Page 82 of Boundless

“You’ve come a long way, but your journey isn’t over yet. You’re torn. I feel it. And I have yet to understand the sight given to me, but I know two things to tell you today.” A touch of a smile curled the corners of her lips. I held my breath until she spoke, and I didn’t even know why. “The first one is that I will be prepared when you return. And the second—it is always your choice.”

I shook my head, the words running through my mind, refusing to make sense just now.

“Return where? And what choice?”

“To the Frozen Court,” she said. “And the only choice that matters—to stay or to leave.”

“To stay or to leave Verenthia.” My voice shook. The woman nodded. “It’s not really much of a choice, though, is it? I spoke to the Council. If what they said is true, if I leave Verenthia, I’ll have doomed everyone in it.”

“It is true,” Neria said without hesitation. “And you will.” My God, it was like she drove a knife in my gut and twisted it—and I was so surprised.Shockedthat she would say that to my face, just like that. “We must all live with the consequences of our actions, whether they be good or bad. But the choice to act is always, ultimately,yours.”

I laughed, only because I was trying not to cry, and I moved almost instinctively to turn my back to Rune and Maera, because suddenly I felt…naked. I felt like I wasbetrayingthem both simply by considering I really might have a choice.

“That’s bullshit. I could never live with myself—no,” I hissed. “There must be another way. I can’t…I don’t…” I grabbed myhead in my hands, and fuck, I was panicking. “I amnota queen—I’m just not!”

“Not yet,” the woman said, and stepped back. She was smiling like one does at a confused little kid who couldn’t yet understand something basic. “I have faith. And I will be prepared when you return—should you choose to.”

“Wait, wait, I…” Squeezing my eyes shut, I breathed in deeply and tried to get back my control. “This isn’t fair. This isn’t…I can’t…” The words just weren’t there.

The woman thought about it for a moment, then said, “Whoever said anything in life wasfair?”

A few minutes had passed since the start of our conversation, and I could hardly believe my eyes, but she had changed even more. When she stepped back and smiled at me for the last time, I was certain I was looking at a completely different person from the woman she had been when she was on her knees, choking on my magic or even when she made that reading.

She was completely transformed, and I couldn’t even tell you how. It was small things that made a huge difference—the way shelooked,the way she smiled, the way she carried her shoulders and held her hands in front of her—but most of all, the energy she radiated. The magic. Thepowerand the calm.

Like…like a seer would. Like the two seers I had met before. Different, but so much the same.

“Until next time, Nilah Dune,” Neria said, and she turned around all by herself, and headed for the forest.

Which scared me a little bit. “Are you…are you sure you’ll be okay?” Because she moved so slowly—and did she even know the way to the Frozen Court? Could she get there on foot all alone like that?

“I will be all right,” the woman whispered, and the wind that blew on the side of my face carried her voice right into my ear.

I was left staring after her, unsure what the hell to make out ofanythingonce more.

“Wildcat,” Rune said, and I hadn’t heard him approaching, but he was right there anyway.

Rune is here.

Just like every other time, when those words made sense to me, everything else took a step back. The universe ceased to matter all that much, and I basically fell against his chest with my shoulder, closed my eyes, desperate for warmth and peace and sense.

“Can I carry you?” Rune whispered, his hand over my cheek, and fuck, it felt so good I was melting.

“I think I’ll be fine.” Raising my head, I looked up at him, touched his smooth cheek, breathed in his scent. “You’re okay.”

“I am.”

“You’re a king.”

A flinch. “I am.”

I smiled. “Where is Raja? Where’s Vair? How did you find me?”

Rune froze. Every muscle on his body locked down for a moment, and I could tell because I was practically lying against him.

“Rune?” I leaned back, searched for his eyes, but he was looking at the ground.

“Raja’s fine. She’s at the Midnight Palace,” he said as he slowly slipped his hand in the pocket of his pants.