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“You’re one of the rebels, aren’t you?”

She pressed her lips together. “Yes. In my own way. One of the few on this side of the chasm. Now listen, you’re going to have to do the rest of this on your own. I’m forbidden from taking you outside this city. There is a hidden gate in the wall just down this road. Go through it and make for the bridge. If the guards stop you, sneak back into the city and hide in the tunnels beneath the castle. There’s a hidden entrance in one of the abandoned inns. No one ever goes down there. I’ll find you, and we’ll try again.”

I nodded, my heart pounding.

“Run fast and head east. You’ll cross a river, and then you’ll reach the city of Endir. The rebels are hiding out there. I wanted to warn them of my plan, but I’ve been under close watch, too. I didn’t want to risk Oberon finding out.”

Then, she knelt and pulled out my little wooden dagger from where she’d hidden it beneath her trouser leg. The pointed end of it was still stained with the blood of the king.

“Keep this. Let it remind you of what you’re fighting for.”

“I should have known,” a voice boomed from behind us. My heart lurched into my throat as we whirled toward the sound. Cormac stood in the center of the deserted street, his chest heaving as he clutched the golden hilt of his sword. He narrowed his eyes, sneering. “There’s always been something about you, Morgan. Something I couldn’t quite place. You never belonged.”

Morgan smiled. Her steel sang as she pulled her sword from its scabbard. “I’ve been waiting a long time for this. Try your best, Cormac. Let’s see what you can do.”

Cormac raised his sword. “What I can do is slice your fucking throat.”

Morgan matched his stance, shifting her body in front of mine. “Run, Tessa. Go.Now.”

My heart squeezed, my body frozen by uncertainty. How could I just leave her here to face Cormac on her own?

As if reading my mind, Morgan nudged my leg with the heel of her boot. “I’ll be fine.GO.”

“Thank you.” I yanked my wedding gown up from around my feet, and I ran.

Twelve

Tessa

Hunkered behind a boulder, I peered down the tunnelling bridge that led from the safety of the Kingdom of Light and into mist-enshrouded darkness. It was as if a wall existed between here and there, where all light got sucked away. Nerves tied my belly in knots, and my breath came out in short puffs. I’d thought about this. So many times.

I’d dreamt about it, especially after Father’s rebellion. But I’d never, ever truly thought I’d walk across this bridge.

The Bridge to Death.

From the path behind me, the clatter of hooves grew louder. They were still several minutes away, but it hadn’t taken long for the king’s loyal riders to realize I’d escaped. I didn’t want to think about what that meant for Morgan. Had she won her fight against Cormac? Could she be right behind me? Or had King Oberon caught her before she could get away?

For a moment, time seemed to still. Heart straining, I cast one last glimpse over my shoulder at the village hunkering in the shadow of the forest. The only home I’d ever known. The only people I’d ever loved. But now two of those people were out there, on the other side of this chasm. I had to find them.

I sucked in a breath, stood, and took my first step onto the warped wooden boards. They creaked beneath me, straining against the weight. It had been a very long time since anyone had used this bridge, and no one had bothered to repair it as centuries of sun and wind beat it down.

The sound of hooves thundered from behind me.

Any minute now, the fae would catch up. I had to go. It was now or never.

With a whistling sigh, I braced myself and tiptoed across the bridge, careful to track the boards with my eyes to avoid any unexpected holes. I did not want to become shadowfiend dinner today. As the horses rushed toward the bridge, I fisted my hands and ran the rest of the way across.

The mists consumed me.

“She went across the bridge!” an angry voice shouted into the darkness.

I took another step forward, my hands windmilling around me, my eyes struggling to adjust to the sudden absence of light. I couldn’t see a damn thing.

“Fuck. Someone needs to go after her,” another voice said, just as angry, just as harsh.

“How the hell are we going to do that? We can’t cross the damn chasm!”

“The king is going to kill us all if we don’t bring her back.”