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)
His features hardened. “His safety is up to him. We need him to slay a beast we captured weeks ago. It fell from the sky like a gift from above and injured its wings. We’ve contained it, but we’ve been unable to kill it.” He closed his eyes and licked dry lips. “We tried to cook it alive, but its scales protected it. When your friend kills it, we can skin it. Unless you can provide us with a different feast of meat tonight?”
My shoulders drooped.
“The battle takes place in a matter of hours, then,” he said.
My stomach churned. “And if I refuse to use my…oracle abilities if you pit Jasher against your beast?”
He regarded me through slit lids, and in that moment, I glimpsed the ruthlessness inside him, carved out by hunger’s cruelty.
The shadow shifted again, gliding behind me. To shield? To hurt? My back went ramrod straight. I sensed its nearness. A cold, stalking presence, hovering nearby without actually touching.
A lump grew in my throat. Was it Jasher? Ian? Another monstra? A new type of creature?
Gerald finally shrugged. “You are valuable to me, Oracle, but in this, you have no sway. Either your beast kills mine or he dies trying like so many others, and we’ll eat him instead. Either way, you’ll do what I ask of you.”
Shudders rained over me. He didn’t threaten, but he didn’t need to. The implication was far worse.
“But let’s think positively, yes? Once he succeeds, I’ll let you speak with him.” Giddiness crackled in Gerald’s tone. “What a wonderful day this is. Just wonderful.”
Not one to give up, I tried another route. “My friend is shackled, and he needs to stay that way. But bound as he is, he’s in no condition to defeat a monstra.”
The shadow moved, pressing against my back, colder than ice. Air hissed between my teeth. Then its—his?—fingers seemed to stroke my hair. I licked my lips, nervous, confused... comforted?
“I’ll cut the link between his wrists, ensuring he’s able to fight with all his might. All right? This will make you happy?” Gerald didn’t give me an opportunity to respond. “Now, I’ll release you from your bonds, if you do as your queen says and promise not to run from me.”
A promise rose in my throat before I could stop it, as hot as fire. “I will not run from you.” What? No. I tried to snatch back the words, but I felt them fuse with my cells, as if I’d just bound myself with invisible chains.
Why would I do such a thing? Why did the shadow sweep from the hut, disappearing as quickly as he had appeared? And why, why, why did I wish he had stayed?
Gerald unsheathed a dagger, moved behind me, and cut the rope. My shoulders screamed with relief.
“Thank you,” I moaned, rubbing the raw spots on my wrists.
“What’s your name?” he asked, motioning for me to sit before the fire.
I complied, saying, “I’m M—Rye.” The book he and his son had been reading lay open at my side. My blood iced over. A hand-drawn sketch pointing out the best places to cut into a human body.
“Welcome to your new home, Rye.” He draped a fur over my shoulders. “Better?”
Heat enveloped me, and I soaked it in with a sigh. “So much better. Thank you,” I repeated. But this? My home? No. I would escape with Jasher at the first opportunity. “What do you know about the Ember of Everlight?”
The color drained from his cheeks, and he looked left, right. Voice the barest whisper, he admitted, “Only that any who seek it die in monstra fire. Please don’t speak of it again.”
Mmm. Was Ahav’s search what led to his death? But why had no one else reacted this way? Not my mother, Emma, or Elowen.
Gerald sat across from me and placed the pack before him. I stiffened when he attempted to open it. But he couldn’t work the zipper…or cut through the fabric. He couldn’t even remove the journal from the side pocket. A surprise to us both.
Hoping to distract him and also desperate for information, I asked, “What year is this?”
If he found the question odd, he didn’t show it. “The eighth year of King Ahav’s reign.”
Not an exact time, but close enough. Satisfaction tangled with anticipation. Both my mother and father lived.
Gerald pushed the pack aside and smiled, all eagerness. “Tell me where we find this bounty of fresh meat. It doesn’t matter what kind. Deer, beastie, snake, rabbit. We’ll take whatever you offer.”
“Oh. Um. Well.” I squirmed, uncomfortable in more ways than one. Way to put me on the spot. “I need some time to figure that out.”
Disappointment honed his eagerness to a sharper edge. “I beg you to hurry.”
“Of course.” I jumped to another topic. “How did you capture Elowen’s daughter?”