Witch Fire

The Order of the Cursed: Book 2

Lisa Morrow

Lisa Morrow

Copyright © 2014 Lisa Morrow

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be produced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the author.

All characters and events in this publication, other than those clearly in the public domain, are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

To my brother and sisters- who were my first readers.

Contents

Author’s Note

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Blurb

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

About the Author

More Works by Lisa Morrow

Author’s Note

This series features Greek goddesses, however, I’m not sticking exactly to the myths. I wanted to create a world where there were only female goddesses. So, for example, Zeus might rule all the gods in ancient Greek mythology, but in this series, Hera is the ruler of the gods.

I hope you enjoy this fun little twist to the classic myths!

List of Greek Goddesses

Demeter- Goddess of the Seasons

Eris- Goddess of Strife, Discord, and Destruction

Hera- Goddess of all Gods

Persephone- Goddess of Hell

Aphrodite- Goddess of Love

Hestia- Goddess of Fire and the Hearth

Athena- Goddess of War

Ananke- Goddess of the Shadows

Nyx- Goddess of the Night

Horae- The Twelve Goddesses of Time

Usha- Goddess of the Dawn, Nyx’s Sister

Soteria- Goddess of Safety and Salvation

Abeona- Goddess of Outward Journeys and Time

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Blurb

I ran before the true ceremony could begin, but there’s nowhere the witches can’t find me. Asher has promised to hide me, to keep me safe, and I want to believe the handsome boy can do so, but there are things even he doesn’t know.

And when the order comes for me, I might lose more than just my freedom… I might lose Asher too.

These women want something from me, but am I strong enough to save myself and the people I love? Or will we go down in flames?

The Order of The Cursed is a young adult fantasy series of novellas with an epic adventure and a splash of sweet romance. It has witches, magic, secrets, and a tale you won’t soon forget.

1

Rose

“She’s not one of them!” Asher shouted, somewhere behind me.

“Do you think to come here for more of our women and daughters?” he hissed, relaxing his grip so I could draw in panicked gulps of air. “Were you foolish enough to believe your magic would protect you from our wrath?”

Raspy words fell from my lips. “I’m here for protection, nothing more.”

One of his large brows rose. “Protection from what?”

“The same women you fear,” I said, gasping.

His eyes narrowed, but his grip loosened even more. “We fear no one, no man or woman.”

Asher appeared at the giant’s side. “Chief, she seeks refuge from them. She’s not one of them.”

Targanus pulled me closer. His scrutinizing gaze swept over me as if the answer to our problem lay in the lines of my face or the flecks of gold swimming in the pale green of my eyes.

“She isn’t marked,” Asher added as if his words would make all the difference in the world.

Surprise shone in the giant’s eyes. “You truly escaped them?

“Just last night,” I rushed out.

“And you seek refuge from the witches?”

”Only until I’ve healed enough to return to The Glass Castle to save my friend.”

His brows rose. “Only Asher’s been reckless enough to try that… and he failed. So that probably makes you crazy or brave. Not sure which.” His hot breath, smelling of spicy meat, warmed my face as he leaned closer to me. “Where do you hail from?”

I forced the word passed my lips. “Duggery.”

“And does your father or husband wait for you there?”

My heart constricted. “I hope so.”

He let his hands fall from my throat. “He waits for you. Two of my daughters and three of my wives were taken, and I still wait for their return.”

Targanus took a step away from me, but his large hands reached out to grip my upper arms as he inspected me. “How did you escape them?”

I wasn’t sure if I should lie. As far as the world believed, it was rare if not impossible for anyone to have more than minor magic, at such a young age, unless trained by The Protectors. How would I explain that I’d fallen from the bridge but not died? They would have questions. Questions that I couldn’t answer. I could show them my necklace, but even I didn’t entirely understand how it worked.

“I ran. Escaped.” I swallowed several times, trying to get the words around the sensation of sand lining my throat. “But one of them shattered the bridge, and I fell into this valley.”

He pulled me closer. “You fell from the bridge?”

“I saw her where she’d fallen,” Asher added, watching the exchange between Targanus and myself with a frown.

The giant took this new information in slowly. And while he stood, brows drawn in thought, I could sense the gazes of the various villagers who had somehow come to gather around us without me noticing. They regarded me with a strange mixture of suspicion and wonder, as if I was a creature they’d never seen before.

But they were also strange to me. I’d never seen such an odd mix of different kinds of people in one place before. Some were blonde, as most of the people in Tarak were, but there were also people with red, brown, and even black hair. Some were shockingly tall, while others were short, like most of the people in my village. How had so many people different people come together in one place?

“They must have wanted you alive for some reason,” Targanus said, releasing my arms and rubbing his chin. “But, let’s hope we never find out why.” He wrapped one arm around my shoulders and looked out towards the villagers. “We’ll hide her in The Safe-Haven, and hope they’re not foolish enough to come looking for her here.”

His constant touching bothered me, but I tried not to react, just in case it insulted him. Even so, his arm around my shoulders felt strangely possessive. And I knew, had my father been there, he’d have thrown it off. My father barely noticed my existence but would’ve reacted to this man, who sorely lacked proper boundaries.

“I found her,” Asher said, standing up straighter. “I’ll guard her there.”

I swallowed hard, trying to form words to tell the men what I wanted, but even swallowing hurt. Tentatively, I touched my throat. My fingers came up damp, and I stared down at the blood coating them. Goddesses’ breath. The giant had opened the wounds at my throat with his grip.

Targanus laughed, drawing my attention. “You’re but a boy. A woman of such value deserves a protector like myself.”

Asher reached for the sword at his belt. “The goddesses delivered her to me.” He took a step towards us. “And besides, you’re the chief. Shouldn’t you prepare the others in case of an attack? Shouldn’t you be here to protect your wives?”

I barely had time to react to the strangeness of a place that allowed multiple wives for one man, because a more important scene unfolded. Their eyes locked in a silent battle of wills. A warning rang in my head that the two were challenging one another, and I looked to the villagers for help. Most were men, and most were grinning. But one woman, with muddled-brown hair and dark circles beneath her eyes, chewed her bottom lip as she gripped the edge of her cloak.

“I’d prefer Asher’s protection,” I rasped, even as Targanus tightened his grip around my shoulders. “I believe the goddesses delivered me into his hands for a purpose.”

The brown-haired woman relaxed noticeably and took a step towards us. “The girl has spoken, and there isn’t time to waste. If they kept her alive, they’re sure to come searching for her.”

Targanus chuckled and pushed me towards Asher, who caught me before I fell. “Fine, the boy shall protect her.” He smiled at Asher. “But, if he should fail to keep such a pretty thing safe, I will.”

My spine stiffened, and I leaned closer to Asher. Only a few men had looked at me the way Targanus did, and I was even gladder I’d sided with the younger man.

“Let’s go,” Asher said, pulling me along, his movements quick, but stiff.

As we walked, his comforting hand lingered at the small of my back. I felt small, yet safe, beside him. The similarities and differences between the two men were hard to ignore. Asher was nearly as tall as the giant man, taller than I’d first observed, but less than half his bulk. And his touch… made tiny sparks go off inside me.

“Asher!” I turned to see the brown-haired woman scurry towards us. “Take these with you,” she said.

He dropped his hand from my back and took the large bundle of cloths into his arms.

“And be careful, I won’t sleep well until you return home to me,” she murmured, standing on her tiptoes to drop a tender kiss on his cheek before scurrying away.

He blushed and turned his back, continuing to walk to some unseen destination, past the many houses. I followed slowly, looking back at the brown-haired woman as she disappeared inside a small, thatched-roofed house. She was a little older than him, but enviously petite, and lovely in a simple way. He hadn’t mentioned another sister. Could the woman be his wife?

Perhaps that’s why he reacted so strangely after our kiss.

Annoyance flashed through me. Any proper man would’ve mentioned a wife when meeting a young woman. And certainly before kissing her.

But then again, I had better things to worry about right now than this… like trying to survive the night.

2

A few minutes of walking in silence passed. At last, Asher paused and cleared his throat. “Here we are.”

We’d stopped at the edge of the houses, near a patch of stunted trees.

“Where are we exactly?” I questioned, frowning at the ground.

He moved closer to me, but I avoided his gaze. “Take this and I’ll show you.”

Asher pressed the bundle into my arms, lingering a moment longer than necessary before stepping away once more. I struggled with the urge to drop the woman’s gift onto the ground, but instead, studied him as he knelt. His fingers dug into the snow. A soft “twang” sounded, and he pulled open a hatch of sorts, opening into darkness. He said nothing, but swung his legs down into the opening, and pushed off of the earth, dropping from sight.

I ran to where he’d been standing only a moment before, dropping the bundle in the snow as I stared into the hole. My heart thumped in my chest, as I squinted, searching for any sign of him.

“Drop the bundle down here,” he called to me from the darkness.

I obeyed.

“Now you.”

There were few things I hated more than dark places underground, but Asher was waiting for me. And it wasn’t like I was going to be alone…

“I need to go down there?” I asked, drawing out my time in the sunlight.

“Yes. You still want a hiding place, right?” Laughter tinged his voice.

Swallowing, I took a deep breath and dropped down.

I imagined many things when I fell, but I didn’t expect the warm arms that caught me.

I clung to him. The smell of wood and earth filled my nostrils, seeming to rise from his hard flesh. I couldn’t see his face in the darkness, but an unexpected feeling of belonging flowed through me. My hands relaxed against his shoulders.

A warning bell rang in my head. I was in the dark with a stranger, and yet, instead of being afraid, I wanted this moment to last forever. In the real world, I was being hunted by women who wanted me captured or dead. And rather than running further from them, I was going to rest just long enough to return to them, to rescue Sirena. There was a good chance this moment might be the best one I had for a very long time.

Asher lowered me inch by inch until my feet touched the earth. “That wasn’t so bad, was it?” he asked, his voice so hoarse that I trembled at the sound of it.

“No,” I stammered, my palms sliding a little further down his chest even as I willed my hands into fists. “Not so bad.”

His breath was warm on my lips.

Tingles spread through my body.

His lips lowered until they were inches from my own. His chest trembled beneath my touch. Then, I remembered the brown-haired woman from his village and pulled away.

It must have been his startling good looks, I told myself, that made me act so out of character. Each moment I spent with him, even in the darkness, I found myself wanting to know more about him. To feel his strength beneath my hands again, and perhaps even to learn his weaknesses.

But this was not to be. He was handsome beyond words, and if the woman wasn’t his wife or lover, then he likely had some other woman in the village. Besides, no man wanted a woman who was as tall and strong as a man.

I ran my fingertips along the thick calluses on my hands. No, I was not the kind of woman men fell in love with, especially not men like Asher. So I’d seal away such treacherous feelings and concentrate on what was important.

“What is this place?” I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.

A moment later, a torch flared to life in Asher’s hand. He circled the room, lighting multiple torches as he went. When at last he finished, the room was bathed in light.

Room, perhaps, was a strong word. It was simply a giant hole, with large, wooden boxes filling half the space, and multiple pallets lying on the floor. Two strong, wooden pillars prevented the dirt roof from crushing us.

“We got tired of the witches stealing our women, so we dug out this space.” He strode across the room, brushing past me to where some groves had been carved into the wall. Using these, he climbed up to our entrance and closed it, sealing us in our dirt home. “It took us a long time, but we finally finished it. You’ll be the first one to use it though.”

“Are you sure they won’t find me here?”

He jumped down. “We aren’t sure how their magic works, but we hope this will be enough.”

Asher was too close to me, so I maneuvered around him to touch the groves on the wall. “Why didn’t we just use these to climb down?”

“It wouldn’t have been nearly as much fun.”

I blushed, remembering his arms around me. “Is Targanus in charge here?” I asked, searching for a reprieve from my thoughts.

“Yes,” he answered, kneeling and unwrapping the bundle from the woman who’d kissed him. “He’s not so bad. Only, I knew he’d be a problem when we came here. He has a weakness for beautiful women.” Asher mumbled the last part, and I was glad he didn’t see my blush darken.

