“The largest moon—the Celestial Moon—is Niia, the goddess of Magic,” Llyr says, pointing to the magnificent white orb, shining with about three-quarters of its brilliance.
Orbiting it are two smaller moons, one pale blue and another soft pink, both nearly perfect circles. There is also a green moon shaped like the letter C, and a golden one glowing at a quarter of its strength.
“The smaller moons are her children Briah, Cyra, Tiran, and Xepher.” He points to the blue, pink, green and yellow moons respectively.
I can barely process his words. How is any of this real? And then there are the infinite small twinkling lights adorning the night sky.What are they?
Llyr follows my gaze. “Those lights are known as soul stars. It is believed that each one represents the soul and the destiny of an individual, and their threads intertwine to form the magnificent tapestry of life itself. And that”—he points toward the colorful display—“is a nebula, a stellar nursery where souls are born.”
Out of nowhere, a wave of dizziness washes over me. The sheer size of the space surrounding me—a vast difference from the enclosed mountain pass—makes me feel disoriented, causing my head to spin. I grip Llyr’s arm for support, trying to steady myself.
He pats my hand. “The vastness of space can be disorienting, especially when you have never witnessed its grandeur before.”
“How could you keep this from me?” I turn toward him, but he avoids my gaze. “Llyr?” I step in front of him, forcing him to face me. “If you knewthiswas here the whole time”—I swipe my hand toward the celestial display, at a loss for words to describe it—“why would you stay in Bronich?” I tense. “Or are there dangers here that this beauty cannot make up for?”
“Yes and no,” he says, still not looking me in the eye. “There are a lot of things I would like to explain, but we will have time for that later.” His expression turns into one of remorse as he continues, “I am sorry you had to go through whatever hardship you did, but you have to trust me when I say it was all done to keep you safe.” He reaches into one of his inner pockets, pulling out a familiar object. “Which is why I need you to put the brace back on, Laïna. For yourown protection. It will block your signature from anyone searching for you.”
It takes a moment for the meaning behind his words to sink in.
“You’rethe reason I was Master Coperie’s property all these years?” My eyes widen as my mind scrambles to understand. “To keep mesafe?” My voice rises in pitch with the last word. “And now you expect me to willingly put that braceback on?” The sheer audacity of his request hits me right in my stomach.
I glare at the brace in his hand. I’ll go willingly to damnation before I put that thing back on. How did he get his hands on that? He’s not nobility. He has no right to own a brace. Besides, I saw him toss the other one away, not to mention it would have been useless to him without the mother piece.
“Are you out of your mind?” I take a few steps back, distancing myself from him. Nails digging into my palms, I clench my fists so hard I’m afraid my fingers will break from the impact. “Do youknowwhat he did to me?”
He remains silent, his face a mask of unreadable emotions.
“Do you?” I’m yelling now, the words tearing at my throat. “Look at me!” I pull up the sleeves of my dress, revealing my scarred arms. “Did. You. Know?”
He flinches. “No, no...” He shakes his head. “It is not like you think. Let me explain. We are outside of the pass, and the brace... It will hide you from—”
I stop listening as Llyr becomes a blur before my eyes. I don’t care what he has to say. “May the Father burn you,” I seethe through clenched teeth. An uncontrollable sob escapes my lips before my anxiety kicks in full force, its dark tendrils tightening around my ribs, stealing my breath. Clutching my chest, I stumble away from him, desperate to get away.
“Careful, Laïna!”
I hear the urgency in Llyr’s voice, but I don’t care. I don’t ever want to see him again. There’s no explanation for what he has put me through. None. I should have understood there was something wrong when he knew how to release me from my brace, but I trusted him. Father have mercy on me, but I did.
Desperate for air, I pull on my neckline. I can’t breathe. I take another step backward.
“Laïna, no!”Llyr reaches for me, but desperate to escape, I slap his hand away and jump back, only to find there is no ground beneath me.
My strangled gasp turns into a terrified scream as Llyr disappears from view and I tumble through the air, the wind whipping past me. Ice-cold water overtakes me, and I realize I have more pressing matters than Llyr’s betrayal if I want to survive.
chapter eight
I MANAGE A GULP OF air for the moment my head is above water, then I’m back below the surface, my heavy felt cloak pulling me under. It’s impossible to discern which way is up and which is down as I’m carried by the strong current of the river. My lungs burn as I fiddle with the clasp of my cloak.There!I let it go, kicking my legs frantically to reach the surface, but my skirts are no better, and they keep pulling me down.
Why don’t you just let go, Laïna? Inhale the water and be done. No more abuse. No more betrayal.
The part of me that wants to give in grows stronger with each failed attempt to reach the surface. What’s the point in fighting to survive when I don’t have a single thing worth living for? I should have let the mist do its job back in the pass. I drink in a breath of water. Only death can provide me with the kind of peace I long for.
Drifting in the depths of darkness, I’m devoid of any sense of pain or fear. Instead, I’m enveloped by a comforting warmth, as if being held in a tender embrace. Memories flash through my mind: Me andEmma laughing at a prank we pulled on Mistress Andrine. Evenings spent huddled together under the blanket in one of our beds, struggling to stay warm through another winter night. The two of us reading each other the stories we had made up, still believing our lives would have a happy ending...
You will not die.The thought pushes its way into my mind, dispersing my visions. You willnotdie.The force behind the words grows stronger, snapping me out of my oblivious state. Something grabs me and hauls me upward through the water. I barely notice as my body scrapes against rocks, then . . . solid ground.
Rolling onto my side, I cough, sputtering water. What in damnation just happened? I gasp down precious breaths of air as I scan my surroundings, but no one is there. My satchel lies a few feet away, miraculously still intact, though dripping wet. Exhausted, I roll on my back. Did Llyr really suggest I put the brace back on? The mere thought sends a fresh wave of nausea churning in my stomach, forcing another mouthful of water back up. Coughing, I make it onto my hands and knees. Maybe I should place a brace onhim.
I peer up the river, but the inky blackness of the night limits my sight. Good. If I never see him again for the rest of my sorry existence, that’ll suit me just fine.Burn him! Burn the minister. Burn all of them.I will show them I can be perfectly fine on my own.
