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I agreed to this with the promise of fleeing from him. A promise I burned on his skin. I either stayed and fought to save all of Lyrica, or I ran to save my family.
“You wanted this,” I hissed. “You tricked me!”
His expression was flat. Bored even. “I did not. There can be no tricks in the cauldron. I offered you what you truly want—to leave—and named what I truly want—for you to stay. From this point on, we will fight for our wish. But I say to you, my queen”—flicking off me, he nodded at Aeris—“I intend to win.”
“Wait! No!”
Aeris and Bradach tipped the basins over our heads, shocking my system with a blast of freezing cold. Even colder than the elements.
The white magic rushed down my body like water, washing away ink like it was never there, and leaving only the runes behind. I gasped as the cauldron of ink went ghostly white.
“In honor of the gift your sword through the chest has given me,” Alisdair said, wrenching my head up. “I shall give you a gift. A head start.”
I stared at him, eyes unfocused and shivering in a vat of my greatest mistake.What...? What was... going on?
“Nine minutes fifty-one. Nine minutes fifty—”
“Run,” Aeris hissed. “The magic takes hold at daybreak. My queen, you have to run!”
I hefted over the rim and hit the ground before she finished her sentence. Snatching up a cloak, I blew past Bradach and darted into the trees.
There was nowhere else for me to run. Castle Riagin was home to Shadowsoul and a maze to me. He knew all its twists, turns, and secrets—what hope did I have of losing him in there? My only chance was the woods. All I had to do was elude him until daybreak. I could do that.
I will do it!
Stupidly, and unwittingly, I promised before Meya and under the threat of magic to act as his true wife and queen for all the days I remained at his side. Now I knew exactly what he wanted his wife and queen to do.
I raced through brush and reaching branches, collecting bruises—opening cuts on my cheeks.
I ran faster.
I cared not what happened to King Salman. Just like he cared not what happened to me or those of us living in the Galley. Pleas to him for more food, help, wages, and protection were met with more taxes—tightening the noose of poverty further. What did I care if Alisdair avenged a wrong it sounded like should be avenged?
Salman was a particular kind of loathsome monster to murder his wife and the woman who gave up everything to protect, care, and be with him—all so he could be king of Lyrica. Let the two rivals battle it out and kill each other in the process, but what Shadowsoul wouldn’t do is take us all down with him—plunging all of Elva into this frozen, rocky hell.
The terrible irony was that if the true Emiana had known what Shadowsoul wanted to do to her father, she’d never have run from him.
Run.
Frozen stumps that used to be my feet pounded the snow, leaving a trail that was quickly swept away by swirling winds. No moon. No stars. No light.
Darkness wrapped around the trees, blanketed the snow, and smothered my vision. I could barely see two feet in front of me, and the further I left the glittering town behind, the closer the shadows moved in. If I’d been thinking, I’d have snatched a torch, clothes, shoes—anything to get me through the night!
No, sense said.Torchlight would be easily tracked in his darkness. Fetching clothes and shoes would’ve wasted my scant head start.
I had minutes to get away from a rich, overindulged king who stopped relying on his body and physical strength long ago, and now did everything by magic.
He’d never be able to catch up with me, especially—
I slid to a stop, sucking in deep, freezing lungfuls.
—if I’m clever.
He’s expecting me to run around blindly, crashing and stomping around the forest—kicking up noise and fuss.
I didn’t need to be fast. I needed to be slow and quiet. I needed to be another looming shadow in the darkness, bypassed without a second glance.
Pulling my useless covering tight, I stepped lightly over a black mass that looked like a tree root. All these mountains, cliffs, and crags, there had to be a cave somewhere nearby. That’s where I’d tuck myself away to hide for the night, and in the morning, when I returned triumphantly to that monster after the runes faded away, I’d demand he personally drive the carriage taking me home, then kissed my feet after they stepped on my homeland, begging for my forgiveness.
