Page 32 of A Traitor Sister (Remnants of the Fallen Kingdom #2)

32

ZIVEN

W e’re so screwed.

I know Marlak knows, he knows that I know, and yet neither of us will mention it. Of course leaving this island will be hard—if not impossible.

The upside is that at least I can hope that one day, someday, someone will come. Astra, Nelsin, and Ferer know where we are, so that’s a good start. The issue is whether any of them would find us, see us, or be able to open that bridge. And then there’s whoever has been coming and dropping in supplies. Maybe it’s almost time for their visit? I sure want to hope, just because it’s better than being depressed.

Other than that, there’s the bird-eating monster. No sign of it yet. And no sign of Marlak’s sister. He already told me twice that she was solid and real, and I don’t want to risk my luck by asking again. He has called her name a few times as well, with no answer. I suppose she must be sleeping really heavily.

We sit outside, eating some of the dried meat we brought. It’s our second meal for the day and almost the end of our supplies. Why did we have the moronic idea to travel light?

“Want to know what I’m thinking?” I ask.

“Probably not, but go ahead; I’m sure you’re eager to tell.”

I should just shut up and leave him curious, but every second of silence just amplifies my anxiety. “I’m hoping next time the monster brings a dead bird, it’s not all eaten. We could roast the rest. And have some fresh meat.”

“You roast it, and let me know so I stay far away.”

I almost crack a joke about him being afraid of fire, but then it hits me; that’s probably true. Marlak fears or at least dislikes fire. Makes sense, considering what he’s been through.

“I’ll do that.” Then I change the subject. “We’ll need a place to sleep soon. I think I’ll set up the tent, so I keep watch outside. You can find a bedroom, so you’re near your sister. Unless you have another idea—or want to sleep in the tent.”

He shakes his head slowly and takes a deep breath. “I need to understand where my sister is. This morning, it was her.”

“I saw her too, and even hit her with a jet of water, then secured her feet with ice. Perhaps there’s a spell that makes her sleep a lot.”

His eyes are distant, deep in thought. “Where?”

“We’ll figure it out.”

He turns to me, his eyebrows contracted. “Are you truly this optimistic? Or is this your coping mechanism?”

“Does it make a difference? Perhaps that’s what defines each person; how they cope.”

He chuckles. “Not only are you optimistic, you’re philosophical. Surprising.” He’s definitely making fun of me.

“At least I don’t hate people for no reason.”

Marlak turns to me, his glare cold and hard. “You think I have no reason to hate my brother?”

“I was talking about me.”

“Oh, please.” He rolls his eyes. “You need to be at least a little significant to deserve to be hated. You’re a stranger, that’s all.”

“Right. Insignificant stranger.”

“You implied I hated you, and I don’t. What do you want? A friendship bracelet?”

“Of course not. We’re not even friends. Well, I’ll set up the tent.”

He stares at me. “No. We shouldn’t split. There’s time to make a bedroom mildly decent just for tonight, and we’ll bar the doors.”

“Oooh, now you’re taking the bird-eating monster seriously—and inviting me to sleep with you? How sweet.”

He gets up. “You know what? Sleep in the tent.”

“I will.”

He turns around and heads for the kitchen door. It’s the only working door in and out of the tower, and we cleared a lot of the debris—and bodies.

The sky is getting pink around me, and I take the tent. Shit. What if it is a monster?

This is going to be the greatest humiliation of my life, but I have no choice.

I run inside the tower. “Marlak!”

As I walk into the broken dining room, I almost collide with him, since he’s coming in my direction.

“Ah.” He chuckles. “So you came to your senses?”

“I did. It would be wise for us to share a room.”

He nods. “Let’s find one.”

My heart is banging on the walls of my chest, begging me to turn around and run. But run where? Outside? Where a monster might find us? And then again, is the inside of the tower any safer?

There’s no way to know.

TARLIA

W e’ve been in this cage for hours, and Lidiane refused to tell me or even give me a hint of her magnificent, mysterious plan. She points around the cart as if to mean she fears someone will hear her.

My stomach is growling, even though I still want to puke. I can’t wipe from my mind the image of Otavio watching me. Was he behind a mirror? Was it a peephole? I wonder if anything he told me is true. Sayanne loved to brag. Wouldn’t she brag about that? Give an inkling that she had seen me?

My stomach turns to ice. She did. A few times, over breakfast, she’d stare at me and mention something I did. I used to think the guards had big mouths and somehow our activities were getting to her ears, but now I wonder if she was the one who saw it and made the entire elite tower aware of who slept with me and when. Now she’s with the Krastel King. He’s so much older than her, with folds of skin hanging down his neck—and we look like his daughter. Disgusting.

She has vision .

No. Otavio messed up her mind, that’s what he did. When did he even start sleeping with her? Oh, gross, some thoughts are too troubling to be expressed as words.

