S’lach would have found another way to torment his daughter, but I wouldn’t have been part of it. I wouldn’t be forced to see the lines on Celine’s face spread as she worries about staying alive. And I wouldn’t be second-guessing every miserable choice I’ve made that brought me to this point.
“There might be another way,” I say before I can talk myself out of it.
They look at me, eerily in sync, and my fingers twitch.
“What is it?” Celine’s eyes are wary.
I shake my head. “Not until I’ve thought it through and done some research.”
She stiffens. “You’re asking me to trust you.”
“I am.”
She’ll say no. Of course she’ll say no. There’s no reality where Celine gives me the benefit of the doubt. It was absurd to even bring it up.
“How long, Riven?” She studies her ragged nails, then meets my eyes. “I don’t do well with secrets. Or patience.”
I’m stunned, and I’m sure it shows on my face. “I’ll be as fast as I can,” I say. Striding to the hook embedded in the wall, I retrieve my cloak, my cheeks flooding with heat.
For the first time in years, I’m thankful my real face is hidden.
“Wait, you’re leaving now?” Celine pushes back from the table and hurries to my side as the others watch.
“I’ll be back before dark,” I tell her. “Stay inside and you’ll be safe.”
Celine opens her mouth to argue, but I squeeze the stone in my pocket and disappear before she or my better judgment can change my mind.
The cold on the mountain sinks into my bones, giving them an ache that belongs in a body much older than mine. My boots dig into the loosely packed ice pellets, each step ending with a sharp crunch.
Why am I doing this?It’s a terrible idea, and I know it, but I don’t stop walking or turn around. The quicker I get there, the quicker I can leave.
The hut, nestled high in an ancient, scarred tree, looks like it always does. Desolate and barren, the physical embodiment of loneliness. Smoke curls from the chimney, and I know if I take a deep breath, I’ll be flooded with the pungent smell of burning herbs.
Just do it.Gritting my teeth, I climb the handholds carved into the meat of the trunk. They’re shallow and crusted with frost. By the time I reach the top, I’ve nearly fallen to my death half a dozen times. How she stands to live here, warmed only by her magic and a weak fire, I’ll never understand. Maybe it has something to do with all the hallucinogenic plants she feeds to the flames.
She knows I’m here, but I knock anyway. The door swings open with a whine, and the air gets stuck in my throat. The smell is worse than the last time I was here.
“I saw your arrival in the bones,” she says.
Her hair hangs to her hips, woven with twigs and twistedclusters of herbs. There’s dried blood crusted beneath her nails, and her hands tremor in a way she’s no longer able to hide.
A dozen emotions roll through me as I look at her, and none of them are good.
Rue Amaranth used to be beautiful.
Now, she’s as gnarled and chewed up as this unforgiving realm.
“Hello, Rue,” I say, grateful for the second time in an hour that my face hides emotion.
She gestures for me to come in, and I hesitate on the small balcony. “We could talk out here,” I suggest. It’s damn cold, but if I go inside, I’ll be high in minutes. There are days when I would be happy to sink into the smoke and forget, but today isn’t one of them. I need to be alert.
Rue shakes her head. “If you want my help, Riven, you’ll stop acting as if asking for it disgusts you.” A spark of irritation flashes through her faded blue eyes. “You’ll sit by my fire and drink my tea and act nice. Then I’ll tell you about the bonds.”
My skin prickles. Sometimes I forget how powerful she is. It’s easy to see the creature she’s become and nothing more, but there was a time when things were different—when Rue Amaranth was a name that commanded respect. And fear.
I step inside. The floorboards of the hut groan beneath my feet, and the rocky ground is visible through the cracks. While there’s heat from the fire, the smoke is so thick it burns my eyes and nose.
“You seek answers,” Rue says.
