Page 281 of Cursed Evermore

Zyrra leaned forward slightly, her brow furrowing in interest. Then something shifted in her gaze, and she picked up one of the blackened petals. She inspected it, and a spark of realization entered her eyes.

“You really did fast-forward straight to death.”

“Well, yeah.”

“No… not like that. Look at this.” Zyrra leaned closer, her fingers hovering over the blackened petals. “Elariya... these markings. Do you see these fine lines etched into the petals?"

I stared at the lines she pointed out, not quite understanding where she was going with her explanation. “I see them.”

"They’re temporal markings. We call them Chronos lines. They show the passage of time. Like growth rings on trees. It’s more common to see it on flowers in Galaythia because of the magical connection to nature. This flower you conjured…” Her eyes beamed with wonder. “This flower shows twenty years of aging, Elariya. It lived twenty years in less than a minute.”

The blood drained from my face. "Twenty years of life? In one minute?" My voice came out as barely a whisper.

“Yes.”

"How did I? I didn't know I could... I didn't mean to..."

Blessed Mother. How in the hells did I do that?

But… it was like everything else that had happened with me so far—unusual. Wolfe said I came from an ancient blood line. Maybe that had something to do with this.

So, what kind of magic did I have?

“This is so exciting.” Zyrra clapped her hands.

“It is. And shocking. I surprise myself, and I?—”

A cold shiver ran down my spine, and a feeling of wrongness settled in the pit of my stomach.

“What is it?” Zyrra asked, noticing the sudden change in my mood.

I couldn’t answer. That feeling of dark discomfort twisted my insides, and I recalled what Arielle told me about Dreynthor’s spies.

One was here.

Zyrra looked around and narrowed her eyes, then she reached for my hand and tapped my knuckles. “Someone’s here. Someone who shouldn’t be,” she whispered.

I nodded.

“I don’t know if it’s one of my uncle’s spies.” She spoke carefully, eyes wide. “It doesn’t feel like them.”

Gods, yesterday, Marcus warned that Wolfe was being watched. Maybe we were all being watched. That would make sense. Watch him and all those close to him.

“Get up and go, Elariya. Don’t look back.” Zyrra kept her voice whisper soft. “Just act natural and head to the carriage. Once you’re inside, get Garrick. Make sure he waits with you until Arielle comes, then go straight home and tell Wolfe.”

“What about you?”

“I’ll go back to the island. I’ll see you as soon as I can. Go now.”

I did as she said, picking up my things and leaving.

I didn't look back, but every instinct screamed that I should. As I walked away, the wrongness in my stomach only grew stronger, and I couldn't shake the feeling that I was running toward danger, not away from it.

And somewhere in the shadows of my mind, a voice that wasn't quite my own whispered, “Soon.”

Chapter 56

Wolfe