Power Strange and Terrible
Laitha.
She said the name like I should have heard of her. When it became obvious that I hadn’t, her smile shifted, her expression becoming curious.
“You’re not from this place,” she said, stepping closer to me. “I should have guessed—it’s unlikely you would have escaped our notice for so long.” She looked me up and down with interest, lingering on my legs. “You’re wearing trousers. Do women usually wear trousers where you’re from?” Her eyes snapped up to my face. “Areyou a woman? I suppose I shouldn’t presume.”
My face flushed. “Yes, I’m a woman.”
“Well,” she said dismissively, “It makes no difference to me what you are or what you’re wearing. That’s not why you’re here.”
“Yeah,” I said, sarcasm tinging my words, “I figured that wasn’t why you kidnapped me.”
Her mouth quirked. “I can see why you would view it as a kidnapping. I prefer to see it as self-preservation. You can’t trust strangers, not in these woods.” She stepped even closer. “The question is, can I trustyou?”
“That depends,” I told her honestly.
Her smile widened, softening her again. “You’re forthright. I like that. Continue to be forthright with me and this will be easier for both of us.”
What would Siera do here?I asked myself.Probably pretend to play along until she had a better idea of her enemy.Because despite her smiles and her lighthearted tone, I was still very aware that this woman wasnotmy friend.
“Let’s start with something simple,” she said. “Tell me your name.”
I wasn’t going to give this woman my real name, but I knew if I hesitated too long I’d give the lie away.
“Pearl,” I told her, giving my rarely used middle name.
“Pearl. How perfect.” Her unsettlingly pale eyes slid over my face, probably looking for some sign of deception, but thankfully, she didn’t seem to find any.
“And where have you come from, sweet Pearl? How did you come to be here?” Her voice was smoother, silkier now—it sounded almost nothing like the terrifying wind-whistle I’d heard back in the woods. How was that possible?
“Where exactly is ‘here’?” I asked.
Her head tilted slightly to the left. “You don’t know? Does that mean your presence here is an accident? Or are you simply suffering from some sort of memory loss?” She scanned my body again before returning her pale eyes to mine. “That was quite the powerful display back there. Perhaps you’ve overwhelmed yourself. I’ve heard of it happening, on rare occasion.” She gripped me by the chin, angling my face this way and that. Her touch sent a bright littleshiverthrough me, like a tiny shock of static electricity. “But how did someone so powerful escape our notice for so long?Thatis the true question.”
“I…don’t know,” I answered, which was mostly the truth.
She released my chin. “No games, Pearl. I want us to be friends. I suppose you’ve realized this by now, but it’s dangerous for you to be on your own, powerful as you are. You need an ally. And a proper teacher.”
“And I’m assuming you’re volunteering?”
“I see it as my responsibility,” she said. “There are few of us in this world who can wield essence the way you and I can. Those who are weaker will always try to use us, with no care for our own wants or needs. We must look out for each other, you and I.” She stepped closer again, her eyes going soft, almost pleading. “It is a lonely world for women like us,” she said. “We must not give away our power.” She opened her lips as if to say more, but something stopped her, and her mouth dropped into a frown.
“There’s something…differentabout you,” she said, more to herself than to me. Her hand came up, cradling the side of my face, again causing those pleasing little shockwaves ofshiver. “It’s not your power, it’s…” She appeared to be at a loss for words. “Why do you feel sostrange?”
I didn’t have an answer for that. But before I could be forced to start awkwardly babbling, we were interrupted by a chorus of shouts from outside.
Her hand fell away from my face and she spun around, going straight for one of the slits in the tree trunk that looked out across the little camp. She let out a string of curses, her voice sounding once more like a violent wind forcing its way through dead branches.
“LAITHA!” Boomed a deep, familiar tone that made my heart sing. “RELEASE HER!”
Octavian.He’d made it through the portal, and now he’d come to rescue me.
Laitha had gone rigid.
“It’s true, then,” she said, again more to herself than to me. She spun around, pale eyes locking on me with renewed interest.
“How are you connected tothem?” she asked.
