Page 55

I lifted my eyes from the ground as we rounded the corner and the breath caught in my lungs as I watched Andrues and one of the guards making their way toward the war room, talking quietly over a piece of parchment the guard held in his hands.

He was so Gods damned beautiful.

I had known how handsome he was before, knew that he was an attractive man, but as I looked at him now, I couldn’t believe I had missed it.

Missed how his hair fell perfectly over his thick raven brows, how the muscles in his forearm flexed every time he played with the rings on his fingers, how the necklaces kissed the scar around his neck and the muscle in his jaw feathered every time his full lips broke into a smile.

That smile sang for me, and it was fucking deadly.

He glanced up from the parchment as they approached us, giving Cin a small nod in greeting before his sapphire eyes caught mine. I commanded my feet to keep moving, to keep walking and not stop.

My hand flexed at my side, instinctively reaching for him as he walked by me.

Our knuckles brushed, our fingers silently colliding as we passed each other, and for one fragile moment, my heart stopped beating.

His scent overwhelmed my senses as it flowed from him, forcing my eyes to close for a single breath as I devoured the smell of him.

The world muted around me as that fleeting touch echoed in the silence.

I could still hear Cin talking, the sound of her voice swimming in the haze as I looked over my shoulder to see Andrues looking over his.

“Ata, did you hear me?”

My head snapped back to her, nodding though I hadn’t heard a single word.

He’s your fucking friend.

My vision faded to wisps of smoke—tendrils dancing across barren, blood soaked sand.

The heavy scent of death and sorrow hung in the air, mixing with the haunting melody of grievers crying out for the lives lost. As I turned to look behind me, the picture shifted and I jolted as a shadowed figure swept by me, an iron chain and collar held tight in their hands, glinting in the dim light as a red dragon roared into the sky behind them.

The heavens flashed violet for one moment as a scream cracked into the silence.

My eyes searched frantically for the source as green and black magic bled from the ground, the fallen soldiers rising as their limbs twitched and twisted.

My hands searched for my weapons at my belt, but they weren’t there and as I reached for the bow and arrows laying on the ground in front of me, the world swirled into mist, opening back up to the marble throne room.

Every inch of it dripped with crimson. My gaze landed on Cin, who sat upon the golden throne amidst raging flames.

She was held in place by five pairs of shadowy black hands, emanating power and control over her every move.

A gasp flung itself from my lungs as the vision dissipated. My eyes met Yenne’s, wild and frantic as I pulled my hand from hers.

“What does it mean?” I asked as she looked at me with furrowed brows.

“I d’na know what it means—I c’na tell ye zat. I can only teach ye ta control zem. Ye must learn ta sort out what ye saw ‘n compare it wit’ what is ‘appening around ye.”

“Control them, like call on them when I want?” I asked.

“Yes. From what ye ‘ave told me, they ‘ave only come in ze past while ye sleep, or when ye ‘ave been inna emotionally charged state,” Yenne said, slapping a deck of cards on the crates stacked between us.

“Zese will ‘elp ye ‘arness ze visions ‘n control ze scene ye see. Zese are for ye, d’na let anyone else touch zem.”

I studied the tarot cards laying between us before pulling my eyes back to Yenne. “What am I supposed to do with them?”

“Shuffle,” she ordered, gesturing her hand over the deck as the other brought a teacup to her lips.

I lifted my hand, reaching for cards as a hum of energy danced at my fingertips. I snapped my hand to my chest, looking up at her with wide eyes as she smirked over at me.

“Zey call for ye,” she said, tilting her head toward them.

Hesitantly I extended my hand back out, letting it hover over them for a moment, feeling the energy pulling between my palm and the deck before wrapping my fingers around them. The buzzing energy grew more intense with every shuffle I made, as if sparks would start flying at any moment.

“Now what?” I asked, lifting my eyes to her.

“Spread zem, zen choose tree. Let zem call to ye, only pickin’ ze ones zat are screamin’ ta be heard.”

I nodded and wasn’t sure if the fact that I was beginning to understand the nuance in the things she said made us both crazy, or if I had really just been so far withdrawn into my own head.

Shuffling the cards one last time, I spread them in a half moon across the crate’s surface then let my fingers glide over the black and crimson art painted across the back of each card.

I grinned as the first card came to me, like a magnet pulling me toward it.

