The creature shrugged. “Place was empty when I got here.”
Somehow, that revelation made Sawyer even more uneasy than seeing the Jinn.
She sheathed her sword. “How did you get into Rimemere land?”
“How did it take you all so long to figure out I was here?” The thing was just as annoying as Sawyer remembered.
Morna, the name the Mind Slayer goes by, had been the only reason Sawyer made it out of Melisandre alive the night her mother died. Sawyer had been in their backyard, dragging back a pitcher of water from their well when it happened.
Her mother stepped into the window of their room, dressed in a white nightgown and with an expression utterly empty, visible even from the distance. Sawyer didn’t have time to scream before she jumped.
She didn't let herself recall the rest of the memory, knowing herself enough to save it for when she could break down and spiral alone.
Morna stood, the full length of her almost twice the size of a typical human. “Still raw, is it?”
“Why don’t you things wear clothes?” Sawyer turned to the wall. “Or at least keep a skin regime.”
“I have a warning for you, Fire Wielder.” It inched closer. “It requires your immediate attention.”
Sawyer told the thing during their meeting in Melisandre never to approach her again—and to never blab to anyone she had taken help from a Jinn.
With a calculated step back, she motioned for it to continue. “I believe I told you last time I would not let you leave alive again.”
The Jinn laughed, the sound jarring enough to make Sawyer flinch. “Afraid to say a threat from a small, seven-year-old with anger issues was not very scary, Sawyerlyn.”
“What do you want?” Sawyer clenched her jaw. “I want to forget about this meeting as quickly as possible.”
“Someone within your castle is lying.” Morna’s eyes flashed white. “They pose a threat to us.”
“So? I don't care about your kind.”
“Us as in those on the Yarrow’s side.” Morna scraped the walls with her talons, getting closer. “So rude.” Sawyer scoffed.
The Jinn had told her the same thing in Melisandre—that Sawyer’s survival was vital for the Yarrow destiny. Sawyer knew not to believe words from a Mind Slayer, especially kind ones. They were usually tactics to manipulate the victim later.
Still, a youthful, stupid side of her thought perhaps it meant she was special, that she would Settle as a Warden like the rest of her maternal line.
Then she hadn't, and she had been angry ever since.
“I don't believe anything you say for a single second, Thing.” Sawyer let a wave of fire ripple over her arms. “So, if that’s all you have to say, I guess we can fight now.”
“I saved your life, is that not enough to trust me?”
“Fuck no.”
From beyond the stone walls, the wind howled.
“Fine. I will provide you with a peace offering, Fire Wielder.” Morna continued forward, and it took everything within Sawyer to remain in place. The creature may be docile compared to other Mind Slayers, but the reek remained the same.
“Aren't you curious to know how to get the Yarrow heiress and the Prince of Shadows out of their predicament?” Morna angled her head, a motion more animal than human. “I hear they’ve gotten themselves into quite a problem over at the Gods’ Villa.”
Sawyer crossed her arms over her chest, narrowing her eyes. “They’ll get to the end, and he will yield—not really a predicament.”
Morna’s pupilless eyes flashed. “Do you truly think it’ll be that easy?” She waved a hand. “Well, alright then.”
“Wait.” Sawyer pursed her lips. “Why wouldn't it be?”
“Have you ever known anything to be that easy, Fire Wielder?”