He thought I was beautiful? No one thought I was beautiful. Men wanted petite women, with blonde hair, and skin as pale as cotton. Wives with permanent smiles on their faces, and laughter like music.

The very opposite of me.

“So, why’d we come here?” I asked, struggling for something to say.

The cloth came apart, revealing meats, cheeses, bread, and pouches of liquid. “Because this was our only shot at keeping you safe.” He spread the cloth out on the dirt and reached for my hand. “Besides, I wouldn’t have let him have you.”

I ignored his hand, but sat down beside him, flinching as I adjusted myself more carefully on the ground.

“Where does it hurt?” he asked, frowning and handing me a pouch.

I opened it slowly, taking deep breaths. As my adrenaline faded, my pain grew. “It doesn’t.”

“I don’t believe you.”

I shrugged, lifting the liquid to my mouth and taking a deep swallow. Fire blazed down my throat, and I coughed. “What—what is this?”

He scooted closer to me and pulled the pouch to his nose. “Ah, she’s so clever. This is to ease your pain.”

I wiped the vile stuff from my lips. “How did your wife know I was hurt?”

“Wife?” he gasped with an edge of disgust. “Brenna isn’t my wife, she’s my mother.” He shook his head, his handsome face filled with shock. “I’m not married. She’s just… just young.”

I laughed. I wasn’t sure if it was with relief that he was unmarried or the soothing feeling washing over me from the medicine, but I was nearly giddy. “Thank goodness.”

He raised a brow. “You’re thankful I’m not married.”

Goddesses’ tooth. I was blushing again.

“No,” I struggled for an answer. “I’m thankful your mother had the sense to send this for me.”

“Brenna is the village medicine woman,” he explained, watching me closely. “She likely knew you were in pain the first time she laid eyes on you.”

I shifted beneath his gaze. “I’m thankful she’d show such kindness to a stranger.”

He picked up one of the smaller pieces of cheese and broke it in half, handing one to me. “She’s kind to everyone.” He bit into his food and chewed slowly. “You likely remind her of my sister though.” I must’ve looked startled because he added. “She didn’t look like you, but she was also taken by the witches.”

For the first time I realized something, these people referred to The Protectors as witches. It was a disrespectful term for them, at best, but it made me wonder if they had actual witches in their village.

“Why do you call The Protectors witches?”

He frowned. “Because they are witches, just like there were wizards. They want to distance themselves from the name, so people will forget that magical people aren’t all good. But we haven’t forgotten.”

His words held a ring of truth. “Do a lot of people in Tarak call them that?”

It took him a long time to answer. “I sometimes go with traders to different cities. Most people worship them, think they can do no wrong. But every city has a group of smart people who know those women are just as dangerous as the wizards were, they’re just better at hiding it.”

I seriously doubted it. I’d never heard of The Protectors wiping out whole towns, of killing and controlling people through Blood Magic, but I didn’t say that. There was, however, the fact that one of them had tried to kill me, and planned to kill several of us.

My head ached. The Protectors were certainly not the good guys, as I’d always thought. But they weren’t wizards.

“Haven’t you ever left your town?” he asked, his expression genuinely curious.

“Not much,” I admitted, reluctantly. “My father and I went on a pilgrimage to visit different shrines when I was ten…”

Suddenly, the memories of those weeks came back to me. My father had dragged me along, but showed very little interest in the shrines themselves. Instead, he’d spent most of the time meeting with strange people and going out after dark without me. Could he have been trying to find my mother even then?

“So you visited a few places?” he questioned, bringing me back to our topic.

Embarrassed, I told myself to focus. “Just the two closest major cities to us, which aren’t all that close, and a few small towns.” I hesitated. “But I never met anyone who had something bad to say about The Protectors.”

“Well, our town hates them a little more than most. Here in the valley, magic pools in a strange way. We have a lot more girls with powers than any other city. The magic rarely skips a generation, so they’re always taking our women.”

I had more questions, but the energy to ask them faded. All I wanted to do at that moment was eat. My questions could remain unanswered for a little longer. So I ate in silence, feeling my questions slip away in the face of a deep exhaustion that left no room for thought.

After my hunger was sated, I caught Asher watching me.

“What?” I asked, not sure if I could handle anything more.

To my shock, he reached out and touched my cheek.

My breath caught in my chest, and I leaned into his warm fingers.

He brushed his lips against mine.

Sparks shot from where our lips met, bringing warmth and comfort.

Our kiss deepened. The world faded away. It was only us. One heartbeat. One body.

He drew back and after a moment asked, “Was that magic?”

My voice came out a whisper. “I don’t know.”

I’d now had a total of two kisses in my life, so I was hardly an expert, but this felt just different, in an unexplainable way.

Reaching out, he entwined his fingers with mine. “I’ve never felt this way before.”

“What way?” I asked, fearing his answer.

He frowned, hesitation marred his features. “Like…”

I held my breath.

He released my hand and raked his fingers through his golden hair. “Never mind. A girl like you…”

My heart squeezed. He didn’t need to finish his words. I knew what he wanted to say. A girl like me was too much trouble and definitely too ugly to be anything real to him.

“Forget it,” I snapped.

Hurt flashed across his face, then he dropped his head.

The aching in my heart grew more painful. If only he wasn’t so beautiful. The firelight caressed the strong lines of his jaw and danced along the stunning network of scars on his neck.

He pointed to one of the pallets, without looking up. “Go lay down, you look exhausted.”

Normally, I would’ve argued. But the truth was that I was exhausted. With my belly full and the medicine washing through me, I wanted nothing more than to sleep.

Standing up, I stumbled.

Asher was there in an instant, grasping my elbow, and guiding me to my pallet. He pulled back the blankets and laid me down. With extreme care, he covered me with the blankets and brushed back the hair that had fallen over my eyes.

“Rest well. I’ll be watching over you.”

I wanted to thank him, but he turned his back to me and moved away.

Closing my eyes, I feigned sleep. At that moment, I wanted to rest, but another unexpected need filled me, a need to talk to him, to touch him. My being craved him, leaving a feeling akin to an empty stomach, only it was my heart that felt hollow.

But it was foolish to feel so connected to someone so fast.

Besides, I would only stay in his village for another day or two. Just long enough to regain my strength, and perhaps, get some supplies from the locals. If I could figure out how to use the portal in town, I wouldn’t need more. Otherwise, it might be a very long journey back to The Glass Castle.

Once there… I didn’t even want to think about what it would take to free Sirena. All I had was the Goddess of Fire’s name, and maybe the Goddess of Protection’s name, if I could remember how to use it. I just had to fight an unknown number of Protectors living in The Glass Castle, Blair and her strange magic, and Clarissa and her savage powers.

And failure wasn’t an option.

Sleep tugged at me. I willed myself with all my might to give in to its pull. But every time I closed my eyes, I swore I heard Sirena crying.

3

Rose

It was too dark to know what time it was when I awoke, but Asher’s mom watched me. She leaned against the dirt wall, her small eyes boring holes into my face.

“Where’s Asher?” I asked, glancing around in confusion.

She crossed her arms over her chest. “His household responsibilities didn’t disappear the moment you strode into our village.”

I sat up slowly, pushing the blankets down. “You’re upset with me.”

Her mouth screwed tightly. “Yes. Of course, I am.”

“Why?”

Irritation flashed across her face. “Because you’re putting my son in danger, of course.”

I frowned, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. “What do you mean?”

She shook her head. “Have you actually not thought about it?” Lines gathered at the corners of her frowning mouth. “Those witches are going to come for you, and Asher is going to try to stop them. He’ll be blinded by everything but his anger towards them. And I think it’ll cost him his life.”

Nothing could’ve prepared me for the images she conjured in my mind, and the sharp pangs of guilt and fear that rose inside of me, pushing away my lingering sleepiness. “I’ll tell him not to.”

She laughed. “He’s not going to be fighting just to save you. He’s going to fight until he forces them to kill him because he wasn’t able to save his sister.”

“Oh.” My response was inadequate, but what could I say?

She sighed. Her mouth relaxing a bit as she let her head fall back against the dirt wall. “I shouldn’t be angry with you. He’s the one I’m mad at. Why does he always have to be so stubborn?”

“I’ve been called stubborn a time or two,” I said, surprised by my gut-reaction to defend him.

A humorless smile touched her lips. “You don’t understand. That boy gets something in his head, and he just can’t let it go. He’s so quick to blame himself, to let the guilt eat away at him until there’s no joy left in this world for him. I tried to tell him it wasn’t his fault, but… he’s just impossible.”

“I think I understand.” I poked one of the spots on my dress, still stiff from my blood. “They took my friend Sirena. They think they’ve won right now, but I’m going to get her back.”

She was watching me again. “You really mean that, don’t you?” Her brows furrowed. “So many girls have been taken, but only Asher was brave enough to try to get them back.”

I shrugged. “I’m not brave, but she’s my best friend. I could never leave her with those women.”

Her gaze was searching as she spoke, “well, Asher’s brave and reckless.” She hesitated. “You saw his scars…”

My curiosity leaped. “Yes.”

She stared down at the floor, her voice just above a whisper. “A Protector did that to him. Used her magic against him. Nazar was her name.” Her boot kicked at the dirt. “Every time he tried to come after his sister, he got lashes.”

My gasp sounded too loud in the silence. Asher had been tortured? Such magic sounded too much like a curse. Too much like forbidden magic. Like the Blood Magic used by the wizards.

“He tried... and tried.” Each word was laced in anger. “His injuries became so infected, he nearly died. And still, he kept trying. At least until I told him I’d slit my own throat if I lost both my children.”

I told myself to breathe past the tears welling in my eyes. No wondered he’d been angry enough to kill me for being a Protector. They’d not only taken his sister from him, but they’d taken away his free will. If I’d had even a tiny lingering doubt about my decision not to join The Protectors, it was gone now.

A noise came from above us. The hatch opened. A square of blinding sunlight came from above, and snow dropped down, lightly coating the ground below.

Asher used the ladder built into the dirt to climb down. He moved with a warrior’s grace, even carrying a small bundle in one hand. With unexpected agility, he leaped from the second step to the floor between me and his mother.

We rose to our feet.

He gave her a one-armed hug. “All done.”

She smiled up at him, and the difference between them suddenly struck me. While I was tall for a woman, Asher was still half a head taller than me. But his mother, she was closer to Sirena’s size. And while he had the high forehead and molded cheeks of a prince, her dark eyes were deeply inset, with thick, low brows crowding over them.

If these two shared blood, it was hard to see.

He turned those startling blue eyes to me. A smile curved his lips, transforming his face. He was no longer just beautiful, but stunning. And those perfect lips, they’d kissed my own.

My throat went dry.

I didn’t realize I was touching my mouth until his gaze strayed to my hand. My cheeks heated, and his smile spread.

His mom cleared her throat. “Rose and I were just talking.”

Asher raised a brow at her serious tone. “About what?”

“About Targanus taking over her protection.”

His eyes widened as he turned to me. “You don’t think I can keep you safe,” he accused.

“That’s not it!” I reached for him and then folded my arms to stop myself. “I just don’t want you to get hurt.”

His gaze blazed from my head to my toes.

“She’s right, dear. This job would be better for him.”

“Enough, mom!” A harshness had crept into his voice. “I know you want to keep me safe, but I’m not a child anymore.”

“I know you’re not, but—”

He cut her off. “This isn’t open for discussion.”

“Rose…” his mom said, waiting for me.

I felt that I was betraying Asher as I spoke. “I could be fine down here by myself.”

More silence.

“Mom, I think Rilo is waiting for you. Better head back home.” His tone just barely betrayed his frustration with her.

She started towards the stairs but paused, her hand on the dirt groove. “I love you. Do what you think is right.”

“I will,” he promised. “I love you too.”

She took a deep breath, then went up the stairs, closing the hatch behind her.

I paced away from him, my anxiety palpable.

“Do you really want Targanus here? With you?”

I stiffened at the jealousy in his tone. “No.”

He regarded me behind a mask of indifference. “Women are drawn to men like him. They think because he’s huge, he can keep them safe. But you’d think they’d realize that only means he’s never fought, his size alone scares off most men.” He paused before speaking a little softer. “I know he’s handsome, in a way that I can’t be… because…” He touched his scars, avoiding my gaze.

