“And you haveso much, you—”
“Cinder!” Maren took her hand and began leading her away. “That’s enough. And enough of this,” she said.
Isla had the impression that Maren had restricted Cinder to use her power only during certain time frames and within the confines of this crater.
“Maren,” Isla said, stepping forward while Cinder collected her things. Her voice was low. “We need her to provide energy for the shield.” And possibly, Isla thought, to turn ore into the essential metal, if Zed and Calder managed to extract it. Maren looked from Cinder to Isla warily. “We’re going to cover most of the Mainland with thorns and bog sand, but walls of energy will be critical to limit where Nightshade can strike.”
Maren closed her eyes. “You promise to keep it anonymous?”
“I give you my word. She can form her part of the shield with no one else around.”
“Fine,” Maren said. Then, she called Cinder to her in a sharp tone. “We’re leaving,” she said. As she was taken away, Cinder looked over her shoulder and smiled. With a flick of her tiny hand, she sent a flurry of sparks to Isla that fell from the sky like glitter.
...
Isla told Oro about Cinder before bed. She was walking around the room, speaking with her hands, trying to demonstrate what the little girl had done.
“What do you make of it?” she asked, turning to face him when she was done.
“I think Cinder sounds like a very special child.”
“Have those existed?” she asked.
“A few, over the centuries. There have been non-rulers born with flairs, even. Unfortunately, their tales often end in tragedy. Maren is right to keep her hidden.”
Isla frowned. “But you’re the king. Couldn’t you protect her?”
“I could order an army to stand around her at all times. I could send for her to come live here, in the castle. Would you like that?”
“No,” she said. Cinder’s life seemed difficult, but in many ways she was free. The castle or legion would just become a thicker prison.
She took a step toward the bed, exhausted, when her vision suddenly went dark. Her limbs went numb—her body folded over. Before she hit the ground, she was in Oro’s arms. Physically, warmth surrounded her.
Mentally, all she felt was cold.
It was her vision again, clearer than ever.
Darkness fell from the sky, night cut into pieces. It pressed onto her skin, got stuck in her eyelashes. Howls. Dreks.
Screams. People dying all around her.
Through it all, she saw Grim. The darkness touched everything but him. He was its source.
He was looking at her. He didn’t look at the dying around him, he just looked right at her and stalked toward her with a concentration that cut through her like a blade.
Run, a voice inside her head said.Leave. Save yourself.
She either couldn’t or didn’t. She stayed there as darkness parted her lips and forced her to drink it.
She tasted death on the back of her tongue.
Then, in her chest.
Something was wrong. Something was very wrong.
Isla tried to fight it, but it was no use. In her vision, her organs began to shut down, one by one.
She felt it, as every part of her withered away.
