“True.” Lo hiccupped—part laugh, part cry. She blinked her long lashes, tears clinging to them. “Why are you telling me goodbye now?”
“Because there’s something I must do.”And I don’t know if I’m coming back.“I want you to focus on healing, not worrying about me.”
Loshika shared a long look with Dahlia before saying, “Remove the necklace from my neck.”
Lia gently set her hand on the cot and climbed to her feet. Carefully, she reached underneath Lo’s sweaty hand and untied the jewelry around her neck. Lia sat on the edge of the cot, making sure not to jostle her friend and held up the pendant.
It was a butterfly.
One wing was a riot of metallic oranges, reds, blacks, and yellows. The other hosted splashes of a luminescent sickly green on black, revealing a macabre face like that of a glowing fox.Both wings were jagged, as if something had ripped large chunks out of the wings.
She set the pendant in her hand, the whole thing covering her palm. “What is it?”
“Amizareth,” Lo said.
Lia traced her finger over the green side of the wing, sharp jagged edges sticking out awkwardly.
“I had this piece made after I survive that attack that gave me the scars on my face. It is what I aspired to be. You see,mizarethscan fly with both wings almost completely destroyed. Despite how delicate they look, they are hardy creatures.”
“That is incredible. They live in Loriia?” Lia asked, touching the small intricate antennae and the black crystal eyes.
“Believe it or not, but they hatch during the winter inside the pines of Mizar. Then during the spring, they form a chrysalis, and in the summer they emerge as adult mizareth. They make the long journey into Fierre and then travel home during the winter to mate. They survive in both extreme environments. While they look dainty and fragile, they are survivors.” A pause. “Just like you and I.”
Heat pressed at the back of her eyes, and she lifted her head. Lo smiled and nodded to the necklace. “You may feel like you’re too broken or have too many jagged edges, but you can succeed.”
“I am just one person.” One lowly bard.
“And themizarethis just a butterfly that should not exist. Predators mistake it for prey, but they soon realize that they are wrong. Themizarethis a carnivore and can blind a predator before it can even attack. It will then suck the blood from the animal before moving on.” Loshika wiped her cheeks with her blanket. “I want you to have it.”
“I couldn’t.”
“You must. It will help you remember who you are. You are not prey; you are a predator. You are resilient.”
“Thank you.” She pressed the pendant to her heart.
Lo’s body seemed to sag, her eyelids drooping. “Take care of it.” A pause. “And you will come home.”
“I’ll try.”
“Youwill.”
She smiled at thenonnae’sbossiness. “I will. Now, get some rest.” She pressed a kiss to Loshika’s cheek and stood, the giantess already slipping into sleep.
Lia next bent at the waist and kissed her brother’s cheek. His eyes opened, blearily staring up at her. “Is it time to go? I didn’t pack my bag.”
Her heart broke. He thought they needed to run. “No, little lion. Go back to sleep. I will see you later.”
“Love you,” he murmured, snuggling back into the cot.
She kissed his forehead, blinking hard. “Love you more.”
More than he would ever know.
Lia straightened to find Neve once again watching her. He’d listened to the whole conversation.
“Come here,Reilleve,” the Frost King commanded.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