There it was. The hurt that I’d uncovered.

I moved without knowing what I did, coming to stand so close to him I could smell that masculine scent mixed with an earthiness that was all him. Cautiously, I reached up and let one finger touch his jaw.

He stiffened beneath my touch but remained still.

Tracing the lines on his jaw, I explored them as if they were the map to my own heart. The beauty of his injuries, mixed with the knowledge of the pain they’d caused him, stirred together inside of me. I wanted to hate them, but I couldn’t. Somehow I was sure he did, and that was enough to make me love them.

Rising to my tiptoes, I pressed a soft kiss to the spot just below his ear and let my lips run along one of the lines. I’d thought it’d be a chaste kiss, but the tingling racing through my body called me a liar.

“They’re beautiful,” I whispered, no more than a breath away from his skin.

He jerked away. “My scars?”

His words were filled with wonder.

I met his nervous gaze. “Yes.”

He shook his head. “You must be crazy.”

“No,” I tried to sound firm, “anyone who says differently is.”

Again, I had that feeling, like I was a part of him, or he was a part of me. His heart and mine beat as one. Our rapid breathing filled my ears.

But for the first time, I also had the strangest sense we’d done this dance before. We’d stood here before, staring at each other, on the cusp of limitless possibilities.

“I’ll be the only one guarding you.” His hands curled into fists. “You’re mine… to protect.”

“All right,” I said, hating myself for being glad he was staying with me, “but if they take me, you need to promise not to come after me.”

Anger twisted his face. “Not a chance.”

“It might never come to that, but you’re not coming after me if it does.”

He put a finger under my chin, forcing me to meet his piercing gaze. “Do you want them to take you?”

“No.”

“Then, I’d get you back.” As quick as lightning, he brushed another kiss against my lips and released me. “How are you feeling?”

My lips tingled, and my head spun. “Don’t change the subject!”

He laughed and unrolled the bundle he’d dropped on the floor, unnoticed. “I brought a game.”

“What kind of game?” I snapped my mouth closed, then opened it again. “And don’t think you can distract me.”

He knelt on the blanket and began arranging the pieces from the bundle. “It’s a game of both chance and strategy.”

My interest peaked, and I came to crouch down beside him. “I’ve seen drawings of this game.”

He stared at me, clearly surprised. “Can you read?”

“Our priest taught me how to read and write. He showed me maps and taught me about history too.”

Asher’s expression changed. “That was kind of him.”

“Yes.” I picked at the edge of the blanket. “I had so few friends in the village, but I counted him among them. At least when I was too young to understand he was just being kind.”

He continued setting up the pieces for the game. “I’d think a girl like you’d have a lot of friends, break a lot of hearts.”

I glanced up at him through my lashes. “No. Most of the townsfolk have lived in Duggery forever. They were like a pack of wolves, and we were the outsiders.” I shrugged. “And there were a lot of rumors about us.”

For one frightening moment, I thought he might ask what they were. But again, he surprised me.

“Even wolves can allow an outsider into their pack.” He stared at one piece, a carving of a castle. “My mom brought us to Wintercarve when I was just a babe. There were rumors about us too, but people were really welcoming. They remembered what it was like to come here alone and afraid. Most of them were the lone survivors of villages ravaged by the wizards.”

He handed me the tiny wooden castle. One of the four towers had been broken, leaving behind a sharpened edge. I ran my finger lightly along it, lost in thought.

“So,” he asked, after a time, “no man was smart enough to ignore the rumors and look at you as a woman? I find that hard to believe.”

I tried to respond in a voice as level as his. “There was a man, Hefter. He wanted to marry me.”

His hand clumsily knocked over a couple of the game pieces. “Oh.” He set them back up with care. “So will you return to him now?”

For some reason, it bothered me that he even imagined that was an option. “No, of course not.”

“Why not?” The muscles in his jaw clenched as he waited for my answer.

I drew my knees up to my chest, wondering how I could explain such a sensitive topic without giving away too much. “I didn’t want to marry him, even though he was planning on it.”

His gaze met mine. “Why would you marry someone you didn’t want to marry?”

“I wasn’t sure I could find a way out of it,” I said, hating that my words were the truth. “My father owed a lot of money. And Hefter’s father was willing to pay it off if I married his son.”

He sat up straighter and rested his muscular arms across his knees. “He sounds like a coward.”

A flash of unexpected anger coursed through me. “He was.”

He took a long time to answer. “So, should I teach you how to play this game?”

I willed myself to be glad for the change in topics. “Sure.”

He grinned. “All right. But I have to admit, I’m a bit competitive.”

I returned his smile. “So am I.”

4

Rose

We spent the remainder of the day playing the game. However, we stayed away from discussing anything too serious. A nervousness danced between us that was both frustrating and strangely nice.

But that night, I finally felt ready to ask him some of the questions plaguing me. While I munched on more cheese, savoring the unique flavors of the pale-colored food, I asked, “if your people hate The Choosing so much, why don’t you simply refuse to participate?”

“Refuse?” Disgust twisted the word into something foul. “My goddesses, we did more than refuse, we fought them!” He tossed his food on the blanket and rose. “They killed several of our people, but we thought that was the end of it. At least, they knew we wouldn’t allow it to happen anymore.” He ran his fingers through his hair and paced. “But, we were wrong. Nazar came for my sister not long after.”

I held my breath in anticipation, even though I knew how this story ended.

He stopped and pressed his fists into the wall of dirt. “I tried to fight her, but her evil magic was too strong, and no one else was willing to take action until their sisters, wives, and daughters were taken.”

I wanted to touch him, but I curled my hands into fists instead. “And then your people made this place to hide?”

Asher rested his forehead against the wall. “Yes, but we’ve done more than that. We’ve finally made a way out of the valley. One that doesn’t take weeks. It’s a ladder, carved into the dirt and stone, near the glass bridge. Using it, we’ll be able to reach the castle, to free our women.” His next words were barely louder than a whisper. “Some of us can, at least.”

I couldn’t see his face, but I could sense the misery carving a jagged path through his soul. What must it be like to sit helpless while the person you loved was taken away? Sirena’s face flashed in my mind.

My jaw clenched. No. I hadn’t given up on her yet, even though I’d face countless obstacles to reach her. It was my fault she was still there. If I’d just left without Yara and Bethenny, she might be home safe right now.

My fingers rubbed against the dried blood on my gown. “Where do you think your sister is now?”

He pushed away from the wall and tilted his head as he gazed at me. “I’m sure she’s imprisoned, for refusing to join them. She’d die before she dishonored herself like that.”

I wondered if she was already dead, but didn’t dare hurt him with such words.

He opened his mouth to say more, but before he could, the screaming began. We leaped to our feet, staring wildly at the hatch above us. Something terrible was happening in the town, something that might be a result of my presence.

Asher drew his sword and pushed me towards the boxes. We knelt behind them and waited. More sounds, more muffled shouts filtered to us, and my stomach churned.

“Should you go check on your mother?” I whispered.

His gaze never left the hatch. “The Protectors aren’t here for my mother.”

Then, the scraping came. Dirt drifted down on our heads, and I prayed to the goddesses for our protection.

Nothing happened for a long time, and then, the hatch opened above us.

“Rose, I think your fun has come to an end.”

Ice shot down my spine. Blair had found me. I didn’t know what she’d done to the villagers, but I wouldn’t let her do the same to Asher.

Standing, I took a step.

Asher pulled me back. His eyes were narrowed, his jaw clenched, and every muscle poised for battle.

“I guess we should finish this game then,” he said, his voice laced with malice.

Asher’s grip remained firm, but I opened my mouth, knowing there was no way out. And then, the creature jumped through the opening, and my bravery vanished. It was larger than a wolf, with the face of a wild cat, and ears as sharp as knives. Fur of varying shades of amber covered its lean body.

It crouched as if poised to jump. Its lips peeled back, revealing sharp teeth. A growl so deep it vibrated through my chest filled the air.

“Are you certain this is what you wish?” Blair asked. “No more blood needs to be shed this night if only you’ll behave.”

“Send every beast you have!” Asher shouted. “I’ll cut them all down.”

He leaped towards the beast, swinging his sword out before him.

It easily moved out of his reach, and they circled each other. Several times it lunged for him, but each time he deflected it with his blade, never quite drawing its blood. His movements were quick and calculated, each step a move, as if he played some kind of game. But the creature was of magic, built for killing and survival. I knew Asher wouldn’t survive this on his own.

Scanning the room, my gaze fell on the torch near me. I plucked it from the wall, holding it out in front of me as I contemplated my plan.

The beast leaped at Asher, its teeth clamping down on his arm.

We screamed together.

His sword hit the earth.

The torch fell from my hand.

I blinked back tears as I stared at my arm. Nothing marred my flesh, and yet, it felt as if the beast had clamped down on my arm instead of his.

The creature growled, and its teeth slowly clamped down harder.

Fear squeezed my heart as the shocking pain radiated through my arm. Plucking the torch from the ground, using my uninjured hand, I ran at the creature. It turned its big, amber-colored eyes on me a second before I pressed the fire into its side.

A screeching, nearly human in sound, emanated from it. Releasing Asher, the cat dropped to the ground, rolling in our forgotten meal as its fur blazed.

“Quick,” Asher cried, gripping his bloody arm. “Out through the top.”

I picked up my skirts and climbed the crudely built ladder, emerging out into the snowy day. Asher followed behind, staggering into the snow.

Blair waited, her face expressionless as usual. “Was that really necessary?”

Targanus screamed a battle cry as he appeared from behind a building. Blood smeared his face, and he ran at Blair.

She flicked her wrist and magic surged from her, throwing Targanus backward and into a building.

A sickening crunch sounded. He crumpled into the snow, unmoving.

A groan from the pit below drifted up to us, and Asher took my hand in his bloodied one, positioning me behind him. I peeked around him, watching in awe as Meisha emerged from the pit. She was naked, although long amber hair spilled over much of her body.

Meisha stood on shaky legs before collapsing to her knees, her hand pressed against the burned flesh at her side. “I found the girl as ordered.” She took a ragged breath before continuing, “let us return.”

Blair appeared unmoved by the pain in Meisha’s voice or the obvious evidence of her badly burnt flesh, but my stomach turned.

Then, the Protector’s gaze fell on Asher for the first time, and her eyes widened. “Why aren’t you with your mother? And why are you bleeding?”

Asher stiffened and a hesitant surprise filled his expression. “What’s it to you?”

The silence between them lasted a minute too long.

“Nothing,” Blair’s words held a chill. “But, as hard as this might be for you to believe, your people are very important to me. These enchanted lands produce more Protectors than any other village. There’s no need for a young man to be risking his life getting mixed up in our business when he should be busy marrying and having daughters.”

“So you can steal them?” he shot back, cradling his injured arm.

“Time to return to your new home, Rose.” Blair turned to me, dismissing Asher without another word. Her gray eyes flashed, and she stood tall and unmoving. A slight breeze blew through the drifting snow, but not a strand of her dark hair moved. “You belong with us. Your tantrum is unnecessary.”

I stepped around Asher, although his hand clamped down on my arm, keeping me beside him. “Why can’t you just let me go?”

“You are ours now, and I grow tired of this game. If you do not return with me now, I shall kill the boy.”

My breath caught in my throat. Blair’s face remained inexpressive, but I knew her words were more than just an idle threat. The warmth of her magic radiated out from her, searching for a target.

“I’ll return,” I whispered.

Asher turned his pale face to me. Blood dripped from the open wound on his arm, drenching the ground beneath him. “You don’t have to do this.”

I reached up, pressing the palm of my hand against his stubbled-cheek. “I know you would fight for me.” But you wouldn’t win.

He was shaking, leaning forward on unsteady legs as if the slightest wind might knock him down.

I tore myself free from his touch.

His hand fell to his side. “Please, Rose, there’s something about you.”

I smiled and forced my shoulders back. There’s something about you too. “I’m sure we’ll meet again,” was all I managed to say, before walking away from him to meet Blair where she stood.

