Page 32 of Spirit Trials (The Spirit Kingdoms #1)

The woman’s eyes are milky white, her hands withered, and her hair pure white. “Wolf girl,” she says in a voice that sounds rough, like maybe she hasn’t used it in a long while.

I turn around to try to figure out who or what she’s talking about, but she grabs both my hands.

Her grip is surprisingly strong for an old woman.

“The seas are rough and turbulent, and all who fall therein drown without any way out.” I try to pull my hand away because I have no idea what she’s talking about.

“Strong winds blow and snap both the weakest and the strongest boughs; it knows no prejudice.” I look over my shoulder, hoping Kinsley or Harper can be of assistance.

The woman tugs at my hands again. “And you, Farrah Bromean,” I go still at the use of my full name.

“You will die a watery death before you rise in victory.” She grasps my hands tighter.

“Stay true to your path.” She loosens her hold on my hands.

“A flower may turn to follow the path of the sun until they no longer have need of its light. The stars align and no one knows their meaning.” She continues to rattle off things that don’t really make any sense, and I manage to pull my hands from hers.

She turns and walks away, and I stare after her, feeling unsettled.

“Farrah?”

I nearly jump out of my skin. “Kinsley, you scared me.”

“You okay?” she asks.

“Yeah, I just...” I shake my head. “That lady that talked to me. Do you know her?”

“What lady?” Kinsley asks.

“The lady with white hair and eyes that weren’t clear.”

“Oh, sounds like you had a run-in with Nolara. Don't worry; she unnerves everybody. Some people say she’s a seer, but mostly everything she says is gibberish. Don’t let it get to you. I need to make sure she has food, though, so I’ll be right back.”

I watch Kinsley run after the woman, and I take in the others still gathering around.

But there’s a chill in the air that I didn’t feel before.

I’m not a superstitious person, never have been; but I find myself having a hard time shaking her words from my mind.

A group of three tall, lanky guys approach the table and start teasing Harper.

I head that way to get my mind off what just happened.

I look in dismay at the meager things left; there won’t be enough for these guys.

They don’t look upset, though. They seem to be having a good time.

That is, until one of them shoves Harper.

“Hey,” I call out. I’m suddenly glad that I stashed a few knives on my person; I didn’t bring my bow because I didn’t want to appear threatening. “Don’t push her.” I stride over to the men.

But when Harper turns around, she’s laughing. “It’s fine, Farrah. These idiots are like brothers to me.”

I relax. “Oh, okay.”

The one in the middle smirks. “What were you going to do if we were being mean?”

“Bury a knife in your thigh,” I say with complete confidence.

“Ooo.”

“Ouch.”

His friends razz him, but he shakes it off and steps forward with a smirk. “And who are you, Beautiful?”

“Leave her, Maritus,” Harper warns. “It won’t end well for you.”

The guy must not believe her because he steps closer. “I’m not leaving until I get a name.”

I shake my head but can’t help my smile. “It’s Farrah.”

He steps even closer. “Well, Farrah, I’m really glad you decided to come with Harper tonight.”

I cross my arms across my chest. “Are you now?”

“I am.”

Suddenly, the ground behind us begins to tremble. Maritus looks behind me, and I watch as his face tightens. “Riders from the Wolf Kingdom!” somebody shouts. Pandemonium ensues, and I’m suddenly at the center of it. “Did you bring them?” Maritus asks, yanking me towards him.

“What? No.”

He jerks me around and suddenly, there’s a knife at my throat. Shock ripples through me; I didn’t even have a chance to reach for my knife. “What are you doing, Maritus?” Harper shrieks. “Let her go!”

“She brought them here!” He yells back, and I feel his arm tighten around me.

I feel his muscles tense, and I realize what he’s going to do.

I prepare to shove his hand away from my throat and grab my knife, but before I can move, Maritus jerks away from me and falls to the ground, a knife embedded in his chest. I stare down at him in horror.

His eyes stare vacantly up at the sky. People around us scream, and I don’t know what to do in the chaos.

And then Rysden is in front of me, fury in his gaze.

“We’re leaving now.” He doesn’t wait for me to say a word.

He puts his hands around my waist and practically throws me on top of his horse.

Before I can fully wrap my mind around everything, he’s behind me and we’re riding away.

I catch sight of Shade running next to us before Lox and Jamik close in on either side of us, and I see Hector behind us, making sure we get away safely.

“Wait,” I call out. Rysden just keeps going.

“My friends!” I try to look back, but I can’t see anything around Rysden’s torso.

“We have to go back!” I shout. I try to reach for the reins, but he keeps them out of my hands and wraps a massive arm around me, effectively stilling me.