I truly regret not killing him during all the opportunities I had.

Also, what is it he wants? Other than finding Astra, what else can he want with me? With Renel?

Renel. I remember the kiss and the look he gave me and want to cry. I wonder if he’s going to find a solution for his castle, if Zorwal is dead for good, if we’ll ever meet again.

Some dreams are too big for me to hold into my thoughts, so I send them to my heart, and then it wants to explode.

And now I wonder if Renel’s sweet words were because of Otavio’s enchantment or whatever he did to me. Was it all a lie? It’s the explanation that makes the most sense. I don’t know how I manage to feel sad about it, when it’s so obvious.

Meanwhile, I’m still waiting for Lidiane’s big, secret plan. I wonder if she told me that just to give me some useless hope—but she can’t lie.

That said, if she has some crazy, pointless hope, I don’t think being a fae precludes her from voicing her delusions. And then again, it’s not like I have a genius plan. I can’t even think when my stomach’s growling.

And I miss Renel, miss him like I’ve never missed anyone. I think I’m also missing my brain.

Lidiane taps on my shoulder, then looks at me and places a finger over her mouth. I almost complain that I was silent, but then I realize I can hear soft steps near the front of the cart.

In a second, she changes the way she looks. Instead of the beautiful fae she is, I see the most disgusting man I’ve ever seen; Otavio.

“Sarin, Sarin!” She yells. Her voice doesn’t sound exactly the way Otavio does when he yells, but it’s a decent impersonation. I’m surprised she caught this person’s name. “Come here!”

Someone lifts part of the canvas, and a green-skinned fae man peers through and frowns.

“What are you looking at?” Lidiane yells. “Come free me. The girl, she tricked me.”

I’m assuming she’s talking about some other event in the past, so as not to lie.

He blinks. “How did you get there?”

“I was tricked. Now come and open it.”

The fae glances at Otavio-looking Lidiane, then at me. “What if you’re tricking me?”

“What trick? I’m asking for your help. What’s the trick in that?”

“But you can lie.” He tilts his head, still examining her. That makes no sense. If he thinks that’s really Otavio, he should be helping him. The reality is that Lidiane can’t lie.

“What do you think I’m doing here? Having fun?” Lidiane sounds furious—and scary.

Her yells finally convince the fae. He pulls a large key from his pocket, inserts it at the base of the cage, then lifts the walls and ceiling all at once, allowing us to walk out.

Sarin takes a smaller key and undoes Lidiane’s cuffs, then looks at me. “Her too?”

“Yes. It turns out she’s innocent.”

I can’t believe it when he finally releases my arms and I can move my shoulders back and then rub my wrists together to alleviate the discomfort. Lidiane walks away fast, and I follow her.

“Hey!” the fae man yells. “My payment!”

I’m not sure what she does, but it makes my entire body tingle. The man’s yells sound muffled and distant in my ear, and she pulls my hand and runs.

“Can you swim? Hold your breath, at least?” Lidiane asks, without reducing her pace.

I remember choking water on a lake’s sandy bank, then being told to jump in again, only to inhale water once more. Water terrifies me. But being caught by Otavio again terrifies me even more.

“Is that the only way?” I ask.

“It’s the fastest.”

“I’ll hold my breath.”

“Great.”

I glimpse an opening in the trees and realize it’s a river’s edge. Lidiane holds my hand and jumps, and I hold my nose closed with one hand. I guess that is one thing I learned.

We’re sinking, sinking, and sinking much deeper than I expected, and I don’t even know what we’re doing anymore, as the current pushes then revolves us. I thought we were just going to cross the river, and now I feel as if I’m a potion ingredient in one of Otavio’s churners. Ugh. The thought makes my stomach spin, my head spin. In fact, my whole body is spinning and I don’t understand what’s happening.

We’re still going down when something pulls me by the hair. I turn to fight it, but then realize I breached the surface. Lidiane is the one pulling me to the shore. No, not shore, it’s a tiny island in the middle of a river. I’m not choking any water and I’m feeling proud of myself, but I don’t understand why she was pulling me like that.

“Ouch. By the hair?”

“You’d pull me to the bottom otherwise.”

“Weren’t we already at the bottom? I felt like we went down and down and down, but never up.”

“It’s how it feels, I know. You’ll be safe here until we get rid of your hair color.”

I look around. “Won’t they find us? They know we came in this direction.”

“We’re far. It’s like transcending through the circles, except that we can also do it in the rivers.”

“I didn’t know that.”

“Almost nobody does. It’s a secret, so keep it as such. Renel must never, ever hear anything about it.”

“I might never see him again.” I feel a pang in my chest, but nothing more. It’s like when you’re already in pain and something pokes you and feels insignificant.

She shakes her head. “No. We have to warn them. I think your master cut a lock of your hair and maybe even mine. I don’t know what he’s going to do, but he might threaten to hurt you and demand something from Renel. You need to let him know you’re alive and free. I don’t think your master will try to do the same to Azur, but I can’t risk it either. We have to go to the castle. But before that, we need to do something to your hair.”