“That’s a smart girl.” Blair glanced at Meisha, who stood slowly, before limping to Blair’s other side.

A strange sense of acceptance washed over me. I’d fought hard to free myself from these women, but they were more powerful than me. They would bring me back to The Glass Castle, where Sirena waited. I would be taken to the ceremony that would likely end in our deaths. And, there was nothing more I could do about it. I knew no goddess’s name, True Name, that could free us from this fate

We had lost.

5

Rose

“Wait!” Asher shouted.

I tried not to look at him, but my gaze went to him anyway. The sight of him washed away some of my certainty, leaving a strange empty feeling as I noticed the green hue that tinted his flesh. He’d risked everything to save me, and was suffering greatly for his trouble.

He needed to stop fighting for me. Before it was too late. Didn’t he realize that?

“Boy,” Meisha said, her thick accent blending her words even more with the obvious pain each word cost her. “You will not win this. Your life will be lost in vain.”

My gaze clung to him as I silently pleaded that he would understand. But the resolve in his face seemed to harden, and my heart raced. I opened my mouth to speak, but his words came out first.

“You may have stolen my sister,” he whispered, taking a step towards us. “But, you will not,” he shouted, raising his hand towards us, “take her!”

An explosion of freezing, silver light flew from his hand, slamming into Blair and forcing her to the ground with such strength that the earth shook beneath our feet. Meisha cried out from beside me, and I gasped.

Waves of shock rolled over me as I turned to Asher. “You’re,” my voice shook as I spit the words, “a wizard?”

I stepped away, willing myself not to run. He frightened me more than the women ever could. They wished for my death, but a wizard desired much more.

Descriptions of soulless eyes filled my thoughts as bile rose in the back of my throat. All wizards should be dead, wiped out, so no person could be enslaved by them again. But trying to connect Asher with a wizard seemed impossible. How could something so evil exist inside of someone so… in Asher?

“I’m not,” he denied, shaking his head, but his wide eyes swept from me to his hand.

“You can’t exist,” I said, taking another step backward and shaking my head. “The dark days of your people are long gone.”

“They aren’t my people!” he exclaimed. “They’re nothing more than nightmares.”

“And yet you are one,” Meisha said. “Perhaps the last one to curse our lands.”

Blair rose from the ground as if pulled by magical strings, and the air sizzled around her. “Not for long.”

“Please,” Asher groaned, falling to his knees. “I don’t know what that was.” His eyes were locked on mine as he spoke, “but I’m not one of them.” He shuddered, reaching out to me once more. “Trust me.”

A thunderous noise boomed in my ears, and Asher was gone, leaving behind a scorched mark on the earth where he’d once knelt.

I stared down at myself. Numbness and disbelief wrapped me in a suffocating blanket. It was impossible that Asher was dead and gone. He was too much a part of me.

Perhaps I was still asleep in the Safe-Haven, tossing and turning as this nightmare squeezed me in its grip.

“What have you done with him?” Someone screamed.

The me still on the ground turned to the angry woman, my face blank. Blood was smeared across her white apron. More covered her hands and arms up to her elbows.

It took my brain a moment to recognize the woman as Asher’s mom.

“Return my son to me!” she demanded. “At once.”

“He’s dead.”

Each word punched my soul, dragging me back to myself. Numbness faded replaced by an agony too acute to describe. I took short, fast breaths as spots appeared before my eyes. Yet a desperate hope that what I’d seen had somehow been wrong had my gaze fastened to the two women, even as my vision darkened.

Brenna did something completely unexpected at that moment, she smirked. “We both know that’s not true. And if you know what’s good for you, and your secrets, you’ll send him back to me.”

Hope awakened me to the world beyond my suffering. The cold tore at my flesh, my arm still ached, and the smell of cooking food hung in the air.

I took a deep, steadying breath. Asher still lived.

Warmth gathered around Blair as her powers flared. “Now that we know what he is, you know that isn’t possible.”

“What I know,” Asher’s mom said, “is that you’ll send him back to me or suffer the consequences.”

Blair’s voice rose. “Have you forgotten your daughter is in my possession?”

Her arms dropped to her sides. “Nazar took her, not you. I know you’d never hurt a child.” But doubt had crept into her words.

“I’ll do what’s best for Tarak, no matter what the cost.”

The two women exchanged a look I couldn’t quite read; however, there was an unexpected familiarity to it. In fact, there was an unsettling familiarity with their entire argument.

Meisha shifted next to Blair, her keen eyes missing nothing as they darted between the two women.

“You’re impossible.” Brenna dismissed the Head Protector with a wave of her small hand.

Blair glared. “Let this go.”

“Rose,” Asher’s mom barked my name, “you’re responsible for what’s happening to my son.” She used her apron to wipe some of the dark blood from her arms, in a grotesquely matter-of-fact way. “I have The Protectors’ victims to attend to. And you, you’re responsible for returning my son to me.”

My gaze slid to the burn mark Asher had left behind. My throat tightened. Whatever Blair had done to him, it was my fault. And my responsibility to fix.

“I’ll find him,” I whispered to Brenna. “I’ll bring him back to you.”

Her eyes narrowed. “You better, or else you’ll fear my shadow for the rest of your wretched life.”

I stiffened, surprised by the violence in her voice.

“Come here,” Blair ordered me, her tone like the snapping of a whip.

I dragged my feet as I walked towards her, resisting the urge to look back at Brenna. An array of emotion weighed heavily on me, made all the worse by the strange sense that I’d escaped one battle only to step into another. How was I supposed to save Sirena, if I couldn’t even save myself? And how in all the world was I supposed to find Asher and save him too?

The only thing I knew for certain, at this moment, was that all paths led back to The Glass Castle. That’s where my friends were, and probably Asher too, and that’s where these women would take me.

When I reached Blair, she leaned towards me. “And if you should choose not to join our order, I’ll have to kill Sirena. I want you to be very clear about that. She appears to be a far more intelligent and reasonable girl than you, I would loath having to do it, but I would.”

Meisha hissed in a sharp breath and curled further over her injured side. “Let us go. She will join.” Her teeth chattered as she spoke. “She has no other choice.”

The air tingled around me, and a fierce wind of gray and black encircled me. When it faded away, I was no longer in the snow, no longer facing a woman who despised me. Instead, I stood in The Glass Castle’s great hall, my friend staring at me.

Somehow it was worse than where I’d been.

“Rose!” Sirena cried running and embracing me. “We feared the fall had killed you.”

“You’re covered in blood,” Yara squeaked from across the room. “Are you hurt?”

I shook my heading, squeezing Sirena as tightly as possible, unable to speak around the lump in my throat. As much as I didn’t want to be back with The Protectors, my heart swelled to know Sirena was safe.

“Have they hurt you?” I finally managed.

She squeezed me harder. “No, they’ve been busy searching for you.”

“Go see the healer,” Blair ordered.

I watched over Sirena’s shoulder as Meisha hobbled toward the servant’s hallway. Everything about how she moved spoke of pain. Something deep inside me felt disturbed that I’d been the one to do it. What else would these women make me do, before they were done with me?

Sirena released me and stepped back, relief mixed with fear reflected in her eyes. Her hair lay in one long braid down her back. She’d changed and showered too, wearing a shimmery blue dress. On the surface, she seemed to have enjoyed her time in the castle since I’d last seen her, but her face and eyes were red and puffy, betraying her outer calm.

“Are you sure you’re all right?”

She forced a smile, which made her look even more miserable. “I didn’t sleep well… I thought you were…”

Tears formed in her eyes, then gushed down her cheeks.

“Oh no,” I reached out and brushed a stray hair back from her face, “don’t cry. I lived.” My words came out awkward and unsure.

Using the back of her hand, she wiped at her nose as it ran. “But you could’ve died, and I just left you…”

Tears stung my eyes. “No. Don’t. Clarissa used her magic on you. It wasn’t your fault.”

She nodded, looking unconvinced as she brushed furiously at her eyes.

Yara appeared beside her and put a hand on her shoulder. “She’s been a mess since you left, even though The Protectors said they’d felt a rush of magic when you fell.”

“What’s everyone so upset about? If she’d have just listened to me in the first place, none of this would’ve happened,” Bethenny gloated, leaning back in her chair at the table. A goblet hung loosely in her hand.

Anger raced through me, but I forced down the urge to tear every hair from her head. “I hope you’re right, Bethenny. Because if I am, today we’re all going to die.”

“Enough!” The single word Blair spoke held a warning. “My patience with you is gone.”

My heart raced. Then… was it time? Were we about to find out who lived or died?

I took a deep breath. And waited.

6

Rose

I heard the sound of laughter and turned to see Clarissa emerge from the servants’ hallway. “I’d thought nothing would separate Blair from her new pet, but it seems even our leader has her limits.”

My fury boiled as the woman sauntered towards me, her unnatural pink leather outfit clinging to every curve of her body. The hilts of her dagger protruded out of the sheaths at her sides, reminding me of how she’d tried to kill me by shattering the glass bridge.

“I told you I’d get back at you,” Bethenny sneered.

Inwardly, I groaned. It was as if she was completely unaware of how little I cared about her existence. When we were in Duggery, she’d been my enemy, but life was so much simpler then. In the span of a couple of days, I had acquired far more dangerous enemies. I stared down a pack of wolves, and I didn’t need a fly buzzing around my head, demanding my attention.

“Yes,” I said, but my gaze sought Blair rather than the frivolous girl. “I embarrassed you in front of our village, and you betrayed our trust by telling these witches of our plan.”

Yara gasped from beside me, but Blair responded calmly. “Call us whatever you like my dear, but it’s time for The Choosing ceremony.” She crossed to stand beside Clarissa in the center of the room. “Line up girls.”

But I wasn’t done yet. “I heard you say only one of us would survive this ceremony.”

Blair raised a brow. “No one dies from the ceremony, but it can indeed be very difficult for those with weaker powers.”

“Why?” I prodded, wanting to know the truth, even if it meant scaring the girls even more.

She took a moment to answer, the anger fading from her face before she spoke. “This ceremony is not like the one back in your village, that one is simply for show. To give the villagers something to be excited about and to ease the fears of the girls. This one is different. It requires a sacrifice and binds you to The Protectors.”

“Are we to be the sacrifices?”

Clarissa rolled her eyes. “Goddesses, you’re dumb. Didn’t she just say no one dies from the ceremony?”

“As I told you before,” Blair’s voice held a warning, “no one needs to die tonight.”

My stomach twisted, and I glanced at Sirena. Her eyes were filled with fear. If I put up a fight, Sirena would be killed, here and now. But if I simply complied, she might be allowed to live. They’d said one of us would, after all. There was no reason to think Sirena couldn’t be that one.

It was a small chance, but a chance all the same.

Yara touched my arm. “Can we just get this over with?” Her expression told me what I hadn’t wanted to admit to myself, we really didn’t have a choice.

When I didn’t respond, relief reflected across Blair’s face. “All right, the time has come. Stand in line.”

I didn’t move, and reluctantly, the others came to stand beside me.

“I’m afraid,” Sirena whispered, her round eyes full of tears.

Forcing a smile, I held her hand. “I’m right here next to you.”

Her small hand clutched mine more tightly.

Blair raised her arms and whispered something too quietly for me to hear.

The stones in the floor shifted in front of us, groaning with their movements. After a moment, a large space opened between the women and us. Out of this space, a large, deeply grained wooden table rose.

On its surface, two silver basins surrounded by golden goblets caught the light from the many fires blazing in the great hall, momentarily dazzling me. But then my gaze caught the vibrant purple stone in the center of the table, and everything else faded away.

It was perfectly smooth, and four times the size of my head. And as I gazed upon it, a familiar feeling washed over me. A feeling I imagined most people felt when coming home, like I’d found where I belonged.

“It’s time at last,” Blair announced, snapping my attention back to the ceremony. “You’ll decide whether to join our order or gain your freedom.”

Blair made it sound like such a simple thing. We could decide not to join The Order, and we’d be released.

Only, they’d never really let that happen.

“Think your choice over carefully,” Clarissa added, fiddling with the leather bracelet on her wrist as if it were far more interesting than any of us. “It’s the most important decision you’ll ever make.”