I slid it out from the rest, choosing the next two until the three of them were centered in front of me in a straight line.

I glanced up at her. “Now what?”

“Flip zem, slowly ‘n wit purpose,” she said, leaning forward as I let out a deep breath.

My fingers slid under the edge of the first card and flipped it over.

The Tower. Catastrophe and destruction.

I turned the second.

Ten of Swords. Pain, loss, and all-encompassing finality .

I sucked in a sharp breath then flipped the third.

The Devil. Fear, domination, and bondage .

I swallowed, looking up to see worry seeping into Yenne’s face as she stared down at them.

“So . . . this is bad, right? I mean, it looks pretty fucking bad.”

Yenne hissed, shaking a finger at me as she dragged her eyes from the cards. “Mind ye tongue, girl.” She fell back into her chair. “Zey could mean anythin’, ze cards will ‘elp ye translate ye next vision.”

“So, I just have to wait until a vision comes again to know what they mean?”

“Ye control the sight. If ye want it, it will come. Ye must breathe, relax ‘n let go of yeself. Ye give yeself over ‘n zen you touch ze cards. As ye learn, ye will start ta find ze meanin’ of ze cards in ze tings ye see.”

“Can’t you just”—I extended my hand to her—“put me in a meditative state like you did earlier and pull it out of me?”

“No. Ye must learn ta do zis on ye own,” she snapped, pushing my hand away from her as I groaned.

I was not a meditating kind of person. In fact, I wasn’t sure if I had a tranquil bone in my body.

A huff of breath left my mouth as I shook out my hands before closing my eyes and placing my palm on top of the cards. I took multiple deep breaths in, trying to calm my body and clear my mind.

Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in—

“This isn’t going to work,” I snapped, looking up at Yenne.

“Zis, is what ye ‘ave a familiar for. Ta ‘help ye wield ye magic.” She lifted a brow in my direction as if I should have already known that.

I glanced over at Cyloe skeptically. She was lying in front of the fire, her chest rising and falling in a slow steady rhythm.

At least one of us could relax.

“Cyloe,” I called, watching as she raised her head to look at me before setting it back down. I rolled my eyes, unsurprised that my familiar listened as little as I did. “Cyloe, come here,” I said again, patting the floor at my feet.

She groaned as she pushed from the floor, begrudgingly padding to my side and sitting at my feet. I scooped the three cards into my hands and fell to the ground beside her, leaning my back against the chair as I laid them out in front of me and crossed my legs.

Hours of my life had been wasted staring into the fire with not a single thought, so maybe it would help.

I dug my fingers into her fur, slowly scratching in small circles as I took a deep breath, trying to let her calmness flow into me as I placed my left hand on top of the cards.

My eyes locked onto the flames dancing before us as I let that breath seep from my nose.

Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in . . .

The flames contorted in front of me, my rooms misting into nothing as blackness covered my vision.

I took a deep breath to steady myself and my lungs filled with the stench of burning flesh.

My hand collided with my mouth as I gagged, covering my nose and lips to keep out the foul air as I slowly turned to see a fire burning in the corner.

Black and green flames licked at the walls as the sound of metal rattling rang through the room.

My sight blurred, swirling like the smoke around me to see a woman standing inside a golden cage, looking down over a broken body, her hands dripping with blood.

I tried to reach for her, to move closer but my feet would not listen as I watched her rush by me, the ghost of her skidding across my skin as black and green tendrils of magic pulled the corpse in front of me into the stone floor.

My hand flew to my throat as fresh air filled my lungs and I shot from the floor. Cyloe jolted, the hair down her spine standing straight as she looked up at me.

It smelled so fucking real.

None of the visions that I’d had, had ever had such strong sensory detail. It was like I could feel that woman as she brushed against me. A chill pricked at my skin as I pressed a hand to my heart, trying to calm its beating.

“Zat was very good,” Yenne said, standing from her chair with a look of pride on her face. “I must get back ta me shop, I’ll be back in ze mornin’ ta work on it some more wit ye. Until zen, try ta figure out what ye tink it means.”

I scoffed. “That’s it?”

“Ye know what ta do. Practice ‘n I will be back t’morrow ta see if ye are ready for somthin’ else. Touch zem as much as ye can. Ye must become one wit’ zem ‘n when ye do, zey will become ye greatest weapon.”