Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 91891 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 459(@200wpm)___ 368(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91891 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 459(@200wpm)___ 368(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
Dad’s mouth curved down. “I guess he’s not as creepy as I originally assumed.”
I offered a soft smile. “The day I traveled to Hakeldama, you told me to date someone, anyone. So I did.”
He grimaced. “Always ignore terrible advice, even when it’s given by a very wise man.”
I snickered. “You are a wonderful father to me. I want you to know that. I love you as dearly as I love her.”
“That’s…that’s nice to hear.” His voice thickened. “Thank you for telling me.” He pulled at the neckline of his shirt, collecting himself. “Did I share any of this while you were growing up?”
“No. Never. Mom did, but only through children’s stories she wrote and illustrated. You gave me as normal a childhood as possible, all things considered. I didn’t find out until I arrived in Hakeldama. A circumstance I wasn’t prepared for,” I admitted. “The journal mentioned we can set everything right, yet no one in the future seemed to care about it. The Ember of Everlight. Ever heard of it?”
“Sorry, but no.”
Too bad. I’d ask Mom. “Apparently, I’ll go back to Hakeldama. Not the land as it is now, but the past. And I think someone will force Mom to travel back, too, and that’s why she vanishes in eight years. I found her artwork there. Pieces she couldn’t have done before I was born.” And oh, how I’d needed the hints and clues she’d hidden to help me navigate that hostile land. “Considering the bloody scene the day of her disappearance, I’m guessing Ian is responsible. That he kept her imprisoned in the royal dungeon before she…she died. Few survive him.”
Tension stole over Dad’s features. He rubbed his fingers over his jaw and flicked a glance Jasher’s way. “I can tell you like your Tinman. Maybe you truly love him. But if he’s a clone of this Ian fellow, he might be running a long con. Make you fall for him now, so he can stop you later.”
I almost rolled my eyes. “You are such a dad,” I teased. “Jasher isn’t like that, I promise.”
He didn’t look convinced. “I hope you’re right.” A little hesitant, he patted my shoulder. “You are a woman any father would be proud to call daughter.” With that, he strode from the barn, leaving me wrecked.
5
FORGOTTEN PROMISES
Istraightened my shoulders and composed a mental to-do list.
Acquire weapons.
Food.
Water.
Protective gear.
Oh! Maybe past me had packed everything?
I attempted to unzip the backpack, but it remained stuck. Even when I used pliers, scissors, and a saw.
Whatever. A bigger problem remained: Jasher’s condition. No way I could carry or cart a thousand-pound metal statue around a nightmare forest with quicksand pits and poisonous poppy fields. He’d had the elixir. Why hadn’t he changed?
I glanced his way and—our gazes locked, and I gasped. He was staring at me, hard, his sunset eyes no longer masked by silver. They projected an obvious message: I’m aware, and I’m not happy.
Adrenaline lit me up. I scrambled over and clasped his hands. Still too cold, too hard. Too metal. “Hey. Not sure how much you overheard, but I fed you a potion, and it’s freeing you from the metal prison. Might take minutes or hours—” or days “—but it’s working.”
His nostrils flared, his breaths coming in shallow pants. His irises glittered with rage. More than he’d ever projected.
He must be fighting for freedom with everything he had.
My sweet Jasher. I petted his cheek. “I won’t leave you,” I vowed. I would wait for his total recovery, then return to Hakeldama with him…but not my mother. No way would I lead her onto a battlefield. For her safety, I would leave her here.
I nodded to punctuate my decision. To beat Ian, I required aid. And I knew just who to approach.
If the water maidens were anything other than tricky, it was informative. Better get a feel for Elowen and decide if I trusted her. Although, if she was anything like Iris, I’d pay a steep price for this interaction.
I didn’t care. To ensure my mother’s safety—the baby’s safety—to right the past and the future…worth any price.
If Emma could summon Elowen, maybe I could, too. I’d summoned Iris without knowing it. And honestly, I wanted—needed—to just…meet her. Every time I heard her name, my heart blipped?
I stepped up to a large puddle across from the executioner. It was enough to summon an everyday, average water maiden. Why not the queen?
Anticipation bubbled, as effervescent as champagne. “Elowen,” I called to the water. “Come. Let us bargain together. Tit for tat.” Catnip to those like her. “What do you say?”
For once, I didn’t have to wait. Within seconds, a disturbance cast little ripples across the surface. Water splashed, a beautiful woman rising gracefully from the liquid as if lifted by a cloud.
I stumbled back, certain of three things. I’d never met her, I was slightly awe-struck, and even now, connection flickered.