I close my eyes as we thunder through the night, wondering how this all went so wrong.

I think of Maritus’ lifeless gaze and squeeze my eyes shut. I made such a mess of everything.

The ride back to the city is made in absolute silence.

I can feel the tension radiating off Rysden, and he has yet to say a word.

When we get to the entrance to the city, the guards don’t even bother stopping us.

They take one look at Rysden and his men and open the side door for us.

I notice that my horse and the horse Harper rode are with us as well, killing any chance I had of them coming back here tonight.

We ride through the city at a quick trot.

Before I’m ready, we’re back at Rysden’s castle.

He dismounts and doesn’t bother helping me off the horse, not that I need it.

I head towards the house, hoping to escape his wrath.

If I can just get to my room, I can lock the door and not have to face him.

As soon as I’m inside, I race to the stairs.

I’m almost to the top when the front door opens. I don’t turn back to see who it is.

“Farrah.” Rysden doesn’t yell, and yet the impact is the same as if he had. I freeze for a moment before I keep going. “Don’t make me come get you.”

I wonder how empty a threat it is, and then I remember it’s Rysden we’re talking about.

I take a breath and then begin my descent, cursing myself for not being faster.

I go as slow as possible, dreading this conversation.

I’m in so much trouble. I stop at the base of the stairs.

When nobody says anything, I turn around, intending to sneak back upstairs.

“Farrah,” Rysden calls again.

I blow out a breath and make my way towards the main room.

When I get to the doorway, I quickly take in the details.

Lox is leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, looking way too casual for this meeting.

Hector is sitting at the table shaving a piece of wood with his knife.

Jamik is sitting at another end of the table with his head down.

And then there’s Rysden. He’s standing next to the table, feet spread wide, arms across his chest. Shade sits on the floor next to him.

I stop suddenly because I don’t know what’s going to happen, and I know that it’s all one hundred percent my fault.

I make the mistake of meeting Rysden’s dark eyes and look away quickly and try to find some equilibrium.

I pull out a chair and sink into it and then just beat them to it.

“I messed up.” It’s silent in the room, and I finally look up.

“What happened?” Rysden’s words are clipped.

Knowing it’s time to own up to my failures, I start at the beginning and tell them every sordid detail, hating myself more and more with every word that comes out of my mouth.

When I finally finish, it’s so quiet I can hear my own heart beating.

“I’m sorry.” I look up and meet Rysden’s eyes and then make myself meet each of the other guy’s eyes.

I realize just how bad things really are when Lox doesn’t give me an ounce of a smile.

It's quiet for a minute or two, and I struggle not to squirm in my seat. “You guys can go to bed; I’ve got this,” Rysden says.

At first no one moves, but then Hector pushes out of his seat and leaves the room without a word.

Jamik is next, and Lox follows on his heels.

When he walks past me without a word, my heart falls.

I stare down at the table, too afraid to look up at Rysden.

After the guys leave, it’s quiet until a chair is pulled out across from me.

“I know you’re angry,” I begin.

“I’m not angry.” At his words, hope fills me. I glance up quickly, but he dashes that hope when he says, “I’m furious.”

I wince. “I’m really sorry, Rysden.” My voice is soft. “I know that’s not enough.” I drop my head again. “I’ll work to pay you back everything I owe you.”

“I’m not furious that you stole from me, though that’s not exactly something I feel really good about.

” I bite my lip, and my shoulders weigh low with the guilt of my actions tonight.

“I’m furious because if you would have talked to me, we could have worked something out.

” His words settle for a moment before he continues.

I can’t help but look at him now. “You should have told me your plans; I could have made sure you were protected. Instead, you left in the middle of the night. I had no idea where you were or who took you.”

I finally find my tongue. “You would never have approved of me going to visit the banished. I regret that we went in the middle of the night and worried you, but you would have never allowed it.”

“Of course not.” He shoves his chair back and stands to his feet. “Because they’re dangerous.”

“They’re not dangerous,” I return.

“So says the girl who had a knife to her throat,” he growls.

“That didn’t happen until you showed up,” I argue. “We were talking just fine.”

“What don’t you get about this, Farrah!” He swears at me and continues. “He had his arm wrapped around you and a knife to your throat.”

“Because you came charging in like a wild animal,” I say in exasperation. “And he was right to be on edge because you killed him, Rysden!” The guilt over his death slams into me, and I shake my head and put my hand up to my mouth, feeling like I’m going to throw up.

“Of course, I killed him.” He slams his hand on the table, making me jump. “He had a knife to your throat.”