting?”I shake my head. Yet another class Mother thought was filling my head up with nonsense.“Okay. I know
CandaceI’m sitting at the dressing table, fixing my hair for the first time in days, when a bird starts singing right outside my tent. An ash warbler. For the third time since sunset yesterday. I almost smile.When it first happened, I made Ingrid go check. We were way outside of where the warbler
‘Catch me if you can!’ she calls through the mind-link.In wolf form, I can’t give her the necklace if I want to. I stuff her clothes and mine in her sewing bag, then shift and give chase.Escuro flies by. I barely notice it. My attention remains locked on Eva’s bright-red tail disappearing between
HollisMy plan to act like I actually believe Eva is going to be my wife is going great—except for the fact that I basically haven’t slept since I started it because my mark hurts so Goddess-damned bad. That’ll fade. I know it will. Because I do believe Eva’s going to be my wife. It’s what everyone
Outside the tent, someone makes the tiniest whimper I’ve ever heard. My heart squeezes.“They can come in, but no lights.” I sit up. “And don’t ask, please.”Ingrid nods and starts to turn away, but her gaze locks on mine. She’s noticed. Of course. Every muscle in my body tenses.She turns back for
CandaceFor the third morning in a row, I pull my covers over my head as lunch approaches and rub eyes gritty from crying.Well, not exactly the third morning in a row. The very next day, I tried. I got up, made myself beautiful even as Ingrid fluttered around me, saying I didn’t have to go out if I
Not that I’m keeping track. I, in fact, am doing the exact opposite. I’ve been so caught up in her that I’ve been neglecting my responsibilities. Even if she’s not the person I’m going to spend my life with, I still believe in her dream. There’s just no reason for her to lie, or to seem so scared if