She froze.
Not again, Isla thought, taking her ancestor’s arm. Her shoulder was bleeding. Her chest was in ruins.
Isla had spent hours in her last memory. Who knew how long Lark would be trapped in hers? Isla could barely walk straight with her injured leg. Still, she sighed and dragged Lark along, hoping they wouldn’t face anything else.
That was when the trees to her left and right began to tremble.
Something was coming. Isla gripped Lark’s arm tighter and ran, her calf roaring with pain.
No. She was wrong.
It was already here.
Bark splintered around her as a woman fully broke out of the closest tree. Then another, from behind her. Wood cracked like thunder as figure after figure emerged from the forest on all sides. The women were half bark, half rotted flesh and sinew, holding gnarled roots shaped into weapons. Their eyes were onyx holes. Lifeless.
Theycontrolled this forest. Isla took one look at them—
And ran.
Lark’s feet stumbled next to her. She was still lost in her mind, but at least she could use her legs.
“Wake up!” Isla screamed, pressing into the wound on Lark’s shoulder, hoping the pain would knock her from her mind. But it didn’t work. And the whole forest was shaking now, as if an entire army awaited them in these trees. Isla raced as fast as she could, ignoring her injury with focus honed from years of training.
An arm shattered through the tree she was passing, gripping Isla’s neck with a hand hard as wood. She dropped Lark’s arm, and her ancestor stood there blankly, useless to help her. The bark-crusted woman lifted Isla into the air with extraordinary strength. Isla’s legs scrambled for purchase, a choking sound leaving her lips. Her vision was starting to dim.
With every shred of energy she had left, she raised her sword hand—and cut the woman’s arm clean off. Isla collapsed into a heap on the leaves and dirt and gasped for air. Her lungs felt like they could burst with the effort.
She only allowed herself a moment before she scrambled to her feet, dragging Lark behind her. But she knew there was no outrunning this. Tree after tree burst around them until they were surrounded by a legion. An army of women closing in.
And the women...they reminded her of—
There was a girl, in the back of the group. With green eyes, wild dark hair, and freckles splashed across her cheeks.
No. Isla clung to consciousness. Lark was already out. They would both die if she got sucked into another memory now. She ran to the closest tree and shredded her hand down it, hoping the pain would keep her grounded.
It didn’t work. Her vision began to fog. The women began to close in, jagged blades lifted, sharp teeth bared. Closer. Closer. Isla lifted her sword, but even if she could remain awake, she was wildly outnumbered.
There was one moment of stillness, of silence. Then all the warrior women lunged at her as one, weapons lifted.
And as Isla was swept back into the past, she was certain she wouldn’t survive the present.
GRIM
This was going to be tiresome. He could already feel it. Azul was filled with hope. Anticipation.Love.
Grim’s hands formed fists, knowing Azul would want to speak to his husband for longer than they could afford.
He tried to remind himself that if the situations were switched, Azul would never rush him. But they weren’t. And all Grim cared about was reaching Isla as soon as possible.
It had been easy enough to portal to this world after Azul had given them a ring that had belonged to his husband. He had followed the thread of it to portal them to this place, and as soon as they arrived, he already wanted to leave.
There was a heaviness here, like a storm without the rain. The air was thick with feeling—regret, sadness, fear.
This was not a place of peace.
Grim could hardly see an inch in front of him. Shadowy fog blocked everything. Storms rumbled distantly, but Grim could tell they were steadily getting closer.
“Don’t take long,” Grim snapped at Azul.
