Another howl, closer now.
“At least bandage it so you don’t give us away with blood all over the damn place.” Astrid tosses her a piece of fabric and Skylar wraps it around the wound.
They leave the office at a run, Astrid muttering a spell to banish the floating ball of light.
Once they’re outside, Skylar salutes with her uninjured hand. “Well, I’ll just be off to bed, then.”
She makes sure to stay out of reach of any other potion Astrid might have up her sleeve and, mainly because she knows it will annoy her, Skylar winks at her as she tosses back the bandage, covered in blood. Climbing back up to her room will be a bitch now, but it was worth it.
She’s already turned to leave when she hears Astrid’s voice behind her. “Skylar?” She glances back. “If I don’t see you between now and then… Good luck on the island.”
Skylar offers her a smirk. “Don’t worry, Little Witch. I have things to do before I die.” She gives the register a meaningful pat, then turns, leaving Astrid to find Bastet in the dark.
23Astrid
Astrid yawns as she browses the shelves, the events of last night catching up with her. It’s only midafternoon and she’s looking forward to her bed already. The dim lighting in the library isn’t helping.
YOU ARE LIMPING. SIT DOWN.IT IS PAINFUL TO WATCH.
“Bastet, your compassion is overwhelming.”
LEAVE THE SARCASM TO ME.
She’s back in the library, this time to see what texts they might have on dragons, anything that might give her some edge if Skylar manages to bond with one. She reaches for a book,When the Fire Dragon Ruled,about Queen Aeloria’s Fire Elemental, Cuatra, and her—now fossilized—egg. She’s not sure how much use it will be in preparing for the duel, but, still, it’s worth a read.
She adds the book to her pile and heads for the seating area, the grand tapestry of Nyx and Artemia drawing her attention, then settles into one of the sofas, propping her sore leg up on a table. Jessa’s banned her from taking her healing solution during training, saying she might not have time to do it during the duel, adding that it’s also an incentive for Astrid to practice her shield casting.
She adjusts herself and groans.
SHE REALLY IS A SADIST.Bastet jumps on the sofa.
“Sadist or not, her methods work. I’ve not been able to cast like this in years.” She actually managed to hit Jessa with an offensive spell today—the first time she’s been able to cast one in more than six years. Part of her wonders if she’s starting to let go of the guilt about her father. If the Stars have finally forgiven her. Being able to imagine a life beyond the duel certainly helps her feel like her dad didn’t die for nothing.
SHE CANNOT TAKE ALL THE CREDIT. THOSE ASSASSINS CERTAINLY SPURRED YOU ON.
Astrid snorts. “Sure, credit where credit’s due. If they hadn’t tried to kill me, I wouldn’t have perfected theDevershield. We really should have given the Levitator a stay of execution for that.”
AGAIN, LEAVE THE SARCASM TO ME.
She scratches him behind the ear, then rubs at her palm. The ghost of pain is still there after Skylar stabbed herself yesterday.
“What do you think Skylar’s looking for?” Astrid has filled Bastet in on what happened, what Skylar took—the idiot. Astrid, being a total idiot herself, has decided she’s going to put it back. If it’s a register of all Blooded, then the king is going to miss it, so she’s going to steal it from Skylar and then break back into the king’s office when the Vatrans are at Isla Draka for Skylar’s test. And Skylar has inadvertently given her exactly what she needs to get past the king’s defenses.
IBELIEVE IT MAY BE A WHO RATHER THAN A WHAT.
“Yes, that’s what I thought.”
IT WILL ENCOURAGE HER TO SURVIVE THAT ISLAND AT LEAST.
“Indeed. And speaking of surviving”—she nods at the stack of books—“I need to get back to figuring out how to win this duel.”
Because she can’t lose, not with the Blight. Not with how much worse it is in Arturea. Jessa had a report back from Ceridwen this morning—more storms have hit since her mother’s arrival. Mass evacuations are taking place, with volunteers coming in from all over the continent, but if the weather doesn’t let up, they won’t be able to continue with search and rescue. Another reason why she and Jessa have trained so hard; to take their minds off the horror back home, to feel like they were working toward something that would ultimately help.
WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?YOUR FACE IS DOING THAT UGLY THING.
Astrid rolls her eyes. “What Skylar said about Vatra, it sounds a Hel of a lot like the Blight, which would mean it’s not only Arturea that’s lost the Heart’s magic. And it would also mean the Vatrans can’t possibly be stopping it, because why would they destroy their own country like that?”
YOU THINK THERE COULD BE SOMETHING WRONG WITH THEHEART ITSELF?
