“That’s a lovely name,” I say with sincerity.
Unfortunately, Hanah seems unconvinced of my genuineness as she rolls her eyes and scurries from the kitchen.
I follow her to the apothecary, where apparently, my womb’s future awaits its blessing.
ChapterTen
Steppinginto the apothecary is like entering a realm where nature has exploded. Shelves teem with vials, tinctures, and dried herbs. Apparently, they hold the secret to breeding more offspring than rabbits.
A lone healer, a woman with silver hair and green eyes, smiles as we enter.
“Hello,” she greets me warmly, as if we’re gathering for tea. “We meet again,” she adds with enough sincerity to make me question if we have met for tea.
Except we haven’t. Though, it is likely she has met Lyra for tea.
“Hello.” I slip my hands into my sleeves as I glance around, taking in the shelves lined with glass bottles.
The healer retrieves a bottle from the nearby table. “Drink this.”
No.
My heart screams that word, yet my mind reminds me that Lyra would consume this. To endure in this place, I must act as Lyra would.
Annora, granddaughter of Hakan, would face certain death.
The healer holds the bottle closer. I take it from her and wrinkle my nose at the aroma of grass and leather that wafts from the vial. Nothing sayswomb blessingquite like a potion that smells like a meadow and a cobbler’s shop.
“What is it?” I ask.
“It will help you conceive.”
Hanah gives me an encouraging nod, and I consider handing the bottle to her and telling her to drink it and conceive Jasce’s child. Knowing Lyra would probably not do that, I raise the vial to my lips. The moment the bitter tasting mixture slips down my throat, I keenly regret drinking it. My eyes water as I finish the last drop and hand the bottle to the healer.
Her eyes remain fixed on me, her anticipation palpable. She would probably be offended if she knew I have no intentions of taking the next steps needed to conceive a child.
“Am I supposed to feel different?” I ask, hoping the tincture doesn’t actually bless my womb.
How would I explain that to Asha…or Grandfather? He would spit with rage if I returned carrying the seed of his enemy.
“Some women do. Some don’t.” The healer’s eyes hold a depth of understanding as she continues. “You are on a journey. Not all journeys are chosen willingly, but they often lead us to places we never imagined.”
But I don’t want this journey.
A dizzy sensation builds behind my eyes as the healer’s words strike a chord in me.“Not all journeys are chosen willingly, but they often lead us to places we never imagined.”
Over and over those words repeat, threading together the strands of my past with the life Lyra built here.
She is not me, yet I am her.
I leave the apothecary and allow the winding corridors to lead me to Lyra’s bedchamber.
Thankfully, it’s empty.
ChapterEleven
The peace doesn’tlast long before my breezy friend Hanah steps into Lyra’s bedchamber and tells me I must dress for dinner. A lightness takes over my body as she helps me into a silk cotehardie—the type of gown I would never wear if I was at home. It’s too tight. Too thin. Too elaborate for a woman like me.
Grandfather has plenty of gold, but he doesn’t waste it on lavish things.“We live comfortably,”he would say.
