That truth rooted her in place when fear told her to run.
Meg was blood. History. Late-night secrets and scraped knees and promises whispered under blankets. Mallory couldn’t abandon her, not even for Jakob. Not even for love.
A sound echoed through the clearing. A cough. They had arrived.
Mallory stiffened and planted her feet. They were giving her Meg whether they liked it or not.
Figures emerged from the shadows with their faces partially obscured and weapons visible but not raised. Ruecrags.She knew it instantly from the way they moved. Loose and confident, like rules didn’t apply to them.
“I’m here,” Mallory said and forced her voice steady. “I came alone.”
“Obviously or we wouldn’t be here.” A man stepped forward and shoved her toward the mountain face. “Get over there.”
She stumbled and barely caught herself before hitting the ground. “Don’t you touch me,” she snapped. Her heart pounded, but she lifted her chin. “I want my sister. Release Meg, and I’ll go quietly.”
Laughter rippled through the group, low and ugly. There were about ten men, and fear sizzled its way up her spine. She was in way over her head.
Another shove sent her off balance again into the side of the mountain. “You don’t make demands here,” someone said close to her ear.
Mallory’s palms burned where she hit the rock this time. The pain flared sharp and immediate. She pushed herself back up.
“This is going to end now,” she said even though her voice shook despite her best effort. “Who is in charge?”
For a moment, nothing happened. The men shifted but none of them had anything to say.
“Come on. You brought me out here. Who do I talk to in order to get my sister back?”
Then the group parted.
The figure who stepped forward moved with calm authority, and Mallory felt a strange, creeping unease even before she saw her face.
“No,” Mallory breathed. She leaned against the mountain for strength.
The woman stopped a few feet away and looked at her with familiar eyes.
Meg.
The world tilted violently.
“M…Meg?” Mallory’s voice broke as she stepped toward her. “Oh my God. You’re… how… I found you. After all this time, we can go home.”
Meg’s expression didn’t soften. If anything, it hardened. Her eyes were sharp and her mouth was set in something that wasn’t quite a smile.
“There is no home,” Meg said coolly.
Mallory staggered back like she’d been struck. “What are you talking about? They said you were taken. The messages, all the threats…”
“All real,” Meg said. “Just not in the way you thought.”
Understanding crept in slowly and horrifying, piece by piece.
“I was never a prisoner,” Meg continued. “I joined the Ruecrags two years ago. I fell in love.” A pause. “He showed me the truth. What the world really is.”
“Don’t say that.” Mallory shook her head while tears streamed down her cheeks. “No. No, they brainwashed you. We can fix this. Jakob can help.”
Meg laughed softly. “You still think kings save people?”
The words sliced deep.
