Somewhere, I hope the king blinks at his line of credit and wonders how his girls were able to purchase so much. I hope he hates it. I hope he pays without a second thought, not realizing he’s feeding his creations and the monsters he fears.
With a grin, I bite into the loaf of bread, and the flavor explodes on my tongue.
ChapterForty-Four
As sunset approaches, I decide to go up again to see if there is anything else useful at the end of the market. There isn’t much left, since I purchased most of what the vendors had earlier, but there are still some who are selling trinkets, jewelry, and clothing that sparkles in the light. I’m studying a particularly pretty dress when movement catches my eyes behind me.
I turn, expecting it to be more market goers, but instead, I spy a guard leading a single woman through the market, her eyes dull and lifeless, and I startle. Shock reverberates through me, and I swear I must be seeing a ghost.
It can’t be… It can’t be her…
Kai.
I follow her, even though I know my monsters are waiting for me below. I move as if I’m only perusing the wares, but instead, I shadow her as the guard gestures to a table filled with jewels and tells my sister to pick one, but she looks down in disinterest. I’m not even sure she sees the table, considering how glazed her eyes are. It’s as if she can’t bear to be here, as if she can’t even bear to be alive.
Guilt and agony fill me, pulling on my magic, even as I try to mute it.
“Just pick something,” the guard snarls. “The king wants you to liven up.”
Kai looks at the guard with haunted eyes. “Dressing his toys will not make them happy,” she says, and the guard scowls.
“Ungrateful brat.” He shakes his head. “Suit yourself. When he finds you tonight without a new trinket, he’ll have my ass.” He picks up a pink necklace, the color Kai hates most, and holds it up to the light, inspecting it. “We’ll take this one.”
Scowling, I move up the street and hover in a darkening alley, waiting. I shouldn’t, but it’s my sister. How could I not? I have to save her. I watch as the jewels are wrapped, and all the while, my sister stands there like a wraith. They move my way, finished with their business, and the moment they appear, I grab their hands and pull them both into the alley. Surprisingly, the guard comes without complaint until he sees me, but my magic spears into him before he can pull his sword, silencing him effortlessly. Kai looks down at the guard and then looks up with relief, not because she knows who I am immediately, but because she clearly thinks she’s about to be killed. When her eyes finally find mine, the glaze clears and she blinks, as if coming out of a stupor.
We need to hurry, I know that, but I find myself grasping both of her hands, begging her to come back to me.
“Cora?” she rasps out. I watch as she pinches herself to see if she’s imagining me or not, and that makes me just as sad as the look of relief does. “Is that you?”
I nod, tears welling in my eyes. “Kai…” Reaching forward, I wrap my arms around her, but she just stands there, her arms loose at her sides, as if she doesn’t quite know what to do.
“But…I watched you walk through the wall…” Her voice is small, scared, and so alone, it makes me ache. My magic roars within me, ready to do my bidding.
“I survived,” I tell her. “Kai, the Dead Lands and the monsters aren’t what they want us to think.” I cup her face. “What happened? How are you here?”
She blinks and averts her eyes, the haunted look coming back. “When you left, I was so sad, but the king sent guards the next day. I was lying in my bed, crying, when Father came barreling in, telling me to get up. I was dragged from our home and brought to the king’s castle, chosen as one of the king’s concubines.” Her eyes focus on me once more, and for a moment, fire ignites in them, the same fire I always wish I had, before it’s doused. “He said I should be proud.”
“I’m so sorry, Kai. I’m going to get you out of here,” I promise, looking around to figure out what to do. She’s wearing a dress that clearly designates her as the king’s property, his emblem stamped into the metal clasp holding it together below her throat. The golden material she wears barely covers her skin as it falls in sheer waterfalls to the ground. I won’t be able to walk her through the streets without unwanted attention, and my monsters will be waiting for me as the sun starts to set and the market begins to close.
Maybe we can go through the shadows. After all, we are old friends.
“Cora,” she says, and I look back at her. The pain I see in her eyes hits me hard. “He let me go.”
“Who?”
“Merryl, we were engaged…but he watched the guards drag me away and didn’t speak up.”
I grimace. “He would have been killed, Kai.”
“But he didn’t fight for me.” She meets my eyes once more, looking so broken and lost, it steals my breath. “You would have fought for me.”
I don’t argue because it’s true. I would have grabbed Kai and fought for her freedom. I would have done everything in my power to stop her from being taken, regardless of the threat to my own life.
“I’m here now,” I tell her, silently promising to save her and fight for her now. “Let’s get you out of here.”
I turn, holding her hand, and run right into an armored chest. My breath rushes from my body as I bounce back, and my instincts scream at me to use my magic, but I tamp it down. Three guards stand before us, scowling and watching us. All of their pretty gold armor is emblazoned with the king’s crown, their eyes hard and empty. They are huge and unmovable, and weapons cover every inch of them.
They are meant to inspire fear and submission.
