Page 75 of Daughter of the Serpent

The warmth in Sylvie’s chest faltered. She hesitated, her hand still outstretched as Tara took a step back, her posture rigid, her expression unreadable.

"Tara?" Sylvie’s voice wavered.

Something was wrong.

Tara’s eyes - once so full of light and kindness - were distant now, shadowed by something unfamiliar. Cold.

She shook her head. "Sylvie, don’t."

The words struck like a blade, sharp and final. Sylvie froze, her heart instantly thrown into an abyss of confusion.

“What’s wrong?”

The air between them thickened, a tension so palpable one could cut into it with a knife. Tara said nothing, her eyes turning into slits.

Sylvie grappled, her heart aching in her chest. “So much has happened, and I was forbidden from seeing you…”

“I am only here for my things.” Tara said sharply, cutting her off. “I am not allowed to stay with you any longer.”

"What?" Sylvie’s voice cracked. "What do you mean?"

Tara didn’t answer. She shoved past her, storming into the room with a force that made Sylvie stumble.

"I can't be seen with you anymore." Tara's voice was tight, breathless, as she snatched up her belongings, shoving them into her pouch with frantic, brisk movements. "You're too dangerous."

Sylvie could only watch as Tara stripped the room of the few things she had left, as if erasing every trace of herself.

"I don’t understand…" Sylvie whispered, her gaze dropping to her empty hands, her voice thick with emotion.

Tara turned, fists clenched in her skirts. "The high priest is determined to separate us."

Sylvie’s heart pounded. "They can’t do this." Her plea was raw, desperate. "I’ll speak to Rederick - I’ll talk to the elders, try to explain, try to change this - "

"Don't waste your breath." Tara cut her off, her voice sharper than before. "You already know what they think of you. Just like the rest of this gods - forsaken village."

Sylvie flinched, heat rising to her cheeks.

Tara exhaled harshly. "They say you bewitched me - that youused magic to lure me to the festivities. That you killed all those men at the celebration - "

“I could never do those things!” Sylvie’s breath lodged in her throat, her heart instantly cracked in two.“You werethereTara, You saw how I didn’t want to go - ” She gasped for breath, desperation thrumming in her veins. “I could never kill anyone. Tara, youknowme.”

“Do I?”Tara closed her eyes, a tear streaming down her cheek, her lips trembling. “How do I know that you haven’t been ensnaring me with your magic this whole time? That our whole friendship hasn’t just been an illusion?”

“You can’t believe them.” Sylvie reached out, but she moved away. “Everything has always been real between us Tara, I swear! My magic never was as powerful as it was that night…”

“I don’t know what to believe anymore!” She sniffled, throwing her hands in the air. “All I know is what I saw,” Tara closed her eyes, gathering her emotions. “You on the ground… surrounded by their bodies.”

Sylve’s eyes went wide.

“I..I didn’t know what was happening,” Sylvie tried to gather her thoughts. “I didn’t know before it was too late - the magic overwhelmed me, and I couldn’t control it, but I never touched them, I never killed them - I swear!”

“Your emotions - your magic, that’s what you couldn’t control… and it has nearly cost meeverything.” A tear slipped down her face. “That is why they teach us to never trust our emotions, to never tune into them when we channel! All I ever wanted was to live a good life, anormallife - and because of you all of that has been called into question!”

Tears slipped down Tara’s face. “Do you know what they did to me, Sylvie?”

Her eyes went wide as she stared at her.

“They whipped me until I broke, and later they tortured me again until I told them everything -everythingwe had planned thatnight. Every detail I could possibly remember. All they wanted was to know how you were able to wield such power, how you did it - and when I couldn’t tell them, they threatened to torture me more…”