Blushing, Amira finally turned her head to the window, choosing to stop whatever this conversation was. Her skin prickled as if on edge. She just wasn’t sure on which ledge she was on.
“How long did I sleep?” Amira asked, more as a distraction to herself, taking in the setting sun, surprised to have slept longer than a few minutes.
“Four or five hours, give or take. We’re approaching the Cursed Woods,” Elyssa answered, her tone less teasing and more serious now. “I must say, it looks like good old regular woods to me. The name’s quite dramatic, isn’t it?”
Amira stretched a bit. “There used to be another name for it. Before the Dark King. It got lost in history.”
Elyssa yawned. “I suppose I’m too young to know about it. Did you live through it?”
Amira let out an offended yelp as she turned back to Elyssa. “I’ll have you know I’m twenty-three!”
“Relax, I was teasing. Though with you fae, itishard to tell. You’re a year older than me, then.” A playful smile graced her lips. “It’s all right, I like older women.” Amira swallowed hard, and she swore Elyssa’s grin increased. “Anyway, for that name, the Cursed Woods don’t look all that threatening. No cursed and evil creatures as far as I can see.”
“Like witches,” Amira whispered to herself, reminded of her goal to find a way to rid herself of the evil inside her.
Elyssa furrowed her brows. “What did you say?”
Amira tried to gain back her composure. She couldn’t slip up. Even humans hated witches. “You mentioned evil, so I thought of witches.”
Elyssa’s eyes bulged, a vein pulsing on her forehead. “Witches arenotevil.”
“Cursed, then,” Amira replied, more to herself than anyone else.
Now a storm was building in those beautiful hazel eyes. Elyssa leaned forward on her elbows, her fists clenched. “Witches are neither of those things. And neither are humans, by the way. It’s your kind that brought us here to goddamn enslave us, so I would rethink who’sevil.”
A sudden darkness overcame the carriage as they stared at each other. They had entered the woods completely now. The silence was deafening, as if nature itself was hiding from this forsaken place. The Cursed Woods covered the border between the kingdoms of Turosian and Carnylen, but they also stretched to the border to Rubien. After the Dark King’s fall, most of the trees around the border had died, as if they were burned from the inside out.
Elyssa looked through the window, her gaze still furious, but she was clearly trying to ignore Amira. Her leg shook, as if she wasn’t used to staying inactive for such a long time. In a strange way, Elyssa’s restlessness appealed to Amira. She didn’t like the thought.
Flexing her hands, Amira attempted to calm her breathing as she avoided glancing at Elyssa’s face. Why did she care what Elyssa thought? Her goal in the capital Pyria was to find a way to remove her powers for good. The only thing that mattered was making sure that Elyssa wasn’t going to be in the way. And that she supplied her with fortae.
As if having heard its name, the familiar ache awakened. Amira’s mouth went dry, her blood beating fast in her head. Extending her hand, she asked Elyssa for what she truly desired. “If you are really my provider, prove it.” Elyssa narrowed her eyes, making no move to appease Amira’s ache. “Give me fortae. That’s theonlyreason for your presence, no?” Amira asked again, knowing how to play this kind of game.
Elyssa’s hand clenched and unclenched. “Fine.” She took out the familiar pill from her pocket and held it out to Amira. As she leaned forward, Elyssa wrapped her fingers around the pill. “Is this really what you want?” Her voice was quieter, having lost its teasing note.
Amira fought against her instinct to rip the pill from Elyssa’s hand. Her fingers twitched and her heart burned with the need for her next fix. She couldn’t look at anything but the small silver and red pill. It was her salvation from the hell that was her mind and body.
“Yes,” Amira answered in one breath.
Elyssa shook her head, a red curl framing her face. “All right. Here you go, princess.” She opened her palm. Thank Caelo, the pill was still intact. “Nothing but the purest quality forHer Highness.” Elyssa’s mocking tone fuelled Amira’s discontent. A feeling of shame came over her, but she pushed it down. She was surviving. That was what this was. She didn’twantthis, sheneededit. Elyssa had no idea.
Grabbing the pill quickly, she swallowed it as she stared directly at Elyssa. Elyssa didn’t lower her gaze, letting her revulsion and pity shine through. Why was she here, with fortae, when she was so clearly displeased by it? Whatever Elyssa’s past was, there could only be one reason she was here. Rhay. He had promised Amira a supply, and this must be his way of delivering.
Except Amira was sure Rhay was as unaware of Elyssa’s true intentions as she was. What if the girl’s reason to be here clashed with Amira’s own goal? She had to keep an eye on her maid. After all, Amira had never met anyone who hadn’t tried to use her. Why would Elyssa be any different?
Chapter17
Lora
Seated in a small dining room, decked out in blinding turquoise and silver, Lora dragged her fork over her plate piled with food she’d barely touched. The large windows taking over the wall next to her overlooked the city at the foot of the mountain where the palace was situated. The barely risen sun bathed the town in golden light. Adjacent to Parae, the capital, was Chrysa, the town Lora was familiar with. If she closed her eyes, she could picture herself sprinting down an alley with Eyden by her side.
Karwyn didn’t seem to have much of an appetite either. She wasn’t sure why he had insisted on having breakfast together when he hadn’t said a word to her. The silence was making her skin itch with anticipation. Had he seen her with Eyden? Three days had passed since their encounter. Why wait until now to confront her?
She knew agreeing to Eyden’s plan was a stupid risk, but she had to keep fighting any way she could. As long as her mother’s life was safe, Lora could play spy. Eyden would keep coming back to Rhay’s parties either way; avoiding him was impossible. And maybe a tiny part of her was itching for their next encounter.
There was obviously some sort of connection between them, but she could blame it on her body reacting to him. That was all it could be.
She could still feel his hands on her, his lips on her skin… Lora hadn’t been thinking clearly. A temporary lapse in judgement.
