Immediately, she stopped speaking. She opened her mouth—most likely to scream obscenities—but not a sound escaped her lips.
Good. It gave me time to think without her in my ear.
“This is growing tedious,” said the Crow. “Come with menow, and end the curse. Or stay and remain cursed for eternity. I shall not extend such a generous offer again.”
My heart beat wildly in my chest, and the blood in my ears began to pound. Stay or go? Trust the witch to keep her word or continue with life as it was?
But life as it was—caged and isolated—was no kind of existence. This bargain offered me a chance to finally explore the world. Why shouldn’t I take it?
If I did, I would invoke the wrath of my grandmother. But that wasn’t anything new—displeasing her was my specialty.
Then there were my subjects, who also suffered under the curse.
The wheels in my mind began to turn. If I was successful in this task, my subjects would beendlesslygrateful. It would strengthen my position as heir to the throne and earn their adoration and devotion. I would succeed where my grandmother had failed and redeem my family’s name in the eyes of those who blamed us for the curse.
On the other hand, did I want to shoulder such a great responsibility? I could only imagine what my people would think of me if, goddess forbid, I was unsuccessful.
But, if I ended the curse, Mae would be reunited with her son. Doran could travel again.
“Your answer,” demanded the Crow. “All you have to say is, ‘Bound by name, I accept this bargain, to its terms I shall be beholden,’ and we have ourselves a magically sealed agreement.”
I smelled it in the air before I felt it on my skin. The rain had come. A good omen.
I’d made my decision.
I didn’t look at my grandmother as I turned to the Crow. Her shadows seemed to lean in closer, as if waiting for me to speak. Stomach in my throat, I said, “Bound by name, I accept this bargain, to its terms I shall be beholden.” The words tumbledout in a single breath, desperate to escape before I could swallow them back down. But the arrow had been released, there would be no pulling it back now. My fate was sealed.
“NO!” shouted Doran over the roars of approval that filled the air.
“Excellent,” the Crow purred. She pointed to something in my periphery. “Now, run.”
Further along the shore was an outcropping that formed a tidal pool during low tide. It was as familiar to me as the scales on my tail. Only now, the water inside the rocky basin circulated like a whirlpool.
I lifted the folds of my gown, and I ran.
Into the shallows of the rain-dimpled water, I ran.
Pushing against the resistance of the waves, I ran.
Ignoring the shouts and pleas and splashes of the guards behind me, I ran.
I ran until the soft sand beneath my feet became biting, jagged rock. The pool was a stone’s throw away. If I jumped, I could make it. Taking a deep breath, I leaped into the tidal pool, and, before my feet had even planted, I was gone.
Chapter 5
My bare feet met a solid, slippery surface.
Instantly, I lost my balance and stumbled forwards. I recovered my footing in time to avoid falling face first onto… onto what, exactly?
In a daze, I scanned my surroundings.
Gone were the silken sand beach and the glittering blue palace. The rows of glowing plants and scores of gawking faces had been replaced with lichen-covered boulders and desolate solitude. Harsh wind thrashed against my body, carrying with it flecks of water. The smell of brine overwhelmed my nostrils.
I appeared to be on an islet forged entirely of rock.Shit.
Shivering in my water-spattered gown, I looked out to the midnight-blue sea. Heavy clouds had gathered in the distance like perilous outcrops in the sky. The faraway flashes of lightning told me I was on the periphery of a ferocious storm.
I jolted as the hooded figure of the Crow, sinister and sable, appeared before me. “So glad you made it,” she said. A hulking wave crashed into the boulders. Against the spray, her dark figure rippled like the surface of a pond. She was still an illusion. “Was the portal to your liking?”
