“You will see in time, I am sure. But for now, what you should know is that you belong to a very important part of our prophetic purpose as Drak’yn. Your Drak warrior will be gone for long stretches of time while he completes his mission of expanding our territory. When he returns, his body will be weak and the Ancient One will be stronger. Your role is a very important one. You are to help him recover between his missions.”
I swallow, uncertain I want to ask for clarification.
She grabs my forearm and runs a long red nail down the length of my veins. “Your blood will sustain him.”
I rip my arm from her grip, but her nail snags on my skin and tears it open.
I hiss and cover the small wound with my other hand.
She simply chuckles. “It isn’t as bad as it sounds, dear. You’ll be fine. You might even fulfill some of those romantic visions you’ve had of your Drak.”
Disgust whips through me.
“Alright, fearful girl. Go complete your reading. You’ve gone from rebellious to romantic quiet easily, so I imagine this will be mundane now.”
Is she taunting me? Making me angry so I’ll expose more of my motives?
I fear the idea of anyone drinking my blood. I fear the thought of the man expected to share my bed being possessed by the spirit of Nihil. What does that even mean?
But I force my mind to obedience, and I allow myself to feel the fear while still accepting my place here. I will be here for a long time. Years. I will see Astella again one day, when she is grown and happy.
Blythe slips from the room quietly. The door clicks shut.
Deidre approaches with a kinder smile. Her grasp is gentle as she pulls me by the forearm closer to the flickering flames.
She takes in a long, deep breath before putting pressure on the cut that Blythe caused, and I watch as a large dollop of blood flows down my arm and to the ground.
It lands in the corner of the star closest to my left foot.
Her brow pinches. “Rupture,” she says. “Odd.”
She closes her eyes, and a sense of ease falls over me. Then, all at once, there is a tug at my heart and her head flies back. Her neck is bent so far I fear she’s broken it.
The image of the scelped man flashes through my mind.
I slowly step farther away. Then, moments later, she relaxes to look at me.
“You have a friend waiting for you,” she says. Her smile spreads. “It makes sense now.”
I pull my am back and again cover my wound with my fingers. “What does?”
Her eyes flash red as she grins. “The little girl you adore so deeply. She’s in our dungeons. And she will die.”
48
Lina
The blood in my veins halts entirely, twists, and reverses course.
The very ground beneath my feet shifts, leaving me falling, falling, falling forever.
Astella is in the dungeons?
“Don’t worry, Drahkita,” the seer croons. “She has a purpose to fulfill.”
When my breathing restarts, it’s double speed. “No. She?—”
She smiles. “It is very hard when we meet someone on a different path than us. You are doing so well here. But the girl you met is no longer on your path. She is there for crimes committed, and there is no undoing them.”
