Page 62

Chapter 62

Saelyn

I WAS SEVENTEEN AND EMPTY

A flash of white blended into the soft glow of lanterns hanging across the trees of Felgren , decorated with brilliant colors of paper banners strung between them.

“ You’ve brought us back in time. To Felgren .”

I shuddered at her voice beside me.

The Blightress stood on solid ground, though she wasn’t solid at all. I looked down at our joined hands, our skin blurred, my own tanned from summer sun, hers a pale white.

I brought my focus back to the clearing. The decorations were familiar. I’d made them and hung them not long before this day, weeks ago.

I took a deep breath watching my past self in a birthday dress of cerulean velvet, rising from Pah - Pah’s side and heading straight through the crowd of people dancing. At the same time, Thevin left his tree, crossing the crowd towards me. We met in the middle and picked up the slow dance together.

I glanced around. No one noticed us.

No one knew we had ever been here.

I returned to her in my mind, “ I need you to see all of it. I need you to know about my life. ”

“ So you’ve brought us here. To this day. Why ? ”

Thevin and I had stopped dancing though the music still played. His mournful smile hadn’t fooled me then, and it didn’t fool me now.

“ This is the day I turned seventeen. The same day my mother told me my father was still alive. Do you see that man I’m dancing with? ” I pointed across the clearing.

She squinted and smirked. “ I recognize him. I’ve seen him in battle before, Little One . ”

“ I love him. ”

In silence, she turned away from the scene of Pah - Pah interrupting the dance to tell me to climb to the tallest tower to speak with my mother.

I nodded. “ I do. I loved him many years before this night. I love him now. But I cannot love him in the future you’ve given us. We cannot live the life we want because you’ve made it so. ”

“ If this is what you wished to show me with that power you’ve been given, you’ve wasted it. Such love is a foolish thing. ”

“ There’s more ,” I pressed. “ We need to keep going. Give me more of your power to go back further. ”

“ I see no reason to. I have you and shall not let go. Let us return to our time and be done with this .”

I gripped her hand tighter, solid to my touch. “ No .”

The tilt of her head frightened me, reminded me that this was an ancient woman full of a power I could not fathom.

“ I see your mother’s defiance lives in you as well. ” Her blood red lips turned to a frown. “ End the spell. Return us and I will leave with you. ” She nodded to Thevin in the crowd as a clap of thunder rolled and my past self stepped around him to leave. “ I will keep your lover alive if you truly wish it. ”

“ Say my name, ” I urged, watching my newly seventeen self bend her head low, following Pah - Pah back to the Fortress .

“ Why ? ”

“ It’s what will take us back, ” I said hurriedly.

Her eyes narrowed, but she followed my command, my name leaving her lips and floating on the billowing storm in a whisper on the wind.