I hated them both. Clarissa for her thoughtless cruelty, and Blair for her absence of emotion.

“Before you make your decision, you should know what you stand to gain and what you stand to lose.” Blair paused, meeting each of our gazes. “We aren’t the monsters some people make us out to be, but neither are we simply a group of women who live a privileged life.”

A look of pain crossed her face before vanishing like a trick of the lights. “We were girls, just like you, not so long ago. We had two paths in front of us, and we chose this one, although the choice was not an easy one… not for all of us. We, however, decided to sacrifice a normal life for one of wealth and freedom. Now we have that,” she gestured at the castle around her, “but nothing in this world is free. And the price for such a life? Danger. Uncertainty. And a life of servitude, to both our kingdom and our queen. As the most powerful force protecting all of Tarak, we serve Queen Guadias herself. What she commands, we must obey.”

Her last sentence was tinged with something… resentment maybe?

She took a deep breath, and a softness stole over her silver eyes. “I was once a slave and look at me now.”

Of all the things I thought she might say, that was not it. My gaze ran over the woman before me. A slave? With the way she held herself, and the way she spoke, I’d thought she’d been a lady before joining The Order.

And then another thought came to me. How old was she? Slavery had been abolished from Tarak for quite some time.

She seemed to be waiting, allowing us to process our thoughts. Because when my gaze met hers, she continued. “But also notice, there are no husbands or children here. It is not that it is forbidden to us, but we must put our years of service first.” Her arms dropped to her sides. “And this is just one of the ways we sacrifice.”

“As for the ceremony,” she continued. “It’s not all pomp. You’ll choose a goblet. One will open your powers… allow us to teach you to use them, and one will seal you off from ever joining us again.”

“So decide. Will you join us or walk away from this life forever?”

Silence descended over the room, and I could almost hear the other girls thinking. For a moment, I thought too. Blair was so convincing, so sincere. Could I have misunderstood her as I spied?

No. What she’d said was clear. Only one of us would survive this ceremony. Nor did I misunderstand what she did to Asher or his village.

This woman was a liar. A very good liar, but a liar all the same.

“I’ll join,” Bethenny said, stepping boldly forward.

My gut clenched as I looked wildly about. Was there nothing more I could do to stop this ceremony?

“I’ll return home,” Yara whispered. And then, much to my surprise, shuffled forward. “I wish to return to my father and Duggery.”

“Yara, no,” I said, and all eyes turned to face me, but I saw only hers. “Think about it. No one has ever returned. Do you really believe in all the history of our village no one has ever wished to return?”

Her brown eyes glistened with unshed tears, and my heart constricted. “I just want to be back with my father.”

I wanted to argue with her, but beneath her childish tears, was the resolve of a woman twice her age.

“I’ll join,” Sirena whispered, tears welling in her eyes as she pulled her hand free from mine and crossed to stand beside Bethenny and Yara.

She didn’t glance back at me, and I was glad. I didn’t want her to see the conflicting emotions raging across my face.

Tension sizzled through the room.

“I guess you’ve decided to join our order,” Clarissa prompted, after a little time.

Her words were like the turning of a knife in my gut. “I’m being forced to join.”

Blair tilted her head. “There’s always a choice.”

My skin tingled as I gazed at her, and I hated my words even before they slipped past my lips. “I choose to join.”

Surprisingly, relief washed over Blair’s face. “Then, step forward.” I did, and she pointed to the two basins that we stood before. “You three,” she explained, pointing at Bethenny, Sirena, and myself. “Will drink from here.” She pointed to the basin on the right. “And you,” she continued, pointing at Yara, “will drink from the other one.”

One after another they picked up their goblets, dipped them into the basins, and moved to stand before the fire.

Stepping slowly forward, I drew out what could be the last moments of my life.

Blair handed me a goblet.

I took it, careful not to touch her skin. A chill ran through my body as I allowed the goblet to sink beneath the surface of the dark liquid in the basin, before pulling it free. My legs moved with a numb stiffness as I crossed the space to stand beside the other girls.

“This ceremony is of great importance,” Blair spoke each word with practiced ease. “And it’s important that you all drink at the same time.”

I couldn’t look at her as she spoke. Instead, I gazed down at the drink.

In the light of the fire, the liquid in my goblet was the color of lavender on a beautiful spring day. A smile twisted my lips, my reflection dancing in the purple substance. It seemed only proper that my life should end with something so beautiful. Something that reminded me of days spent lying in fields of lavender, laughing and talking with Sirena about our dreams of being Chosen. Even the smell of lavender filled my nostrils, and I prayed my memories would comfort me even in death.

“To choices,” Blair said, taking an empty goblet in her slender hand and raising it to us in salute.

We raised the goblets to our lips in unison. I drank deeply, not wishing to draw out the effects the poison would likely wreak on my body.

7

Rose

It tasted of honey and rain. A combination that soothed my soul. My vision swam. My goblet hit the floor. I swayed on my feet, feeling weightless and heavy all at once. And then, something exploded, destroying me from the inside out.

Intense pain screamed through my veins, bones, and muscles. It expelled something akin to my organs through my pores, leaving behind a burning, searing spike of never-ending wretchedness.

I prayed for death’s sweet release, shrieking to Persephone to end my life.

Distantly I was aware of stone pressing into my belly as I crawled. It kept the sensation of my insides spilling to the floor at bay. Screaming filled my ears, and I wept, wanting to end the nightmare I’d stepped into.

Memories of long ago flooded me, of the day I’d worn my necklace for the first time. I remembered seeing the world differently, as if I’d awakened a sense I’d never known existed. Magic hummed all around me, in the trees, animals, and even within people. The sensation had faded abruptly, but always remained somewhere inside of me, not as sharp as that first moment, but present all the same.

This was like that, except different. Where my awareness of magic had been like a flash of cold water then, now it was like an icy river holding me beneath the waters. I sensed the magic in every stone of the castle, in every inch of enchanted glass, because now I could feel the many enchantments that vibrated through it. I sensed powerful magic, untamed and dangerous. A magic that felt more beast than human, and then magic so dauntingly strong I knew it could be no one but Blair.

My new awareness threatened to drown me. It battered my mind and body, trying to erase my ties to myself, to smoother me in the magic around me. But I refused, with the desperation of a person clinging to a rock in the center of a swirling river.

If I let go, I’d die.

So I didn’t. I repeated my name over and over again, clinging to it until I became aware of the shard around my neck burning against my flesh, jolting me from my nightmare. Slowly, my awareness of the magic around me faded to a humming.

Gasping in ragged breaths, I forced my eyes open. For a second the room swam, and then came sharply into focus. I’d made it to the edge of the wooden table the giant purple stone sat on, just visible from where I lay.

Time passed as I waited for the trembling in my body to slow. Part of me wanted nothing more than to slip into the peace of unconsciousness, but an unexpected part wanted the purple stone more than I wanted my next breath.

Light flashed from the stone’s surface.

Drawing upon strength I didn’t know I had, I gripped the edge of the table and forced myself up onto my knees. Reaching out, I traced its smooth exterior.

Unexpectedly, my fingers grazed a chip in its otherwise flawless surface, and I stroked the spot, watching as the purple stone blended to red. The shard of stone at my throat throbbed, and realization washed over me. My necklace, given to me by my father on my thirteenth birthday, was made from this same stone.

“Damn,” Clarissa muttered, and I tore my gaze from the stone to her heart-shaped face, hovering just above me. “She’s still alive.”

I turned to the fireplace. Yara stood motionless, her eyes blank and lifeless. But Sirena and Bethenny were nowhere to be found. Rising, I limped to the young girl, holding my stomach to keep from tossing up my last meal.

“Where are the others?” I asked in desperation. “Where is Sirena?”

Clarissa’s sharp bark of a laugh was my only answer. “I wouldn’t bother asking her anything now. She couldn’t tell you her name if she tried.”

I spun to face the hateful woman, the movement making my stomach lurch. “What have you done to her?”

The blonde shrugged. “We couldn’t just allow people to leave, could we? That’d create a lot of problems for us. And besides, who would scrub our floors if not for The Forgotten?”

A vision of the silent servants who haunted the halls came to my mind, and horror made my voice low. “You can’t have done this to her.”

“It’s already done,” Clarissa said, tapping her foot on the floor and glancing to where Blair waited. “And it can’t be undone, so can we move on with the ceremony?”

“What about Sirena? She chose to join The Order.”

“She wasn’t powerful enough,” Blair answered as if this should erase the question from my mind.

“What does that mean?” I demanded.

“My goddesses!” Clarissa shouted. “How can a girl powerful enough to pass the test be so dense? All of you drank the potion, strained through The Orb. Your magic was unlocked, and those who weren’t strong enough, well… look at the ground!”

I obeyed, even though confusion and anger battled inside of me.

Two flowers, as red as blood, lay on the floor. They were exactly like the ones that surrounded the castle. With petals open, they looked full and healthy, even though they seemed too large for the single stems they grew upon.

My confusion slowly fled as I stared at them. An awful feeling, as cool as the hand of Persephone, gripped my heart.

“No,” I whispered, crumbling beside them. “This can’t be.”

That instinct inside of me that was screaming that there was something wrong with The Order, with the roses, with the witches… it seemed I was right. But never could I have imagined that this was their dark secret.

Turning people into slaves.

Transforming people into roses.

The Order was supposed to be our fairy tale ending, but it seemed it was only the beginning of my nightmare.

8

Rose

I gathered the fragile lives into my hands.

“You’ve finally figured it out,” Clarissa remarked, followed by a bark of laugher.

I ignored her, staring at the red roses in my palms. It couldn’t be. It just wasn’t possible. Could one of these flowers truly be my gentle friend? Forever trapped inside a plant.

“But why?” I asked, too stunned to think of a better response.

Blair was at my side in an instant. “May I?” she asked, lifting the flowers from my numb hands. “These must be planted at once, or they shall die.” She handed them to Yara. “Take these through that door and hand them to the first girl you see.”

Yara obeyed, and the grip around my heart tightened.

“But they have no roots…” My words came out garbled.

“They’re magical,” Clarissa said. “They don’t need them to survive.”

“I know this is difficult for you,” Blair said, placing a hand on my shoulder and kneeling beside me. “But soon you will come to understand that we are on the side of good.”

“Good!” I shouted, tears rushing down my cheeks. “What good can come from turning girls into mindless slaves and flowers?”

She patted my shoulder, and I shook myself free from her touch, circling my arms around my knees. Uncontrollable sobs wracked my body, even while I shook my head, denying the tears and my loss.

“Your friends’ lives will not be given in vain. They will aid the fight against the Undead.”

I sobbed harder.

She rose. “You may have another moment to grieve the loss of them, then we must get to work, too much time has been wasted by your misbehavior already.”

Rubbing at my tears, I sucked in deep breaths, turning her words over in my mind. Get to work? My best friend was gone. What possible reason did I have to do anything these women asked of me?

Something dark took root in my chest.

I climbed to my feet, a single-minded goal pushing past my sorrow. “And what of Asher?”

She stiffened, glancing at Clarissa. “This is something better discussed alone.”

“Where is he?” I demanded, hating the edge of desperation to my words.

“Don’t you have more pressing matters to focus on?”

I tried to level her with my most frightening glare. “You can’t take him just because he’s a wizard.”

Blair’s eyes widened in horror.

But as she opened her mouth to speak, Clarissa interrupted. “A wizard? What’s she talking about?”

Blair’s face returned to its familiar blank mask, but she addressed only me. “He’s dead now.”

I clenched my fists. “You lie.”

“Enough of this!” she shouted, spinning away from me. “Bring Meisha to me.”

Clarissa responded, a nervous flutter making her voice waver, “She’s still healing.”

“I don’t care,” Blair growled.

Clarissa hesitated for only a moment longer before disappearing down the dark servants’ hallway.

Exhausted, I crossed the room and sat in one of the many empty chairs at the long dining table, ignoring Blair as she paced, enraged. Her shadow moved along with her as she strode back and forth in front of the massive hearth. After a while, her movements irritated the pounding in my aching head.

