I stare at him, feeling like I’ve lost my mind. “What are you talking about? That was never the plan. Is that why you broughtherhere, because you thought she would be able to convince me?” I shake my head. “Wow, you really don’t know me at all.”
“Idoknow you,” he says. “I know that once you had your sights set on going north, there’d be no convincing you that the best place for you was in Filusia, by my side.” He takes a step toward me, reaching out, but I flinch back.
Taking me, a solari, to Filusia is a crime. But of course Leon doesn’t care about that. He doesn’t care about anything except his own interests. Still, if he thinks he can just force me to do whatever he wants, I’ll remind him that he made me stronger than that.
I reach inside myself to grab hold of my power, anticipating the golden glow?—
Except it’s not there.
Nothing. No heat, no pull. Just an emptiness, vast and yawning.
An icy horror ripples through me as my eyes fall on Etusca, and I remember my dream from last night.
It had been so real. The feel of Leon’s skin against mine. The taste of the food and that wine. I was sure I could taste it on my tongue when I woke this morning…
“What have you done?” I ask Leon. I still don’t want to believe it, the idea that he found Etusca and got her to make more of the potion, that he’d slip into my dreams as he fed it to me last night at the inn?—
That he’d take my power, just to get his own way.
“I did what I had to,” he says, not a flicker of remorse on his stony face.
The weight of his betrayal comes down on me so hard it drives the breath out of me. He was supposed to be the one who made me strong. Notthis.
I turn toward him, reaching out before I can think about it and slap him as hard as I can. “I’ll never forgive you for this,” I say, my voice shaking with rage.
“Ana—” Leon begins.
“No,” I spit out and swing my arm again, but he stops me. I jerk out of his grasp. “You’ve lost the right to call me that ever again.How dare you? How dare you take this from me? You’re just like them.”
I want to weep at how stupid I’ve been. How once again I’ve thrown away my chance at peace—stolen from me by the same man who took it from me at Tira’s tavern.
“Ana!” Tira kicks at Stratton’s horse, trying to urge it toward me. I understand what she’s thinking—we could fight still; we could run. But as I lunge toward her, Leon grabs me, and Damia wrestles a kicking Tira off the horse.
Without my magic, we don’t have a chance against these people.
I stare into their faces, letting each one of them feel the heat of my glare as they bind our wrists. My heart breaks when I see Tira’s dimane bindings. I saved her just to land her in a new kind of prison.
They give Etusca my horse, shoving Tira back up behind Stratton and trying to lead me to Leon’s horse to ride with him.
“You might have taken my magic, but I still have teeth and nails, prince,” I snap. “If you make me ride with you, you’ll regret it.”
Leon says nothing, which only enrages me more, but the fae lead me to another horse, seating me behind Phaia instead, who gives me a sympathetic look.
Etusca’s still crying, the sound hardening my heart with every sob as we set off again toward the border.
For your safety,she’d said.It turns out that’s what they all say.
But I won’t let them do this to me again.
I will be free.
Epilogue
Sophos
The white marble of Qimorna’s high temple shines brightly, even as shadows cling to my heart. Evil stirs in this land. I’ve looked it in the eyes, and still I let it slip through my fingers.
The weeping sores on my back are a small penance to pay for my failure—the blasphemer’s mark, branded on me with her stolen magic.
