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“What did I choose?”

Her face changes and the memory takes me.

Blood… screaming—Mercy on the ground. Malakai digging with bare hands and Rhett covered in someone else’s blood.

My father is dead—I killed him.

I remember now.

My knife through his throat–his blood across my hands.

The ritual collapsing. Roots everywhere.

Mercy screaming “EZRA!”

I reach her and her body convulses, something moves beneath her skin.

“No, no, no.” I cut the ribbon and it grows back. I cut it again and the roots grab my wrists.

Rhett hacks at them and Malakai tears at the earth. “GET HER OUT!”

“I’M TRYING!”

Mercy grabs my shirt. “Ezra.”

“I’m here.”

“Listen.”

“We’re leaving.”

“LISTEN TO ME!”

I stop.

Her face is wet with tears. “Don’t finish it.”

“I don’t know what they did.”

“The Sowing.”

“I don’t care.”

“You have to.” She grabs my face. “The Sower has to choose.”

“What?”

“That’s why they picked you.”

“I wasn’t picked.”

“You were born.”

I shake my head.

“The Ward heir.” Her eyes squeeze shut as pain tears through her. “The Sower binds the Bride.”

“How?”