Page 94 of Traitor Witch

"You are not meant for this place, sister. The Lady of the Sun has told me many times to send you to Idos, but I have selfishly resisted on account of your youth. Yesterday, you putyourself in harm's way once again, and you would have been killed if not for Nilsa."

"But I'm getting stronger!" I can see the tears brimming at the corners of Elsie's eyes.

"And you will grow stronger still," Elodie agrees. "You are destined for greater things than a dying temple in a corrupt city. Lady willing, you may one day return, stronger than you could ever become here."

Elodie finally turns to me. "You will protect her, as you failed to protect my daughter. Vow it."

I don't want to do this. Elsie is weeping now, shaking her head back and forth as the Solar next to her rubs at her shoulder in comfort.

I open my mouth to object, but the look in Elodie's eyes stops me.

"I vow before the Lady of the Moon, she will reach Idos safely."

Elodie nods once, then sweeps past both of us towards the stairs. "Pack your things and say your goodbyes, Elsie. Nilsa, you may wait outside."

Chapter Twenty-Five

NILSA

It takes Elsie two hours to 'pack', and during that time Kier finds me again. He takes in my new clothes, but stays predictably quiet.

"I have two requests to make of Valorean," I mumble. "But he'll refuse."

He arches one brow.

"I..." Ah crap, how do I explain this? "I've been tasked with taking a Solar witch to Idos and I think... I think I have to go there, anyway." I fiddle with the ring around my throat. "How can I convince him to let her onto theDeadwoodand take us there?"

Kier shrugs.

Well, that's unhelpful.

"I've thought about it a lot, and I think the only way he'll agree is if he makes me another bargain." I'm talking aloud solely to try to make sense of my own thoughts at this point, but Kier nods along, anyway. "But what would he ask of me this time?"

He moves so fast it feels like I've barely blinked before he's standing directly in front of me, his chest brushing against my own as his eyes bore into mine.

"Scared?"

I shake my head. "I can take whatever he dishes out."

Kier nods and moves back so he's leaning against the tower beside me. It takes some time before he speaks again.

"Curse temple?"

I grimace. So much for being grateful the pirates didn't find me.

"You saw that, huh?"

He shrugs, but there's a tension to his shoulders that wasn't there a second ago.

"It was the first time I've ever cursed anything," I admit. "I just... they made me soangry. How dare they do that to a sacred temple? It made the Goddess mad as well... I could feel her rage. I think that's part of why it burned me out so badly."

I sigh, looking down at the scarves barely covering my body, and let a trickle of magic flow out of Opal to switch them back to the Solar robes of before. She's low on magic, so I resolve to ration what she has to last the next three days.

Goddess, the new moon has always been such an inconvenience, but it's even more so now. Solars can reliably use their power every day—unless there's an eclipse—but Lunars lose access to the magic of the Goddess once a month every month.

"I really miss my own clothes."

Kier's grunt of annoyance makes me smirk. I guess the fae hates my Solar robes as much as I do.