“Why me?”
He turned slightly and glanced back at her once before shrugging and saying, “Why not you?”
“No. Seriously. You waited until Val and I were separated, and she was behind a large rocky structure. She would have been easier to take and conceal the deed. But you targeted me. Why?”
He didn’t answer immediately, but after a forced bark of laughter, he said, “Don’t read into it, princess. You said it yourself. The two of you were separated. You were by the portal, and I grabbed the most convenient sister in the moment. It could just as easily have been Valentina.”
She wasn’t entirely satisfied with his answer. She surmised it had something to do with their shared childhood. Maybe it was just a matter of proximity, but she wondered if she had been his specific target, if he felt a similar familiarity with her thatshe was beginning to recognize in her own feelings toward him. Either subconsciously or, most likely, consciously, he’d gone after her.
“Besides, what’s it matter which one of you gets me close enough to Grawl to lop off his head? Either one of you would do for that job.”
He might think that, but it wasn’t entirely true. Even if he hadn’t chosen her on purpose, though in Liv’s mind, he clearly had, but between Val and her, Liv was the better choice. Though Val was a warrior in her own right and could take out a vicious army with ease, Liv was the one who seemed to incite Grawl’s wrath to its fullest.
“If it’s Grawl’s head you want, then you should listen to me. Val and I have traveled to the farthest regions of Umbraland, and we spoke to some of the oldest, wisest creatures still living. We even spoke to a Haint that no longer had a beating heart. Every one of the beings said the same thing. The only way to defeat him is with the curse breaker.”
“And do you even know where to look for it?”
The look on his face made it clear he knew the truth. She had no idea where the curse breaker was…didn’t even have the slightest idea what it was, what it looked like, or where to begin looking. But the words of the Oracle of Lenno played in her head, “The curse breaker is what happens when you’re busy making plans.”
She lifted her chin and stated, “I know that I’m on the right track.”
“How can you possibly know that?”
Liv let his question roll around her mind for a moment before she shrugged. “I can’t…I don’t, but I thought all hope was lost when we couldn’t convince my brother Tay to come back with us, and yet, before you grabbed me, someone was coming throughthe portal. I think there are forces at play we can’t begin to explain, and they are pushing us in the right direction.”
Rise shook his head and threw up his hands. “That’s crazy, but I’m curious to see where your mysterious forces take us. Who knows? Maybe, at the end of all of this, a lowly slave like me will sit upon the throne.”
“I am sure stranger things have happened.” The Oracle of Lenno might have hinted at just such a thing, but sometimes those prognosticators could be so grandiose. Honestly, it had always seemed to Liv that they wanted to be the biggest brain. Each wanted to be the one who saw it all coming and earn the bragging rights of knowing important things ahead of time.
So, they were apt to throw out loud, crazy thoughts, hoping one would become the prediction of the century or whatever. Most of what they said was bullshit and never came true. But one thing the soft-voiced oracle said came rushing back in a sudden burst of memory.
Evil will only be destroyed with a sacrifice.
Did that mean someone would have to die? One of the siblings? Someone who helped them kill their father? Liv should probably share every detail with Rise so that he would know exactly what he was getting into.
“Rise, there’s something I need to tell you.” She took a deep breath and said, “There’s more to the prophecy?—”
He halted abruptly, held his hand in the air, and pulled on Nick’s bridle to stop the horse’s progress. Atta stirred in her arms. He had fallen asleep as they had ridden. Rise had led them from the ground, and now he lifted his gaze to meet hers.
“We’re here.”
Suddenly, a burst of energy began to swirl in the air in front of them, starting the size of Liv’s fist and growing quickly to a disc large enough that Nick could walk through.
“Be ready for anything.”
All thoughts of the prophecy receded to the corners of Liv’s mind as she handed Atta down to Rise’s waiting arms.
“Do you expect trouble?”
“Always.”
Liv nodded and dismounted. With swift movements, she readied her bow, notching her arrow but keeping the string slack for now.
“I’ll go through first with Nick. You two follow closely.”
Like he was readying for battle, Rise set a now-alert Atta on his feet and reached for his daggers. He gave a low whistle to Nick, who gave a nickering sound that seemed like an acknowledgement. The two of them inched toward the swirling mass of energy, which had grown to a size that seemed big enough to admit the largest of creatures.
With a whooshing sound, like a wind picking up speed, Rise stepped through and Nick followed.
