CHAPTER 7
Arie
IQUENCHED MY THIRSTat the town well, telling myself I was full and ignoring the way my stomach rioted. I would try again tomorrow. The sunset turned orange, pink, and gold as it touched the edges of the rooftops.
I needed to find a place to sleep before it grew dark. The thought of sleeping out in the open was hard to fathom. Pulling my hood up to avoid unwanted attention, I tried not to dwell on it for too long.I’ve made it this far...
Dusk fell quickly. In the graying light, I nearly ran through the last few streets out of the city. No one gave me a second look. I entered the forest outside the city, eyes on the growing shadows around me, peering over my shoulder every few steps. I listened more carefully than I ever had in my entire life, making sure no one followed. The hum of nearby thoughts faded as I delved into the underbrush. I didn’t know where I was going or how far, but hoped it would come to me soon, because I could barely see.
A nagging worry followed me.What if I can’t find my way back?Glancing around in the dim light, I noticed a small clearing with soft, tall grass that grew up to my waist. A promising hiding place.
Wading through the grass at a snail’s pace for fear of snakes or other creatures hiding within, I stopped in the center, feeling the ground to make sure it was dry before bending the long grass into a makeshift bed. It offered a slight cushion. I wrapped myself in my cloak for warmth in the cold night air and lay down, using my arm as a pillow.
The moon was still nearly full. Here, away from the light of the city, the stars glittered above me as the sky turned a deep black.
The silence felt like a physical weight—like I’d lost my hearing. The irrational fear that this might actually be the case had me checking my surroundings every few minutes. But the soft buzz of cicadas slowly rose in the air and I finally realized what was missing. This far away from town, away from people, there wasn’t a single thought. A complete absence of my Gift. It was heavenly.
A possibility crept into my mind that I’d considered before, but had never known how to act on.
My Gift could be removed.
Before, in the castle, pursuing a Severance had never been an option. Admitting my Gift and submitting to trial meant revealing the truth to whoever was killing Gifted women. Even if I’d found a way to keep my abilities hidden as I looked into a Severance, I knew one thing for sure: only a Jinni could perform the rite. And a princess searching for a Jinni couldn’t be kept secret for long. Back home, it hadn’t mattered if I’d wanted a Severance or not; it wasn’t safe.
But now... If I could find a Jinni, removing my Gift might finally be possible. I stared up at the night sky as the stars winked on, one at a time, soaking up the peaceful silence. This supposed ‘Gift’ had always been more of a curse. If it were truly possible to be free of it... it could save my life.
***
INSTEAD OF WAKING RESTED, the emptiness gnawed at my insides like a tiny creature clawing at my ribs, pulling me out of sleep before it was even fully light out. Every part of my body ached. In the night, the dark silhouette of the trees shifting in the wind had made me jump more than once, and the noise of the cicadas, though comforting at first, had made it nearly impossible to sleep. I stood stiffly, glancing around the empty clearing as I stretched and yawned.
Pulling my cloak back on, I set out the way I’d come. My feet were covered in blisters from all the walking yesterday. Before I even reached the outskirts of town, the smells of baked bread and stews cooking wafted to me on the wind. My stomach pinched me. Hard.
One step in front of the other, eyes on the stone wall in front of me, I pushed on, entering the town. The soft buzz of nearby thoughts settled over me again as if they’d never left.
I paused in the quiet alleyway, before going further. Closing my eyes, I tried to remember the maps in my father’s throne room. If I went to the castle, would they recognize me without my crown? Or worse, what if King Amir’s guards were still here searching and they dragged me back home?
In the growing heat, feeling thirsty, hungry, and discouraged, I struggled with indecision. Should I take risk going to the castle just for a meal or keep trying to find work?
“You just gonna stand there with your eyes closed?” a male voice asked. I jerked, eyes flying open to find a tall, well-dressed young man around my age leaning against a green door on the stairs above. He was chewing on soft, fresh flatbread, and his dark hair fell across his face as he smirked at me. My mouth watered, but my heart pounded. I hadn’t meant to draw any attention.
Drawing myself up to my full height, I hid my discomfort that he was a half-head taller and only a few feet away, looking him up and down. Taking time before speaking was a common intimidation tactic in the courts. I’d learned it the same year I’d learned my letters.
But to be honest, I was at a loss for words.
How had he managed to startle me? If he was looking right at me, clearly thinking about me, shouldn’t I have heard his thoughts?
You take your sweet time.There, finally. His first thought.
“You take your sweet time,” he said on the heels of the thought, matching it, down to the exact words. They blended together.
Speechless, I frowned at him, concentrating. My Gift had never done this before. Thoughts never lined up this smoothly.
Pretty, but strange,he thought. And then shocked me by saying, “You’re pretty, but strange.”
My lips parted. Who saidexactlywhat they were thinking? I studied him. He shrugged, mistaking my silence for a dismissal and turned to go.
“Wait!” I found my voice and called out. He turned back, golden-brown eyes studying me as he took another bite of bread. I had no clue what to say. There were no leering thoughts underneath his words, no twists of phrase, no secret dismissals or disrespect... well, nothing that he kept hidden anyway.