Closing my eyes against both her shadow and the bright lights of the room, I tried to find the strength to face whatever might be coming next.

Minutes ticked by before the sound of someone walking carried over the crackle of the fire. Clarissa scurried into the room, a deep line of concern marring the smoothness of her high forehead. Behind her, Meisha entered. Her brilliant hair was concealed once more beneath a black scarf, and she wore a simple black gown. It spilled over her tall, lean frame, stopping just above her bare feet.

“You sent for me,” Meisha whispered. Pain danced just beneath her accent, and one of her hands hovered above her side.

“Take the girl to Sereus.”

Meisha and Clarissa stiffened.

“Are you sure this is wise?” Meisha questioned slowly. “She is both untrained and unprepared to handle the horrors of Sereus.”

“Do as you are told,” Blair ordered.

A flash of defiance showed in Meisha’s eyes. “Has she even given her pledge to the queen yet?”

To my surprise, Blair took a deep breath and answered with, “Not yet.” Then, she turned to me with barely concealed annoyance. “Are you ready girl?”

I was too tired to argue, but I couldn’t quite bring myself to pledge something I didn’t understand. “No. Why would I?”

Blair opened her mouth to speak, but Meisha answered more quickly. “We are The Protectors of Tarak, and so we serve the queen. Every Protector must swear an oath to her.”

The queen. An arrogant, selfish woman who taxed her people to the point of near starvation. I’d never considered that by being Chosen, I’d also have to serve her. Just the thought of it made me sag further in my chair. “And I’m guessing this is yet another thing I have no choice about.”

“Correct,” Blair said, no longer wasting her breath with false arguments about my many choices.

“Fine.”

Blair waved me towards her.

With shaking legs, I obeyed.

When I stopped in front of her, she ordered, “Repeat after me. I Rose Vidoryn swear to serve Queen Gaudias as a Protector of Tarak, until my dying breath.”

I stared at her. “Until my dying breath? No.”

Blair took a step closer, her fist clenched at her side. “Everyone must take the oath.”

I was about to argue when Meisha spoke. “Blair, we need her. She has been through a far more difficult Choosing than any before her.”

“She needs to take it,” Blair said, through gritted teeth.

Meisha sighed. “It is not her fault she took the potion better than most.”

“I’m not saying it—”

“Clarissa took a full day to recover enough to take the oath. I took two days. Why can we not give her more time to understand what we do?”

Blair’s mouth drew into a thin line. “She shouldn’t need time. This is an honor.”

“Did you think it was an honor in the beginning?”

Blair opened her mouth and closed it several times before speaking. “Fine. Tonight she shall sleep. Tomorrow morning you will take her to Sereus. When she returns, she will take the oath, or I shall kill her myself.”

“Agreed,” Meisha said, tilting her head in an oddly inhuman gesture. “Now that this is finished…”

“Not yet,” Blair said, the anger gone from her voice. “You know she needs to be marked first.”

“Marked?” I asked, turning to Meisha.

But she avoided my gaze.

Seconds later, I hit the floor. Clarissa towered over me, her beautiful face just inches from my own. But even though I expected to see aggression, her eyes were wide with an unspoken apology. I tried to lean forward, but the blade of her knife pressed against my throat.

“What is this?” I asked, sweat trickling down my back.

Meisha forced my arm down. “It will not hurt. Blair will block the pain… for today.”

Then, I felt pressure on my wrist but could see nothing. Clarissa blocked my view with her guilty face. I remained still, too shocked to move, until I caught the scent of burnt flesh.

I strained against the people holding me down. A scream built in my throat as every muscle in my body tensed as I tried, unsuccessfully, to escape.

“No.”

“I am truly sorry,” Meisha said, from somewhere beyond my vision.

Seconds later, I was released.

Blair tossed a hot poker back into the blazing fire.

With sick dread, I looked down at the Protector’s symbol burned into my wrist, then quickly away. A knot with an eye in the center of it, dark and clear. There could be no doubt what I was now.

It was too much. All of it was too much. I couldn’t handle any of what they’d done to me, but least of all being marked for eternity.

Meisha turned towards the door, pausing to rest against the door frame. “Come child.”

“But what about Sirena? What about Asher?” I asked, fighting my nausea, and cradling my arm against my chest.

Sadness crept into her voice. “You must forget about your old life to embrace your new one.”

“I can’t just forget about them.”

Her amber gaze fell on me. “The only chance you have at saving any of them is to come with me.”

She shuffled down the hall, and I followed slowly behind. “This is a nightmare,” I whispered.

“No,” she said. “This is unfortunate. Sereus is a nightmare.”

I shook my head. “This can’t get any worse.”

She didn’t look at me as she responded. “Tomorrow morning you shall see. But for tonight, try to sleep. You will need your rest to face what you must.”

“What makes any of you think I’ll go along with this? You’ve already taken my best friend from me, what more can you do?”

Meisha glanced around the hallway, then lowered her voice. “If you prove yourself valuable, you may be able to negotiate with Blair for your friend’s life.”

Hope sparked inside of me. So many things had been taken from me in the past two days, but the thought that I might still be able to save Sirena gave me the strength to walk the length of the hall and collapse onto the bed that was now my own.

I had no idea what I’d have to face tomorrow, but I didn’t care, not as long as I still had hope.

9

Rose

I rubbed the tender flesh of my wrist, clearly visible in the early morning light. The mark had been burned deep. It meant nothing. And everything. A simple knot with an eye in the center, and yet, it was a physical symbol that I belonged to them. I was one of them.

Even though I’d awoken early to a mouth-watering breakfast, bathed, and changed into a simple dress made of a ridiculously soft cotton, my whole body hummed with a deep aching. But the ache in my body was nothing in comparison to the aching in my heart. Hidden beneath my pillow, I’d discovered the barrette of The Goddess of the Harvest that Sirena had worn.

I had no idea how it got there, but as I secured my hair back that morning, I nestled it in the back. Even though it was tiny, I sensed its presence with every step I took.

Meisha led me across the glass bridge, showing no evidence it had been broken by Clarissa’s blade. It glinted in the light of the morning sun as we crossed it without a word. Meisha’s hand often drifted to her side, and I wondered how she continued moving with the vicious burn hurting so badly.

The burn I’d given her.

A brown cape covered her silky black dress. Her bare feet crunched through the snow as if she was impervious to the chill. She inched carefully around each of the red flowers growing through the snow, while I followed. Knowing my friend was one of these same flowers made me wonder whose daughter, mother, sister, or friend we stepped around. And where my friend, Sirena, lay among the roses.

Tears gathered in my eyes, but I blinked them away.

“You are very quiet this morning,” Meisha observed.

I shrugged, taking a second to gather myself. “What’s there to say?”

“Perhaps to ask questions. Like what your new role is as a Protector.”

“It seems obvious,” I shot back, trying to hide my grief behind anger. “You steal girls from their homes and rob them of their lives, in one way or another.”

She gave me a sad smile. “All this is true. But the question is why?”

“Is there any answer that could justify it?”

Cocking her head in her inhumane way, she answered, “Justify it? No. But there is still a why.” She hesitated. “Queen Guadias is the ruler of the most powerful kingdom in the world, but she is hated by many.”

I snorted. “She taxes her people to death for wars to expand her kingdom, when her people starve in the streets.”

“Yes, and her actions have created a great many enemies.” Meisha’s words held an edge of satisfaction. “The Northerns attack the border to the north daily. Pirates attack any ships from our allies to the East. And the West… we shall have an all-out war with them any day.”

“I knew her kingdom hated her. I didn’t realize the whole world did.”

With the queen’s men always listening, the people of Duggery rarely discussed politics of any kind, just in case it might end in a blackened eye… or worse.

Meisha circled to avoid another rose. “Queen Guadias is the oldest child of King Gaudias of The Bloody Isles. Cruelty runs through her veins.”

This bit of history I’d learned from the town priest. “Not many people could slaughter a family in cold blood.”

She faltered in her steps and gazed back at me, with eyes wide. “So you know of King and Queen Zander’s murder?”

“Of course.”

With no children to inherit the rule of Tarak, Maggart Guadias, cousin to Kind Zander, was next in line. But by some twist of fate, Queen Zander, in her old age, gave birth to a baby boy. Our kingdom had celebrated finally having a true heir of our kingdom. They had not relished the idea of a stranger from The Bloody Isles ruling them one day.

Unfortunately, not everyone was so happy about the child’s birth. Maggart came under the guise of meeting the new prince but instead slaughtered the entire family.

“So you understand…,” Meisha’s gaze held uncertainty, “why the queen requires a group of Protectors to guard the kingdom against outside forces and to keep her safe from all those who wish her dead?”

We stood in the cold, facing each other. It seemed Meisha wanted to say more, but the words escaped her.

“I understand,” I told her, shrugging, and rubbing my arms against the cold even though I wore a new, dark green cloak. It was beautifully made, with intricate stitches of roses around the edges, but didn’t bring the same warmth and comfort as my old blood-soaked cloak. “But why turn girls into roses and servants?”

She blinked and turned, continuing to walk. “Those questions are better left to Blair.”

I followed her, sinking into my loneliness as quickly as I’d been distracted from it. Meisha might be different from the other Protectors, but her loyalty was still firmly with Blair.

She led me towards the portal, surrounded by trees heavy with snow. A pang rang deep in my heart as I stared at the white archway carved with intricate red roses. It was no longer something wondrous to behold, but a reminder of Sirena and my responsibility to return her safely home.

Even if I might not be allowed to return with her.

“Rose.” My name was a mere whisper. Was it a trick of the wind, or my mind, giving it Meisha’s voice?

But then, she turned her amber gaze on me.

“I did not lie,” she began, her husky accent thick. “Sereus is a nightmare. It will change you forever.”

“Blair ordered us to go. Do we have any choice?”

A question lingered in her eyes, echoed in the tilt of her head, one I didn’t understand.

“If I do this, whatever it is, will Blair give me my friend back?”

Sadness filled her gaze. “No, it will require so much more. This is only the first step.”

I locked eyes with her. “When we get back, I’m going to negotiate terms with her.”

“A good idea.”

I wanted to demand more from her, but I didn’t know what else to say. Instead, I itched near my mark again, then glanced at her wrists. “Why don’t you have a mark?”

She looked surprised. “They did not want such a marking on my other form as well.”

“Other…” I stopped myself as I realized my stupidity. Her other form was her cat animal, of course.

“Nearly all the other Protectors are marked. Most simply choose to hide them.”

I looked at my mark, wishing furiously I had a way to hide it too. Being a Protector was bad enough; I didn’t need everyone knowing it the second they looked at me.

Meisha dropped her head, rubbing the bridge of her nose with her long fingers. “Sometimes I wish…” She trailed off, straightened, and turned back to the portal. “Prepare yourself for the other side, young one.”

With no weapons or defenses against what waited on the other side, anxious fear locked my muscles.

She glided to the archway of the shrine and pressed her palm against its smooth surface. I almost asked what she was doing. This was not the way Blair had opened the portal. But before I could, a warmth spread over my skin.

The center of the portal transformed, peeking into another forest. One very different from ours. Instead of snow, there was bare ground, free of even the normal undergrowth found in a forest. Shadows clung solidly beneath the sunlit trees. Their strikingly sharp edges sent a shiver down my spine.

Meisha crouched as she stepped into the distant world. Her movements were smooth yet cautious, reminding me of the strange beast hiding under her skin. My heart thumped painfully as she glanced back at me. Pulling my cloak tighter about my shoulders, I stepped forward.

Immediate awareness of pleasantly warm weather struck me, followed by the intoxicating scent of green life. The forest back in Duggery smelled similarly to this, although here it smelled more like the clean freshness of an autumn forest, rather than the deep, rich scent of ancient wood. And yet, every muscle in my body tensed. The hairs on my arms stood on end, and with no wind to ruffle the leaves, it was as if even the wind held its breath… waiting.

For what, I didn’t know.

Behind me, the portal had closed, sealing off any chance of escape.

