Page 71 of Quicksilver

Kingfisher opened his mouth, about to say something taunting and mean, no doubt, but the tavern door opened, and shadowy figures began to emerge. Fisher's eyes hardened, andwhatever he was about to say died on his lips. “We don't have time for this. Ren will go through the gate. Youwillfollow after him. Your oath to me will leave you no choice.”

Ren went still. His eyes locked onto Kingfisher. The warrior must have felt the burning intensity of the general's gaze, but Fisher didn't so much as glance in his friend's direction. “Tell me I misheard that,” Ren said. “Tell me you didn't bind this girl to you with an oath.”

“Go through the gate, Ren,” Fisher commanded.

“Anoath?” he whispered.

“She got something in return,” Fisher ground out. “Now, please. Go through the gate. We can discuss this on the other side.”

Ren shook his head, a combination of dismay and disappointment warring on his face. He didn't seem to know what to say. Collecting Aida's reins, he handed them back to me and said, “Don't worry. It's really nothing. You'll be disoriented for a moment, but just keep walking. It'll be over in seconds, I promise.”

It was a kindness, this reassurance from Ren. Without it, my fear would have eaten me alive as the general stepped forward and led his horse into the inky black.

I wasn't going to follow.

I wouldn't.

Elroy hadn't said I possessed a stubborn streak a mile wide for no reason. My force of willwasstronger than this oath I'd sworn to Fisher. It had to be. I set my jaw and determined to enjoy the look of annoyance on Kingfisher's face when I didn't follow after Ren. But Kingfisher only gave me a tight-lipped smile as my body moved of its own accord, following his command without my permission.

My pulse leaped as I approached the twisting gate, my breath catching in my throat. How could he do this? By using the oathagainst me, forcing me to bend to his will, he stripped me of my own. Even back in Madra's Hall of Mirrors, when I'd fought for my life and Harron had outmatched me, I hadn't felt this powerless.

My mind scrambled as the tip of my boot disappeared into the swirling gate. I would have begged Fisher to relent, but the warrior's stony expression promised that doing so would be a waste of breath. “I'll hate you forever for this,” I hissed at him.

And then I stepped into the gate.

The howling black wind turned me inside out.

I became it.

It became me.

My mind scattered in a thousand different directions, ripped away from me in an instant.

I was nothing.

I was blind. I was deaf. I was a soulless whisper, trembling in the dark.

And then I was pain.

It tore through me, exploding in my knees, my wrists, and my palms. It flowered behind my eyes, bright lights flaring, burning my retinas. Red. Orange. White. Green.

I opened my eyes with a gasp and only had enough time to pull in that one breath before my stomach pitched upside down and ejected the few bites of stew I'd eaten at the tavern all over a rough stone floor.

“My Lord,” a stunned voice said. “I—Gods. I'm so sorry, I—nothing's prepared. We had no idea!”

“It's all right, Orris.” When Ren spoke, he sounded far away. “Thank you. Take the horses and make sure they're rugged tonight. It's going to get a lot colder before dawn.”

“But—”

“Yes, I know. Fisher's back. He'll speak to us all tomorrow, I'm sure. For now, I think it's best if we give him a little time to settle back in. If you could keep this quiet until the morning...”

“Of course, sir. Of course.”

The world was on its side. My temple was cold. Cold as ice. It took me a long moment to realize that I was lying on the ground and that my head was resting on hard stone. I watched Kingfisher walking away down a long hallway—alone, silent, head bowed—and I vowed with everything I had in me that I'd make the fucker pay for this.

I tried to get up, but when I heaved myself onto an elbow, the arched ceiling became the floor, became up, became down, and another wave of vomit rushed up the back of my throat. I threw up a second time, hacking as I tried to catch my breath.

“Oh, Saeris. I'm sorry. Here, give me your hand.”