Eleanor’s confession settled heavily, and the battle against the promise I made and my own beliefs warred. I stared at a cliff face with no idea how to scale it. My heart was torn in two. One side aching as I struggled to keep the promise to my mother, questioning every day whether I was doing the right thing. The other thumped in earnest, a strange mixture of excitement and apprehension rattling against my chest.
Magic was real.
I had to stop a curse that affected Terym’s armies and, somehow, keep my sister safe while doing it.
Magic was real.
It hadn’t sunk in yet, and I didn’t think it would until I saw proof with my own eyes. Our history was filled with tales of magical talents, both beautiful and terrifying, but they hadbecome mere stories as the centuries progressed without access to the Gods’ power.
The lilting melody of the familiar tune filled me, and before long, Eleanor was asleep. I admired her dark lashes resting on rosy cheeks and repeated the lullaby until I, too, drifted asleep.
The next morning, I woke to find Eleanor gone and Wistari bustling around the tent, placing a tray of food on the table and pulling out another dress.
“Where’s Eleanor?” I asked, my voice and mind cloaked with sleep.
“She’s out exploring, Miss Adelia. Meline is with her.” That cleared the fog, and I leapt from the bed, replacing my rumpled dress with the new one, barely noting the soft fabric.
What was Eleanor doing?
I didn’t want her out by herself without telling me. The king had assured her safety, so was the guard he assigned with her?
Snagging an apple from the generous breakfast spread, I hurried from the tent, ignoring Wistari’s calls. I shielded my eyes from the glaring sun, which had a direct line to the entrance of the tent and when open, it would shine over the entire bed.
Once my eyes adjusted, I found Pierce standing on guard beside the entry. “Pierce? What are you doing here?”
“I’ve been assigned to protect you, miss,” he stated, like the answer were obvious.
“Me? What about Eleanor?” My words took a high-pitched edge. Terym had assured Eleanor’s safety. Pierce was here and she wasn’t.
His brow furrowed. “I’ve been assigned to you both, Miss Adelia. You’re the priority.”
“No, I can take care of myself. The king agreed to ensure my sister’s safety. Do you know where she went?” I crossed my arms to stop myself from doing something I would regret, like shake the handsome soldier in front of me.
“When I mentioned the lords were due this morning, she went to watch their arrival.” He nodded toward the outskirts of camp where we had arrived, and I took off.
Busier than yesterday, the camp was alive with shouts and hurried feet. Soldiers and servants alike hustled between tents, most of them headed to see the impending arrival. We reached a growing crowd, and I caught a flash of bouncing curls. I scowled and headed straight toward Eleanor. Not only was she in the thick of chaos, but she had released her braid—I would have to brush it out again tonight.
Too short to see over the crowd of men, I lost sight of her. The heat was stifling as soldiers surrounded me, and I suddenly found it very hard to breathe. Everywhere I turned, armor flashed, reflecting the sun, and I strained to break free. I gasped in a breath, spots dancing before my eyes as darkness edged closer.
Let me out.
Pressure built in my chest and my vision narrowed, everything that had happened over the past few days flashing through my mind. The burden of my mother’s secrets and my promise to her. The king’s expectations. The need to protect and care for Eleanor. It’s like I’d been shackled to an anchor and was sinking to the depths of the ocean with no way to break free.
“Come on.” Pierce’s grunt at my ear was a relief. He gripped my elbow, firm enough not to lose me but not enough to be painful, and steered me through the throng. When we reached the edge of the field, I took a moment to breathe in the expanse of blooming flowers, and the scent settled the panic I’d let overwhelm me.
“Are you okay, Miss Adelia?” Pierce stared at me with a furrowed brow.
He’d pulled me from the suffocating crowd. A minute longer and I would have frozen up; five minutes and I would havepassed out. Not since my father’s death had anyone paid enough attention to see when I was caught in a loop of disparaging thoughts—he alone had helped me recognize the signs and worked on ways to stop the attacks before they started.
“Yes, thank you.”
He nodded once, stepping back to give me more space. Once I caught my breath and my heartbeat settled into a semi-normal pace, I stalked down the line of animated soldiers until I reached the girl bouncing on her toes. Completely oblivious to the swarm of men at her back, she kept her attention on the ridge we rode down yesterday.
“Eleanor, you can’t just disappear like that,” I scolded, drawing her closer to me and away from the crowd.
“I’m fine, Lia. There are soldiers everywhere, no one’s going to hurt me.” Those very soldiers were who I was most wary of. Her eyes met mine, and the light in them dimmed slightly. “What happened?”
I averted my gaze, training it on the empty ridgeline. “Nothing.”
