Amriel’s mouth flattens to a grim line. “It will, given some time. You’ll see…flashes, sometimes. Of his feelings, his thoughts, his?—”
“Histhoughts?” My tone veers upward. “But those weren’t anyone’s thoughts, just now. Not yours, and definitely not mine.”
“Let me finish,Princess.” Disdain drips from the word. “You’ll see possibilities. Snatches of a future that could be. All right?”
I sink back. “Oh. Okay. I see.”
“So don’t touch him, if you can help it. Don’t touch me, either.”
A soft hiss escapes me. “I didn’t. You’re the one who touchedme.”
His eyes go colder than a winter sun. “Yes, well. It’s a mistake I won’t make again.”
Silences piles between us, fermenting into something painful.
“Anyway.” Amriel clears his throat, his focus falling to the desk. “You shouldn’t touch the gyre, either, unless you intend to use it. You only have to think of being elsewhere, and it’ll transport you.”
I nod stiffly. It’s a good thing he stopped me, because I’ve thought about being elsewhere since the moment I first set foot in Velindra. In touching the gyre, I might have accidentally activated it and wasted a trip to the Wildwood.
I clear my throat, recentering myself. “Fine. And this? What does it do?” I point at the orb.
Amriel pushes up his sleeves and reaches for it, his forearms flexing. Which is…a very strange thing for me to have noticed. “This’ll show you the hourglass from afar. At any point, you can see how far the sands have fallen. See how much time you have left.”
“And I’m supposed to wear that thing on my wrist?”
“Yes. But that isn’t its only purpose. If you turn the orb the other way, it becomes a communication device.” Hislong fingers spin the sphere within its woven net. “Wear it like this, and we’ll be able to see each other. Talk to each other, even.”
My nose crinkles. “Talk to each other? Why would I want to talk?”
“Because. Idohave a vested interest in your success.” His gaze lifts, connecting with mine, driving the breath from me all over again. “I may be the villain, Princess, but I’ll do what I can to help you. To get you to that hourglass alive.”
I huff out a half-baked laugh. Of course. Because he’s using me. Because he needs me to break his curse. To put a stop to his never-ending agony.
At the reminder, I sit back and take him in—the loose set of his shoulders, the downward slant of his mouth, the way he fills his chair as if he was born to lord over his kingdom from this room. Is he in agony at this very moment? He doesn’t look it. He looks bored and cruel and eternal.
But he probably wouldn’t let his weaknesses show, and I suppose I have no real way to know what anyone else feels.
I shake away the question. “All right. And this?” I tap the desk beside the vial.
“Sustenance. Take a tiny sip, and it’ll satisfy your hunger and thirst for an entire day. Meaning you won’t have to waste time finding food out there. Or water.”
I nod, heartened by the fact that these objects exist. Maybe, with these at my disposal, the labyrinth won’t be so bad.
“Thanks,” I say simply.
Amriel grunts his acknowledgment, but since our accidental touch, something in him has iced over. His expression is as welcoming as a locked door, the silence between us brittle.
My fingers twine around my lunch sack. One last question dances on my tongue, but I don’t know how to ask it. “Your…Shadow. He’s out there right now, isn’t he? In the forest?”
“Yes. Every morning, he starts at the hourglass. And every day, he hunts. For as long as the sun is up. At night, he comes back here.”
I nod along. “What does he hunt, exactly? During the day?”
Amriel’s eyelidsflicker. “You.”
“Oh. But…” My voice withers and dies. A few thunderous heartbeats pass before I find it again. “What happens if he finds me?”
Amriel pins me with a look. “He’ll destroy you, in every way he can. He’s not himself, during the day. He has no awareness of anything but the chase. So donotlet him catch you, whatever you do.”