My fake black hair, over fake red hair. I pull a strand and look at it. “Otavio once said that lemon can remove the color. I don’t know if it’s true.”

“We can try. I’ll bring some. Sage and thyme also work on wards. If this is magic…”

“It has to be magic. What kind of chemicals would let him locate me like that? I mean, if I was close, I could say it was some special scent, but far?”

She nods. “Magic, then. The river will conceal you, I hope. Wait here while I bring the ingredients.”

“Can you bring something to eat?” I didn’t want to sound whiny, but I suppose I did.

She chuckles. “Yes, I will. If someone comes, lie down and hope the glamour works. I’ll be right back.”

“Wait. What if he finds you?”

“How? Your master didn’t touch us or give us any object that could be traced. He wouldn’t know where I live or the places I go. Even then, I’ll avoid them, just in case. I’ll be right back, then we’ll go to the castle.”

“Do you even know where it is?”

She nods. “I can find it, yes.”

“Are you always this confident and resourceful?”

“I’m confident?” She emits a surprised chuckle. “No. I’m often a mess. That said, I can evade a human captor. Is he even human?”

“Tiurian, but Tiurians are human, I suppose. Unless… Not fae, I don’t think, with the amount of lies he utters, not to mention his round ears, of course.”

“Marlak is fae and can lie—but it’s rare.” She smirks. “It might be the ears.”

“I’ve never heard of magic that lets you locate someone.”

“There are many types of magic, and many types of Tiurian magic, if that’s what he is. Anyway, I’d better go. I’ll be back soon.”

She jumps in the water and swims across, with no strange spinning or dragging her to the bottom, then she disappears among trees.

I sit here, glad to have escaped Otavio’s clutches, and yet wondering how many of those still linger in my mind.

I’ll see Renel. My heart is jumping and I don’t know if it’s fear, joy, or excitement. I don’t know how much it will hurt to learn he hasn’t found a solution to his castle or how much it will hurt to tell him my master tricked him. I have to tell him.

More than anything, I hope he’s alive, and that the man Azur beheaded in his castle didn’t survive.

Then, after that, I don’t know where to go or what to do. My future is an open road—open, empty, and with no indication of where it’s going.

ASTRA

W e’ve been walking for a while now, our way lit by the stars and the glow of my own light, while the ghouls around us multiply and multiply. It’s not like they’re even trying to breach my defenses or attack me.

Perhaps they’re waiting.

I can feel that the Amethyst Palace is close, except that I’m not sure exactly where.

We tried getting into the forest, but without a trail and with such thick vegetation, it’s too hard to walk in it. I fear I’ll be walking until the morning and still will see no sign of what I came to find.

Would the Nymph Queen and the giants be wrong about me? What is it that they see?

The castle calls me, yes, and yet I can’t sense it. It’s like a voice whose direction I can’t pinpoint.

I can’t keep walking aimlessly, and decide to stop.

Ferer doesn’t say anything, doesn’t ask anything. Of course he’s anxious like me, perhaps even more, and yet he’s letting me figure it out on my own.

I think back to what Nelsin said about the Almighty Mother, that even if she’s from Krastel, it’s still something that guides me. And that’s what I have to do. Let her guide me.

Almighty Mother, where’s the Amethyst Palace?

Trust. Trust. Trust.

I can’t complain about the answer I got. If that’s the answer, that’s the answer. Trust .

Let go and trust.

I take a deep breath. My trust in the Almighty Mother is unshakeable.

Please guide me , I ask. Tell me how to find the Amethyst Palace.

Trust us.

That’s a different voice, not one, but many. Many voices.

Trust them.

A thought comes to me; a memory of Andrezza’s words, telling me that darksouls command ghouls.

Darksouls.

What am I?

A cold shiver settles inside me from my stomach to my chest. It’s about to move up to my neck—when I tell myself to stop. That’s fear.

Fear of myself? Fear of my power? I need to trust, surrender, and if I truly trust, there’s no reason to fear.

The creatures have been surrounding us and haven’t tried to attack us. The ghouls.

I don’t sense any malice or antagonism from them. Don’t sense any anger or fear. They’re peaceful.

“Ferer.” He looks at me, and I say, “Stand close and trust me.”

I quench my light while still trusting in the protection of the Almighty Mother. That feeling of belonging overwhelms me, now that I can see the stars above us and look further in the distance, when there’s no light to limit my view. Ghouls until the eye can see. Beside me, I hear Ferer’s breathing coming in and out in sharp, fast blows.

I look at the creatures. “What do you want?”

The ones in front of me kneel, followed by the ones behind them, and behind and behind, like a wave. They serve me.

A thin, phantom shiver runs down my spine. And yet now I have my answer.