What had I done?
“Good,” he whispered. Then, Dommik squeezed my shoulders, lowered his lips to my ear, and continued, “Before we go. There’s something you need to do. A small test.”
I clinched beneath his grasp as I waited for him to demand some demeaning sexual act.
Of course. How stupid of me. I should have gone to the fucking axe.
I stepped back, not sure where I would run or how far I could get. I’d already relinquished myself to the Hive for only Dawn knew what kind of torturous future, and I refused to become a servant to men’s pleasure.
But instead of holding me firm or handling me roughly, Dommik released me. My tired limbs failed, and I stumbled. His arm shot out and caught my elbow, gripping it just tightly enough to steady me.
“What test?” I bit out, still reeling with suspicion.
His voice was low, like summer thunder. “Before I take you beyond the gates, I need you to prove your abilities.”
“I don’t know?—”
Dommik lifted a hand. “If you deny it or refuse, I’ll send you right back to the keep and the Crown will happily execute you tomorrow.”
His features settled into a line as hard as the axe’s steel I’d just escaped.
I rolled my lips together and shifted my weight. There was no way out of this. And I wasn’t certain I could work up the courage to ascend those towering stairs again. Not to mention, refusing him meant Cova or Lydia could be next.
“Fine.” I huffed, folding my arms over my middle.
Evening guards were replacing their counterparts. Two off-duty sentinels eyed Dommik as they passed; ‘sorceress’ and ‘good riddance’ hissed between them.
With their disgust, I yearned for the silence of the forest beyond Illica’s gates. “Let’s get this over with.”
We stood there. Still and silent. I raised my brows to the Traveler and snapped, “Well? What are you waiting for?”
“You’re the one with the gift. I need you to walk me through how this works.” Dommik chuckled, his stubble lifting with his crooked smile.
Right.
I exhaled. “Close your eyes and envision the item in your mind with as much detail as possible.”
Steely blue eyes glared down at me. Unrelenting, I stared back, lost in them for the briefest of moments before his lids fell closed.
“Tell me when you’re ready.”
“Ready,” he whispered without hesitation.
I took his hands in mine. The warm contact threw me into his mind’s eye. My muscles locked and threatened to cramp after weeks of malnourishment. I had to be fast.
Along the edges of the blurred scene lay a dagger. A modest butdecorative blade. Dommik leaned against a barrel, flipping it in his hand. Catching it by the hilt, then the blade. Over and over as he waited for…the unmistakable round form of the magistrate.
“Reyva,” Dommik whispered from beyond the vision. But I couldn’t come out yet. I clenched my teeth, urging my muscles and mind to hold out just a bit longer.
The midnight courtyard of the vision blurred in and out of focus.
“Fine night for a ride, eh Traveler?” The stout Illica lord attempted small talk, but I could feel Dommik’s focus, his disinterest in the magistrate, and his excitement…to meet me?
With mercenary precision, he caught the blade one last time before securing it into a sheath in his boot. I sensed him work to banish a fluttering anticipation in his chest as he whispered, ‘finally’ to himself and followed the royal representative to the keep.
I’d lingered longer than necessary and would pay for it. The vision collapsed on itself, taking the stranger’s feelings and memories with it.
I returned to my body, inhaling sharply as I was brought back to the present.
