Total pages in book: 141
Estimated words: 132138 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 661(@200wpm)___ 529(@250wpm)___ 440(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 132138 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 661(@200wpm)___ 529(@250wpm)___ 440(@300wpm)
I don’t want them, but they will come. They will come whether I stand up or not. They will come if I escape. They will come if I burn. I spent thirteen years believing that staying alive is all that’s important. But aren’t some things worth dying over?
I think about the note Gillian sent through Niall. I know exactly what Gillian will want to do. If she can save me, she’ll want us to run. I’m not sure how she convinced the guard to help us, but Gillian will sacrifice anyone she has to in order to ensure my continued existence. Gillian will save me and move on to the next far-off province, hiding and concealing our identities.
She will want us to wait. And for what? For my brothers to return? For me to grow up? I’m twenty-seven. I won’t get any more ready to become the focus of a revolution.
“I’m not telling you where she is. I won’t say a word. Not about my sister.”
A plan is ruminating, forming in my brain. A really bad plan, probably, but a plan. I waited long enough. It’s time I give to the cause. Gillian seems to think that I am the cause, but I know differently.
Ove was the cause. Everyone hurt by the pretender is the cause. I’m merely a pawn, and it’s time to make my move. The pawn can take the king if it’s played correctly.
“You’re stupid, Isolde.”
“I’m not Isolde.” I get up and walk to the door. My feet felt a bit unsteady, but I catch my balance.
“What are you trying to say?”
I give him a feral grin. “Figure it out, Micha. Think for a minute, and it’ll come to you.”
He stares at me, his face a blank. “Isolde, tell me where your sister is. The fire will make you scream.”
Will it? I am fire. It leaps from my fingertips. It holds a place in my heart. “I’ll take that chance.”
“Isolde…”
“Don’t call me that.” I can’t stand it. It isn’t my damn name. It isn’t my place. “Call me by my name. Call me Bronwyn.”
He takes a quick step back, a gasp on his lips. “You’re lying.”
“I’m not.” I won’t go down quietly. Whether Niall saves me or I die in the fire, it doesn’t matter. I need to have my name. There’s power in my name. “Call me by my name. Call me Bronwyn Finn.”
His head shakes. “You’ll burn then, dumb bitch. If you think for a second I’ll tell anyone what you’ve said, you’re wrong. I wouldn’t let anyone know I planned to marry someone who is utterly insane. You’re a stupid girl. You’re not a princess. And if you think that this ploy will buy you time, you’re wrong. I stood up in front of a crowd and said I wanted to marry you. Too many people know. I won’t go down with you. No. You’ll burn before you can even open your mouth and spout such vicious lies.”
I stare at Micha through the window, its bars mocking me. I’m in a cage, but then I’ve been here for thirteen years.
What can I do? I was quiet for so long. I hid my existence. The silence kept me alive, but now I see a distinct problem with it. No one will believe me. I was a child when I went on the run. I’m a woman now, and no one with the exception of Gillian watched me grow. I look like my father. Gillian says it, but does anyone remember? The knife. It has the Finn crest on it. Does it prove a damn thing? There are only two weapons made with that crest—the sun and the moon. Beck has the sword. I’m sure of it. He wouldn’t have left without our father’s sword.
The knife was used on me. I pulled it from my body. Torin took it from my father’s body. He gave it to his assassin to kill me. My own father’s knife. It’s my only proof beyond my face. It’s still in its hiding place in the tower. “I am Bronwyn Finn. I was born in the White Palace and I died there. I was given a second life. I am my father’s daughter.”
A huffy laugh comes through the window. “Those can be your last words, though no one will believe it. Good luck, Isolde. When you’re nothing but ashes, your sister will run. You’re nothing. Nothing at all.”
The window slams shut. I am so much more than nothing. I am the revolution, but perhaps I waited too long. Leaning against the door, I feel my head swimming. Not enough sleep. Not enough food. Not enough life.
I spent too much time in my dreams. I wanted to be somewhere else for so long I neglected the here and now. Shim and Lachlan are dreams. They’re a way out of my destiny, and now that I’m finally ready to face it, I’ll probably get my ass fried in a fire.