Page 2 of The Path of Blood and Betrayals

“You’re not?—”

“I am.” I nod once, mind clear, resolve strong. “I will do anything I can to keep her safe.”

“Then come with us?—”

“No,” I cut him off, sadly. Holding his face, I will him to see me—hearmy words. “You know as well as I do, what she is. What she is meant to do. If we allow the army to get her, she will never win. The world will never heal.”

“She needs her mother,” he whispers, leaning into my touch. It’ll be the last time I feel him and we both know it. My heart aches as my body trembles. “She will be alone.”

“Not if she has you,” I murmur. Gently, I kiss his softlips, the sound of battle loud and frightening around us. “Get to her. Get her away. Take her to Nessa.”

“Nessa,” he growls, upset. He’s never trusted the Blackwoods Witch. “She is not our friend. She won’t help us.”

“She will,” I insist. “She ismyfriend. She will protect my family when I am gone.”

My throat clogs with tears as he wars with himself, torn between his want to protect me and his need to protect our daughter. But ultimately, she is more important than either of us. That was the choice we made when we discovered her true path all those years ago.

“I will see you again,” Baris promises, words dark. “Setiwill tell me when you pass and he will keep you safe until I meet you in the afterlife.”

“I will wait until we are together again,” I vow, tears gathering on my lashes. “Until then, tell our daughter how much I love her. Make sure she knows she is never without me.”

He steals one more kiss, his fingers digging into my hips to crush me to his lean frame. It’s a stolen moment of passion and loss, and I sink into it, allowing him to hold me for a bit longer as my tears stain us both.

Then, I’m pulling away, unable to look back at him as he rushes to our cottage, far back from the village center, where our daughter sleeps. Feeling Baris’ drift away, his heart hammering in his chest, I sense as he closes in on her tiny one. Exhaling, I say a prayer toEnyofor their protection.

He’ll get to her.He’ll keep her safe.Now, it’s my turn.

Grabbing more arrows, I shout for my people to flee, to disband and toss them into the brushes beside our village. The Veil is wet, but the woods are always dry and they catch like kindling, igniting into a roaring wildfire.

The smoke curls heavily around me, white smoke hiding everything around us. As if blessed by the Gods, the village warps into a burning inferno, everything turning black and ashen under its hungry flames.

I stand, watching my people flee, soldiers running for the safetyof the cool woods. There are more bestial noises and I know the monsters are feasting.

My people will be safe, but not the army. And that’s all that matters.

A cold blade rests against the small of my back and I still, body tense.

Turning, I do not show fear. In fact, it’s anger that greets the soldier’s face. Soot mars his cheeks, a bloody cut along his cheek. His uniform is torn, my people making a dent in his forces and body. I’m proud.

“You,” he seethes, eyes heated. “The High Priestess.”

“You’ve attacked a Coven. This is an act of War,” I remind him, voice tight. “For what? For bodies to sell?”

He sneers. “I’m looking for someone. Someone who has the power ofEnyoherself.”

My heart pounds in my chest and he pushes me to my knees. But I don’t break, don’t respond to his wordless demand.

“We all controlEnyo’smagic. We areallher children.”

“No,” he rages, kicking at a rock. “The one who was born more powerful than all. The child of life and death.Where is she?”

Without thinking, I focus my magic, find the glimmer of her life force in the dark. It’s further away, back by the woods. My heart breaks, but relief, so powerful, nearly knocks me to the ground.

She got away. Baris saved our daughter. She will save everyone.

“Here,” I say, patting my chest. “I am the child born.”

His face twists, morphs into something unpleasant.