Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 64872 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 324(@200wpm)___ 259(@250wpm)___ 216(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64872 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 324(@200wpm)___ 259(@250wpm)___ 216(@300wpm)
His resolve hardens. He steps forward again, and I grab his dagger from its sheath, holding it to my throat, our breaths mingling in the tension.
He backs away, curses spilling from his lips.
“Get them onto the boats first,” I say. “Get his people to safety.”
Nicostratus flings out gusts of wind that propel the remaining prisoners into a dinghy.
“Go!” Lucius grunts as he braces against another volley of arrows hitting his shield. “Your highness—”
“I’ll take over.”
“No. This is my fate, not yours.” Lucius holds his chin up and his shield grows. “I’ll hold them off long enough for you to reach the tunnel.”
Florentius staggers toward his brother, desperation in his eyes. “No!”
“Pull out my pipe before you go, would you?”
“I won’t leave you here!”
Lucius’s teeth clench, tension thick in the air. “Caelus. You promised.”
Protect my little Florentius.
My ears ring, blurring the sounds of begging and the thunk-thunk-thunk of too many arrows. My vision doubles with each pound of my heart, with each whisper in my head telling me what I have to do . . .
My stomach churns, bile rising up my throat. It’s hard to breathe. I forced this. I was the one who chose this.
The brother Florentius has fought so hard to free, who was his whole reason for entering the royal city, who he dreams of living with the rest of his days . . .
They’re supposed to have more than one reuniting embrace. They’re supposed to find a cottage somewhere—possibly with Akilah now by his side—heal the locals and have benign adventures getting lost in the woods. Adventures that end up as fond stories.
How can I rip that future away?
My knees buckle and Nicostratus knocks the dagger from my trembling hand.
Each choking breath only has the redcloaks getting closer. We have to leave Lucius behind.
If I don’t, we’ll all die here, all. No one would be coming back.
I yank Nicostratus even closer and force out my broken plea.
He does what I ask with a swift, brutal strike. The horrified realisation is frozen on their faces as their bodies slump towards the deck.
A sickening wave crashes over me as Nicostratus catches them and whisks them into a boat.
“Good,” Lucius says. “He’ll be safe.”
“You’ll be alone—”
“I know who I’m protecting. I have all our memories to keep me company, to keep me strong.”
He smiles softly; like he’s already starting to remember; already comforted.
“I’m sorry,” I say as I claw my way to him and pull out his pipe. “I’m sorry,” I say as I set it smoking into his mouth.
“I’m sorry,” I say again as Nicostratus flies me away.
After hours of silent rowing through caves, we leave our boats behind a waterfall and follow a rocky path into an isolated glade. It’s sunny this side of the mountains; light softly streams over sparse woods and the rosy springblooms that cover the ground with pink. It feels like a funeral procession prepared by nature. Flowers to wish the parting well . . .
Princessa Liana and the commander are in front of me, her tucked against his side, his shirt soaked with her tears.
The moment she realised we’d left Lucius behind, she’d clawed desperately against the commander, but going back was suicide. It would compromise them all.
She’d slumped in sobbing defeat.
Prince Nicostratus covered one of my ears with his hand and pushed my other against his shoulder, muffling the sound. But no matter how much he murmured to distract me, I still heard enough. Still heard the moment Florentius and Akilah awoke. Still heard his anguished hiccups. Still heard my betrayal in her voice.
My legs are numb like the rest of me. I stop moving in the middle of the springblooms, their pink coming in and out of focus—
Suddenly I’m carried on the winds into the treetops. From here I can see the long line of us—the Skeldar envoy ahead with Prins Lief and Captain Kjartan, leading the way; the islanders trailing behind, heads bowed. Casimiria picking blooms and using magic to scatter their petals in the wind. Akilah supporting a tired Florentius by the arm.
I jerk my gaze away from the pink below to the blue above. Nicostratus sits quietly beside me. When I’m ready to look at him, he offers me a bunch of springbloom. “You’re allowed to mourn too.”
I take the flowers with a sore swallow, rip off their petals, and scatter them, thanking Lucius for being a true teacher.
In the middle of the glade, everyone stops to sing a song of farewell. Farewell to the parted, farewell to friends. It’s here they split and go their different ways. Perfume swells as flowers are trod underfoot and crushed between hugs. One by one, they fan out in all directions, towards a free future.
If he could see this, he’d be smiling.
I watch as Florentius and Akilah hesitate, looking at all the possible paths they could take. Not one of them is in my direction. I ball my torn cloak but I can’t blame them. Choices have consequences.