I glanced around, trying to take in my surroundings. The trees in this forest looked different from any others I’d seen. They stood tall and thin, with pale white trunks and blue leaves. Reaching out, I plucked a leaf from the closest tree and inspected it. The leaf was nearly translucent, with veins, not unlike the ones on an old woman’s legs. But as I held it, the leaf melted, growing wet and slimy.

I dropped it, wiping my hands on my dress. “Odd.”

“It is important you follow me and do as I say, without question. Understand?”

There was no way I would do what she said without question, but I nodded.

Meisha wrinkled her nose as if smelling a bad odor and started walking. “May your goddesses protect us in this place.”

My back stiffened. From what? But I wasn’t sure I wanted to know.

She moved with purpose, and I hurried to keep up with her long strides. “My goddesses? Are you not a believer?”

“Where I am from, we believe in life, death, love, and family. This is all.”

“I didn’t know people existed who didn’t believe in the goddesses.” I shifted the cloak off my shoulders, trying to cool down in the warmer weather. “They’re as real as you or me.”

“Perhaps,” Meisha said. “But I do not worship them.”

My eyes drifted to the scarf secured around her head.

“Do all your people cover their hair?” My words left me cringing. Had I really just spoken them aloud?

But to my surprise, she laughed. It was a raspy, harsh sound. “This is a difficult thing to answer,” she murmured, pausing so I could catch up, before continuing towards her destination. “Uncovered hair attracts unwanted attention.”

No one could see her hair and think she was entirely human. There were too many shades of amber, blending like the fur on an animal.

“So all your people can transform into that… creature?”

She frowned at me. “What makes you think I transform into her?”

It was my turn to frown. “I just assumed—“

Meisha paused, scanned our surroundings, and then met my gaze. “We cannot continue speaking. I need to listen. But I will say this. Being human is the form I take, not the other way around.”

She kept moving and I followed, confused.

Another question came to mind, but it fled when she froze, cocking her head as if listening.

“We are Protectors of Tarak!” she shouted to the forest, pausing briefly before continuing forward.

No leaves crackled beneath our feet, no sounds of animals stirred the silence. And it struck me how odd that was. This worry kept any other thoughts at bay until I saw the first tree, splattered with blood. Meisha paused, but I crept closer, moving until I could feel the warmth of her body beside me.

The blood was a streak of horrendous color, as if someone had clung to the tree, slid down, and died right there. It had the distinct dark, almost black, color that said the blood had long ago dried. Thankfully. Had it been fresh… my heartbeat quickened.

“We are Protectors of Tarak!” she shouted once more.

Sweat trickled down the back of my neck. Was she speaking to whatever had left the blood or someone who could protect us from it?

I gazed around.

More blood-splattered trees stretched out in an uneven line on both sides in front of us. The crisp shadows spread and deepened, creating unnatural darkness even beneath the veil of translucent leaves. Warmth brushed my skin as Meisha gathered her magic to her.

I swallowed. Hard. Whatever had left blood everywhere here… I had a feeling it was coming for us.

10

Rose

The crisp, clear whistle of a bird echoed as a man emerged from a nearby shadow. Mud covered his face, and the clothes he wore were tattered. More men and women separated from the darkness and followed this man as he moved towards us. There were nearly a dozen people, gripping sharpened blades.

My pulse quickened. My fists clenched. The instinct to fight or flee raced through me.

Meisha didn’t move, nor did she release her magic.

He paused not ten feet in front of us. He was younger than my father and thin, with a thick red scar marring his bald head.

“I am Ugar,” he announced. “Now come.”

Meisha followed his orders, while I hesitated. Why should we trust him? He screamed danger, as did the people around him.

It only took Meisha a moment to realize I wasn’t following. She closed the distance between us, gripping my arms with such force that I nearly cried out. “You will follow and do as I do. Or you will die.”

A cold sweat washed over my body. I nodded.

She released me, striding back towards the man and his followers.

I did my best to keep up with her.

More trees painted by red surrounded us as we continued, along with more ragged people. A village appeared before us, a place stinking of death, in desperate need of repair. In the center of the town, a fountain spewed brown water. A statue rose from its center, the same symbol burned into my wrist, the knot of The Protectors of Tarak.

We continued, but I stopped as we approached a small temple, so similar to my own back home, it shocked me. Only, the gray stone had been charred black. And in the center, a man in a white robe knelt in the center of the two pillars.

My pace quickened. Priests wore gray robes. Oracles wore white. “Is that man an Oracle?” I asked, the words slipping out before I could stop them.

Ugar paused and turned around. “Yes.”

I stared at him, too shocked to respond. An Oracle should be surrounded by servants and treated with extreme respect and care. Usually, they only resided in large towns, where they could pass on messages from the goddesses to the people who benefitted from them the most.

“Keep moving,” Ugar ordered.

But before I could take a step, the Oracle stood. He was a young man with hair the color of coal and deathly pale skin. To my surprise, he approached us with a smile.

“Welcome, strangers!” he greeted.

Just a few steps from us, he stopped. A spasm racked his body, and his head rolled back.

He nearly fell, but Ugar caught him.

I took a few steps closer, staring down at the man.

The Oracle’s pupils had vanished, replaced by an eerie white. “I, Libra, the great Goddess of Freedom will not take a side in this war between sisters. Although my heart goes out to the people of Tarak.”

He convulsed again as his eyelids closed.

My pulse raced. Had I really just witnessed what I thought I had?

The urge to fall on my knees and pray raced through me as my legs trembled. But no one else seemed the least bit affected by the miracle they’d just witnessed.

“Did a goddess really just speak through him?” I asked, glancing at Meisha.

She shrugged. “His task is to find goddesses to aid our war. A task he has mostly been unsuccessful at.”

Her words failed to diminish my wonder. Successful or not, this man had just had a goddess speak through him.

Ugar gestured to one of his men. “Take care of him.”

The frightening man didn’t look at the Oracle as he handed him off, but straightened and turned a glare on us. “A storm comes. We must hurry.”

I followed after him while staring back at the Oracle being tossed over a man’s back like a sack. My heart ached. In what place was such an important person treated so badly?

Ugar led us to the first building showing real signs of life. Smoke drifted from the chimney, and although small, it was well cared for. Built from the same white wood as the strange trees, and with a few stairs leading up to a small porch, it had an unexpected air of hominess.

“Norma waits,” Ugar said.

Meisha nodded and reached for the handle, but it opened.

A monster of a woman stood in the doorway, as thick and sturdy as a mountain, with dark brown hair tied back from her flat face. Warts, big and pink, dotted her flesh, including one misshapen one on her right eyelid. A hump curved her back, and black hair exploded from her muscular arms. “What’s this?” She gripped the hilt of her sword. “Ladies from the castle?”

Meisha’s face was unreadable, as if she neither noticed nor cared about the sarcasm lacing the older woman’s voice, which only further added to the red fury blossoming over Norma’s face.

“What brings us the pleasure of your presence here?”

“Blair.” Meisha’s abrupt answer had the woman’s uni-brow twitching.

Red spread over Norma’s neck. “How kind of her to send us her dog.”

In the blink of an eye, the monstrous woman was sprawled on the ground, and Meisha was standing over her. Meisha’s hand gripped the older woman’s hair, pulling it back to reveal the pale flesh at her throat.

“I am no one’s dog,” Meisha growled.

Ugar’s hand drifted over the blade at his side.

A sickening feeling washed over me, making my head light.

“We’re here because of me,” I cried, surprising even myself with the volume of my words.

All eyes focused on me.

The tension mounted.

“I’m new to The Protectors, so Blair wanted me to come here.”

“Why?” Norma hissed, undaunted by Meisha’s threat.

The words tumbled from my lips. “I don’t know exactly, but I think she wants me to learn about what The Protectors do, so perhaps I won’t try to run away again.”

My revelation left a moment of quiet, and then, she laughed. Not the rough sound of Meisha’s, nor the falsely musical one of Clarissa’s, but a booming explosion of noise, rising from her stomach and exploding from her lips.

Meisha stepped back.

Norma lumbered to her feet, all tension evaporated.

“I’m Norma,” the woman said, talking through her laughter, “and I must speak with the girl daring enough to run away from The Ice Queen herself.”

Ugar’s hand fell away from his blade.

“Come, come.” She waved. “My home is your home.”

We followed her inside.

Ugar closed the door behind us.

Norma pushed back a thick curtain leading into a small space, where more curtains had been used in place of walls. A large square table surrounded by chairs occupied most of our area. Through the thin fabric separating our space from the rest of the open room, light filtered in from the fire. A hazy view of pillows and blankets littered the floor on the other side.

“Sit.” She gestured to the chairs. “Tell me, little one, how you came to escape The Ice Queen.”

I sank gratefully onto the hard wooden chair but struggled for something to say, not yet ready to share my story. “Wh—Why do you call her The Ice Queen?”

The woman laughed again, throwing back her head. “Because she lives in a glass castle in the snow. Besides, she hates the nickname.”

I tried not to let my surprise show.

“How do you know Blair?” I asked, staring down at the table. A map of all of Tarak, colorful and detailed, had been unrolled, alongside a mug as thick as my neck.

Norma drew my attention as she crossed one of her muscular arms behind her head. With the other, she reached for the mug, taking a deep swig of the golden liquid, before setting it back down. A sour smell reached me, and I eyed her drink with suspicion.

“Blair and I have a long history,” she explained, leaning back in her chair. “She appointed me here not long after I joined The Order. Not that I blame her. My talents make a place like this the obvious choice.”

My mind raced. Norma was a Protector of Tarak?

Sneaking a look at Meisha, I frowned. Her stony expression and eyes blazing with restrained anger felt oddly out of place. With her back stiff, and her bare feet pressed against the wooden floor, she could’ve been a beautiful statue. I’d always thought that only the loveliest women were chosen to become Protectors, yet Norma was beautiful by no standards that I knew.

Rather than offend her, I asked simply, “What talents?”

Norma leaned further back, shoving her booted feet against the side of the table until two of the chair’s legs rose in the air. The table screeched in protest and shifted an inch, but otherwise held the woman’s weight.

“What’s your name, girl?”

“Rose,” I said.

“Is that short for Rosalyn?” she asked, smirking.

Every muscle in my body tensed. Asking others about their True Name wasn’t just rude… it was insulting. To know someone’s True Name was dangerous. If they learned how to say the name just right, the way you said it, they could gain influence over you. But giving a magical person your True Name, they could enslave you to them. Wizards could do it with blood or with your name. Protectors could only use your name.

“What’s Norma short for?” My question was clipped with anger.

She laughed. “This one’s got a little spark, don’t she?” Her grin widened. “How much do you know about what we do, Rose?” She emphasized my name.

I ground my teeth together. “I know you take innocent girls from their homes and—”

“Yes, yes,” Norma growled, “but what do you know about what we do?”

“Do?” What did they do? “Nothing.”

Norma flexed her legs once more. “When did you pass the test?”

“Last night.”

Her legs crumpled, and her chair hit the floor. “Last night?” Norma turned her sharp gaze on Meisha. “Goddesses’ tooth! What was Blair thinking sending such fresh meat?”

Meisha seemed to regard the other woman for a long minute before answering. “I know nothing of how her mind works.”

“You have no idea why she sent her?” Norma asked, sarcasm lacing her words.

Meisha answered slowly. “There is a storm coming. She wishes the girl to see why we sacrifice what we do, and why we are necessary to Tarak.”

Norma used the back of her hairy arm to wipe at her mouth. “The girl must’ve really smarted Blair’s pride to torture the girl like this.”

Fear clawed my gut. What did they have planned for me?

“There’s more.” Meisha curled her hands into fists until her knuckles turned white. “We learned the girl is something special. She has the power of the goddesses’ names.”

A sharp whistle escaped through the space between Norma’s front teeth. “If that’s true, it changes everything.”

“If we can train her in time.” Disapproval dripped from Meisha’s words.

Sweat gathered at my hairline as I glanced from one woman to the other. I didn’t like the way they spoke of my powers… like they were something unusual. Didn’t both of these women have powers of their own?

Or was there something wrong with me?

I held my breath, hoping to finally learn some answers.

