‘Absolutely not,’ the king spat as the carriage lurched. ‘If you insistthatcomes along, it follows outside.’
‘But what if we come across hunters?’ I couldn’t see his expression, but I didn’t miss his aggravated sigh. ‘They’re supposed to keep us safe from the diafols, but they kill any creature they come across, whether it’s a diafol or not. Say they can’t take a risk, and Pablo is hardly tiny. He’s?—’
‘Enough, girl.’
Pablo twisted his head, glancing between us, his back paw scratching the bottom step.
‘I am not travelling with your sorry excuse for a rug in my carriage. It travels outside or not at all.’
A burning heat spread across my cheeks.
‘Pablo. Out.’ The wolf snorted before turning his harsh gaze to the king, who merely ruffled his papers.
My body tensed, then slumped back as he turned away. This was not the time for Pablo to show his rebellious streak.
Then the horses whickered, and a whip cracked through the air. The carriage rocked as we set off.
I’d had no intention of falling asleep, but at some point I suffered Enfys’s elbow digging into my side. Snorting, I stared wide-eyed around the blurry carriage.
‘You were dribbling,’ she whispered.
Wiping my chin, I discovered she hadn’t been lying and shifted to face her. Enfys’s gaze remained locked on her well-worn copy ofThe Histories and Prophecies of the Star-Crossed Gods. She’d tried reading some of her favourite verses, regaling us with passages of Vyrus’s ill-fated attempt to destroy our planet with his poisoned meteor shower, only to be thwarted by Evella’s love for us, turning the deadly fragments of rocks into a blessing. For once, both the king and I were in agreement, and Enfys eventually fell silent. After facing my fate as a Tribute, I’d no mind to receive a lecture on the virtues of adoring Evella and fearing the fiery wrath of Vyrus.
The diafols weren’t the only ones to be tainted by the fickle rock. It had been sent to destroy us, but the Goddess who protects us changed its intention. Evella uses the magic within to grant those mortals she deems worthy a unique gift. They become a vicious weapon forged by Vyrium. The chosen ones. Anomalies. Untouched by the poisonous rock and able to stave off the effects of its contamination: as long as they find a mentor and train as soon as the headaches begin. Mentors ensure those who develop gifts can control them and fight off the devastating effects of the dreaded blight – an affliction that drives emerging Anomalies manic with pain and always, always leads to their death.
Enfys had just begun emerging as an Anomaly as I’d left for the library. She’d sobbed as the convulsions and the urge to itch tore her apart. Her power battling to be contained before she learned how to tamp it down. The finest mentors were brought in from far and wide to ensure the princess didn’t suffer. I could almost picture the warmth in Mama’s eyes if she’d lived long enough to learn her daughter was a healer.
And as for me? I shivered, glad Mama would never know Romero thought Evella had stripped me of my blessing.
When Mama died and I knew for certain what tore through my veins, a terror greater than her loss struck me numb. A few months later, I lay shattered and broken after Matthiasdared me to make the fateful jump. Those intertwining tragedies shattered any dreams I’d held of becoming a worthy Anomaly. I’d been hiding from the repercussions of Mama’s death and Matthias’s betrayal ever since. The mere thought of his name stabbed my already damaged heart, and I focused back on Enfys.
She tugged on her silver pendant, and my gaze wandered to her slender fingers. My chest tightened as I imagined the ring Matthias would slip on when the engagement was officially announced. I swallowed as she tilted her pretty head, her blue eyes tethered to the page as she read legends of the Gods. I should offer her my congratulations, bitter as they were, but every time I opened my mouth, the words died.
I closed my eyes, fighting back the tears. Gods, what if she and Matthias invited me to the wedding? I refused to shed tears over that man. But how could I sit there primly while they exchanged vows? Would my own husband sit beside me? The gruff Cai or the sickening Seth? I gripped my skirts, a dead weight settling where my heart should lie. I wasn’t wed yet. There was still time to discard my shackles.
Staring across the carriage, the king’s face appeared through the fog of shadowy blotches. He had a myriad of papers spread out, combing his fingers through his neat beard, his brow furrowed as he read.
I leaned forward, peering through the small window. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d woken up without Pablo wrapped around me, and I missed his warmth. What if he left the safety of our well-guarded caravan to hunt? There were rumours of rising numbers of oversized, mangled diafols this far north, and my guts churned at the thought of Pablo running into hunters out seeking glory.
No matter how much I twisted, I couldn’t spot the wolf through the filthy smear of the carriage window.
‘Sit still.’
Enfys and I froze as the king barked his order. His eyes scrutinised the papers, a dark scowl on his face.
I steadied my breathing. ‘But Pablo?—’
‘You’re distracting me. Sit.’
I opened my mouth, releasing a tiny cry as Enfys tugged me back into the seat next to her.
‘I’m sure he’s fine, Sorrow. Let me read you this passage. It’s one of my favourites.’
Any sane woman would have placed her hands on her lap and obeyed. ‘Apologies,’ I said, pushing past her and laying my face against the window.
‘Enough,’ the king cried, shoving me back and tugging the curtain across the glass. ‘It’s not as though you can see much, is it?’
Enfys gasped. Her father didn’t even bother to glance our way. Romero sighed deeply and rifled through his papers, his lips pressed tightly together.
