Page 56

SERYN ~ SIX TURNS OLD: SUMMER

In the six short turns of my existence, I’d decided that summertime was my favorite season.

Everything was in full bloom, or the things that could grow, anyway.

Living things clung to the forest with both hands.

And the days were strung firmly as far as they could be from the last and next Dormancy.

The Elder Laws were dumb. Kaden agreed and said his mother did, too.

The Dormancy was scary, but Mama said we had to do it. Didn’t mean I had to like it. I huffed, swatting at a gnat buzzing around my nose.

Thinking of the sticky, black mist inside the pods had a shiver spilling over me like the icy waters of Oleander Cove.

Oh, Oleander Cove!

I’d have to convince Gavrel to take Kaden and me tomorrow. I loved the water, even though I couldn’t swim yet. Even though it made my belly flutter when I thought about what might live below the surface.

Gavrel had tried to teach me and Kaden throughout the turns, and my legs just didn’t want to budge further into the depths. Like I was a weed clinging to the shoreline.

I lifted my chin. Maybe this would be the turn I learned.

Gavrel would probably frown if we asked him to take us swimming. He was always frowning, but it made me giggle. It was fun trying to make the sides of his mouth wiggle. He had a dimple like Kaden did, but it didn’t come out as much.

Smiling, I twirled on my tiptoes, enjoying the sound of crunching stones under my slippers while my skirt flared in a circle.

A fluffy rabbit hopped across my path, and I squealed, chasing it in delight before it snuck into a hollow beneath a massive grymwood.

A warm breeze brushed over my face, and I looked at the bright sky, a lungful of thick, warm air filling my lungs. The treetops scraped at the edges, and I formed a claw with my fingers above my head, scratching at the clouds.

“Hestia, I never meant for …” Mama’s soft voice fluttered along the air, and a childlike smile spread across my mouth.

Arms swinging at my sides, I tiptoed through the forest, hiding behind the trunks and watching my feet so they didn’t step in a noisy pile of grym needles.

Closer I crept, keeping out of sight. Mama and Hestia would be surprised. I was so good at sneaking up on them.

Kaden’s mother was my favorite. After Mama, of course. But I loved her so very much. She always gave Kaden and me tons of hugs, and told us fun stories about the realm and Ancients and her dreams.

I wondered what it was like to have a dream. It sounded quite fun.

A small stone almost took me down, and I glowered, kicking it out of the way.

Mama glanced in my direction, hazel eyes flashing, and I put my hands over my mouth, holding in a gasping giggle as I tucked myself behind a grymwood.

Cautiously, I peeked around the edge, and Hestia was holding Mama’s biceps.

“It’ll be all right, Maya. You’ve done what you can,” she said, eyes soft and warm.

“I can’t be sure. It seems like yesterday I fled the Bogs. Like a lifetime since I’ve been this version of myself. Since he told me I’d have to hide her away.” She sighed, cupping her cheeks and then running her fingers through her hair. My finger tugged a curl the same color as hers.

“And it’ll all be worth it, my friend. Their safety is all that matters.”

“I never wanted any of this for her,” Mama murmured, eyes softening. “Thank you for everything.”

Hestia squeezed Mama’s hand. “Always.”

A sad smile spread over Mama’s lips.

My feet itched to jump out from behind the tree, but something held me back. Why did Mama look so sad? I bit my bottom lip, shifting closer so I could hear better.

Hestia’s mouth scrunched to the side, and she breathed in.

“I’m grateful to have such a dear friend.

And someone to share my dreams with. Emmet is supportive, but I think he worries others won’t be as accepting.

That the Fates will strike me down.” She chuffed, slapping one hand in the air.

“If anything, it’ll be the Elders. The Fates are the ones gifting us with messages. At least, that’s what I hope.”

Mama’s eyes shifted to the side, and her hands gripped the fabric at her hips. “Well, the Elders and the Fates can go straight to the Void for all they’ve done. Or rather, haven’t done.”

I gulped. Mama sounded upset, and she so rarely cursed.

“Maya …”

My mother’s brow furrowed, and her eyes flashed.

“I mean it. Damn the Fates. If they think my daughter has some part to play in their end game.” She gritted her teeth, nostrils flaring.

“No. No, she doesn’t have to be the one.

I refuse, and as long as that rune holds, she’ll be safe.

Won’t be the Scion. I won’t be the Scion. I want no part of their plans.”

My eyes squinted, and my breaths were shallow. Nervous energy boiled in my belly, and I wrapped my arms around my middle. My nape vibrated, and I swatted at it irritably.

I didn’t know what a Scion was, but I didn’t like the sound of it. I’d have to ask Mama later. Not now. From the sound of her voice, Mama would be upset if I surprised her now.

Hestia sighed, shaking her head. “You don’t think Gideon suspects?”

Mama’s chin sank. “No. No, he doesn’t know who her—” She paused, looking around. “No one but you. I owe him so much, though. He can be a difficult man, but he loves us. He took us in when I’m not sure any other would.”

Slowly, Hestia’s head bobbed, her eyebrows nearly touching as her brow furrowed.

“That’s a boon then. I’m always here if you need me. You know Jace has been honing my runework skills over the turns. I’ll find a way to destroy the pods.” She put her hand on Mama’s again. “ We will.”

My eyebrows snapped to my hairline. Destroy the pods? That would be the happiest day of my life. Then we could see snow! Maybe I’d like winter more than summer. My nose scrunched.

“I hope so. Before it’s too late. We were lucky Magister Barden found his way here. He’s a male of many talents.” Mama shrugged. “Another game, most likely.”

The corners of Hestia’s mouth quirked. “Damn the Fates,” she whispered conspiratorially, and then trapped her gasp behind her fingers.

Mama laughed, slinging her arm around her friend as they made their way toward me. I clung to the tree, the bark biting into my tender flesh. Mama and Ms. Larkin’s words jumbled around my head as I tried to make sense of them.

I wasn’t sure what was going on, but it made my belly bubble.

Their voices fluttered away as I plopped on the ground. The sun pummeled my slippers, and I kicked them off, feeling hot and stifled.

Trapped and itchy.

With a huff, I bumped the back of my head against the grymwood, my curls sticking on the grain.

A streak of ebony streaked across the sky, the raven’s rattling cry mocking me.

I hoped the pods would go away and that Mama wouldn’t be so sad. That she wasn’t a Scion, whatever that was.

I closed my eyes against the onslaught of confusion and questions, brushing my fingertips against awl-shaped needles and pebbles.

With a sigh, I let the sound of the sweltering breeze rustling through the forest soothe me. Thoughts of visiting Oleander Cove with Kaden and Gavrel danced through my mind.

I giggled, glee frolicking over my attention, and the conversation of adults flitted away like a forgotten reverie.

Summertime was still my favorite, though.