“—no. I will not allow you to blame yourself.”
“Everly…” There are no words. No salve to heal the pain of losing Praxis.
“Call me, Evie.”
A smile breaks through my sadness as I lift my gaze to hers. “All right.”
“See, I knew we would be friends,” she says with a smile as she reaches into the folds of her cloak. She retrieves a piece of folded parchment and hands it to me. “Put this in your bag for now and read it when you’re alone.”
I do as she requested, shoving the parchment into the bag tied to my waist. Mildred’s marbles wink up at me in the sunlight. I bite the inside of my cheek and inwardly shake my head. Over the last few days, I forgot all about those marbles.
After securing the bag closed with a tight pull on its straps, I look up at Everly. “Why are you being secretive?”
Everly’s smile fades, replaced by a look of solemnity. “It’s important. Read it when you’re alone, and you’ll understand.”
With those words, she turns away and sets off down the cobbled street. I follow, my steps trailing hers.
When we arrive at Mildred’s cottage, I allow her to usher me through the door and into the dimly lit space, where Mildred sits in an overstuffed chair near a fireplace. She mumbles to Annaleigh as she snaps dried beans.
“I told you winter would set in, Annaleigh. I warned you,” Mildred says as she snaps and plops them into a terracotta pot near her feet.
Everly pushes me to a stool and sits opposite of me. “You need the pool of Zalhandara, yes?”
Dark strands of hair fall over my shoulders as I nod.
“I can send you there with Mildred’s help.”
I let out an exhale. “How?”
“By sending you back in time.”
I squeeze my fingers around the armrest and take a deep breath. “No.”
Everly chews on her bottom lip. “Sol, you grow paler every day. You must let me help you.”
I scrub my fingers across my cool cheeks. It’s true. I have noticed it over the last few days as I peered in the looking glass. Even my eyes have dark shadows beneath them, shadows that weren’t there before.
Thankfully, Mildred’s relic seems to be working. The black on my fingertips hasn’t spread.
Determination glints in Everly’s eyes as she gathers my hands in hers and squeezes. “I have been reading about Kyanite healers. I know what happens to those who don’t renew themselves.” Her hands tremble in mine. “I cannot allow that to happen to you.”
I jerk my attention to Mildred as she continues snapping and plopping. The woman acts as if nothing ever affects her. The entire world could rot around her, and she would keep snapping beans.
I take a deep breath and concentrate on Everly. “What of my memories? Would I retain them?”
“That’s what we need Mildred for. She has a relic we will use to keep our memories intact.”
All I need is time in the pool of Zalhandara and herbs from Kyanite land. Then, I could help people again. I could mend them.
By going back in time, I may even be able to save Praxis.
“How will I return to the present?”
“I will travel in time with you. When you are renewed, and you have gathered your herbs and seeds, we will return.”
It sounds too good to be true.
I twist my fingers together. “Isn’t it dangerous to travel in time? What of Fate?”