11

Rose

“Do not look so surprised,” Meisha’s voice softened. “When you fell from the bridge, we felt the power of your spell. When Blair used her powers, to find you, still alive, it confirmed our suspicions.”

“B—But can’t all of you perform spells?”

Norma picked up her mug and took a large gulp before slamming it back on the table. “No, girl. We’ve got our own gifts. But if The Ice Queen sent you, you must be something special.” Her gaze evaluated me from head to toe. “You’re as innocent as a lamb to the slaughter, aren’t you? I better explain things from the beginning, since the ladies failed to do so. What do you know of wizards?”

Her final word made me tense. No one spoke of wizards. Why would they? No good could come from speaking of creatures so evil that only death had freed us from them.

But my thoughts betrayed me. A picture of Asher rose in my mind like the blazing of a fire. Broad-shouldered, tall and muscular, with the build of a man who knew how to swing a sword, he was every girl’s greatest fantasy. But it was his face that made me catch my breath, letting it out in a slow puff of air as I imagined each curve of his remarkable face. There had never been a more beautiful man, with his strong jaw, generous lips, and deep blue eyes as compelling as an unfinished story.

I’d even dreamed of him the night before… in it, I’d relived our kiss. Only this time I could see magic swirling about us, tying us together for all of eternity. A half-smile had touched his lips, and I’d been lost in the sight of him.

Logically, I should’ve woken up terrified. Instead, I’d woken up with a smile on my face. How had he gotten so deeply under my skin without me noticing?

“Rose?” Norma repeated.

I turned to her, struggling to remember her question.

“She knows wizards no longer exist.” Meisha directed her comment to Norma, but her gaze remained on me, communicating without words. No one was to know of Asher.

Warmth flooded my cheeks. Could she read my thoughts?

“Everyone knows that,” Norma said, as if completely unaware of my embarrassment, “but do you know how we got rid of them?”

I shifted in my chair, rubbing near the burn on my wrist. “The queen did it somehow. Probably with the help of a goddess.”

Norma’s gaze drifted to Meisha. “The Protectors of Tarak murdered them all.”

I gasped. Protectors didn’t use their powers for killing, to do so would make us no better than the wizards themselves!

But my shock passed. Hadn’t I already realized that these women were capable of far more horrible things than I ever imagined?

When I realized I’d been silent for too long, I asked, “How?” Even though I wanted to ask why.

Norma eased her chair legs to the floor and gripped her mug, staring down into it as if she would find the answer somewhere in the sour liquid.

“That is a story for another time,” Meisha said. “There are more pressing matters to discuss.”

Norma frowned. “Yes, the time for stories is almost over.” She raised her glass and drank until she emptied the last drop. Then, she wiped her mouth on the back of her hand. “That story is a horrific one girl, but real life is much, much worse. You see, killing the goddesses’ prized humans probably wasn’t the best idea.” She laughed humorlessly, and I leaned forward, not wishing to miss a single word. “When the wizards went to the Underworld, their leader, Marcalus, appealed to Persephone.”

The image of Persephone, the goddess of the Underworld came to mind. When my father and I had visited the temples of different goddesses, we’d seen one devoted to Persephone. It always stood out in my mind. It had been carved from black marble, and poisonous lizards crawled on the floors. They even twirled along the pillars lining the dark temple.

I’d been afraid as we’d stepped carefully over them, with our sacrifice of expensive wine, and approached her statue. Haida was carved from the same rare marble as her temple. She stood tall and thin, her inhuman beauty breathtaking, but as instinctual frightening as the black lizards surrounding us. Scales decorated parts of her exposed skin, as stunning as jewels. The priest, seeing my fear, reminded me only the dying need fear the Goddess of the Dead in her temple.

A chill went down my spine, and I looked up to find Norma watching me, waiting for my response. My thoughts had scattered, so I refocused them on Marcalus and the wizards. “What did he request from the goddess?”

Norma’s face was stony. “Revenge.” Her fist came down upon the wooden table, and I jumped. “And goddesses’ tooth, she granted it.”

Sickness bubbled in my stomach. “Revenge against The Protectors?”

“Revenge against The Protectors,” Norma growled, “and the queen who ordered their deaths.”

In all the many tales our village storyteller weaved, only a few people were ever granted a request from Persephone. And to grant a wish for revenge against your own people? What goddess would agree to such a thing?

“We’ve managed to keep them at bay using a magical shield they can’t get through.” Anger smoldered under Norma’s words. “But just recently, we’ve been weakened.”

“We are not sure how much longer we can keep them back,” Meisha added. “Blair has prepared us that if the wizards realize it, we may only have days or weeks before they get through.”

I looked from one woman to the other. “Can they be defeated if they get through?”

Norma shrugged. “If they don’t use Blood Magic as their Head Wizard ordered them not to. But…”

I chewed my lip. “You don’t think they’ll follow his orders?”

She sighed. “Marcalus and I’ve been fighting for a long time. No one likes to admit something like this in war, but he’s not all that bad.” She gave a sheepish shrug. “I knew him back in the day. We weren’t friends or anything, but I never had an unkind word about the man.”

My mouth hung open, but she seemed not to notice my shock because she kept on talking. “He got killed just for being a wizard. There’s a lot of men and boys who were good as gold in life, before they became all Undead and everything. But he’s also got the worst of the worst fighting with him. The kind of men who don’t have anything to lose now.”

I waited.

She met my gaze. “Sazar and his brothers.”

I gasped.

“Yeah,” she paused. “And the handful of other cursed men who killed until their souls twisted into something more beast than man. You’ll know what I mean when you see them. That kind of magic does things to a person.”

Her words turned my stomach. “But we stopped them once.”

She laughed, humorlessly. “We stopped them because we didn’t play fair, not something they expected. And because they could be killed. This time, they won’t give us a chance to trick them.”

“They’ll enslave people again,” I said, numbness washing through me.

She nodded. “Those cursed Blood Wizards aren’t going to play fair just because Marcalus tells them to.”

I stared at my palms, feeling empty. “I can’t believe this is happening.”

Meisha’s calm voice added to my horror. “It will be much worse this time. If they break through, they cannot be stopped. Everywhere they go, they will steal the life-force from plants, animals, and people. They’ll create armies of enslaved humans. There will be no stopping them.”

I hated the pictures that formed in my mind. But more than that, I hated knowing the world I lived in was even less safe than I’d come to accept.

“This all just means that—” Norma’s words were interrupted as Ugar threw open the door and flung back the curtain.

“The storms almost here.”

Norma cursed, shoving her chair and standing. “Perhaps you’ll just have to see for yourself.” She strode to the door. “Come. And stay close.”

I turned to Meisha, who was already rising. Something in her eyes made my blood run cold. Fear.

Outside, the crowd of unwashed people stood with swords, spears, and bows in hand. Clouds gathered. The smell of rain hovered just above the smell of death. Lightning split the sky off in the distance, a visual warning of the coming storm.

“It’ll create an unnatural night,” Norma whispered, gripping the hilt of her sword. “There are lots of storms in Sereus.”

“Are they dangerous?” I asked, as the first drop of rain fell on my cheek.

Norma didn’t answer. She straightened, and the warmth of her magic vibrated in the air. It prickled against my skin, agitating every inch of my flesh. It was like the coming storm, dangerous and unknown.

“People of Sereus!” Norma shouted. “They come again. An unwelcome tide of destruction. Only we stand in their way.”

My pulse raced. It seemed impossible that the only thing protecting me, and the people of Tarak, was this small group of battered warriors. But even more so, it seemed impossible that these people had any chance of winning.

“Each battle,” she continued, unaware of my doubts, “may seem like a grain of sand on the ground. But without each grain, we’d have no ground beneath our feet. So go out, and fight as you always do, as if you are the ground beneath Tarak’s feet!”

A couple of unenthusiastic cheers rose from the crowd, but the mood remained unchanged. Most of their scarred faces were set with expressions of grim determination.

Ugar nudged me and nodded at the warriors. “She gives that speech for the handful of new recruits they’re always sending her way. They need something to give a little steel to their stomachs.”

“Gather at the edge,” Norma commanded, and her people hurried from the town, eager to obey. Ugar moved to follow, but her hand closed around his arm. “And may the goddesses watch over you.”

Ugar brushed the back of her hand with his fingertips. “And you.”

The exchange only lasted a moment. Then, he was gone, yelling orders at the crowd who scattered to obey.

I was certain something significant had occurred. A blush blossomed over my cheeks as I remembered Asher’s touch.

But it was the wide-eyed shock evident on Meisha’s face that brought my thoughts back to the moment at hand. “You can’t,” she whispered.

Norma crossed her arms. “Find someone willing to stop me.” Her statement was a challenge, but she turned her attention to me. “Do you know the Goddess of Fire, Hestia’s name?”

I did, but not well enough to use it as a weapon, so I shook my head.

“Do you know any names that could help you in battle?”

Again, I shook my head.

Norma sighed and pulled a blade from beneath her sleeve. “Take this, and pray to the goddesses they don’t come at you.”

My fingers trembled as I took the blade. “Who?”

She opened her mouth, but a scream echoed through the air, cutting off her words. More clouds gathered above us, swallowing the town in darkness. Norma raced through the nearly empty buildings and past the few people who remained to strike torches to life. Meisha followed, moving with grace even as she ran.

I hurried closely behind them both, the horrors of my imagination running wild. There was no doubt that I was moving towards danger, but I hoped I wasn’t about to see things that would change me forever.

Just beyond the village, past a scattering of oddly shaped trees, lay blackened earth. It was like a great fire had blazed, scorching the dirt, and killing even the promise of life. A scent drifted on the softly billowing wind.

I coughed. Smoke. And death. “What is this place?”

Meisha didn’t look at me. “This is what threatens to swallow all of Tarak if we cannot stop it.”

“But what is,” I struggled to find the right word, “this?”

Her hands balled into fists. “The wizards are not like us. They can fuel their magic as we do, with the magic inside themselves, but they can also steal the life force from any living being.”

My stomach turned. “So the reason everything is black and dead is because they killed it to fuel their magic?”

She nodded. “But if they can reach us… we are a wealth of life-force to them.”

My legs shook as I looked out at the scorched earth. What would a person look like after the wizards got to them? Like the girls back at The Glass Castle, or something far more twisted and inhuman?

For the first time I realized, the witches might be bad. But were the wizards worse?

I wanted life to be simple. I wanted there to be good guys and bad guys. Yet, it seemed, stepping out of my village and into the real world meant that nothing was that easy.

If I had to work with my enemies to keep this from happening to my world, would I?

I stared out at the destruction, thinking of Asher and Sirena, and feeling lost.

12

Rose

We stood in silence for several long moments before a woman came to an unsteady stop before us, drawing my attention. She was young, perhaps as young as me, but terror left her haggard. “They were here a moment ago,” she whispered, clinging to Norma’s arm.

Norma shook the girl free. “Back to your post.”

The girl lowered her gaze and shuffled to the edge of the scraggly trees, peering from behind one, to the blackened world.

Lightning split the sky, radiating with power and danger, followed by the threatening boom of thunder. A second or two passed before a cold drop of rain kissed the flesh at the back of my hand. The slight pit-pat of rain falling filled the silence.

Electricity charged the air. The scarred and filthy warriors scattered, their gazes trained on something unseen just past the girl at her post. I swore their rapid breathing grew louder than racing horses, betraying the acceptance in their faces.

Norma and Meisha came forward, and I followed, standing just behind the line of stunted trees and amongst the larger, healthy ones. I squinted, not wanting to miss what was about to happen, even while the shard at my neck warmed.

In between one blink and the next, a dark shape flickered at the edge of the abyss. A cry escaped my lips as my feet propelled me backward.

Meisha gripped my arm, keeping me firmly by her side.

Shrouded in darkness, he stood, an unmoving shape of terror. Power radiated in such strength, a hazy orange glow smoked the air around him. Blue eyes, tiny pinpoints of light in an otherwise dark figure, glowed like the eyes of a beast lurking in the shadows.

“Today will be the day.” His voice was like the thunder. It came from everywhere, and yet, his mouth didn’t move.

Norma’s lips curled. “You say that every time.”

“Do not look,” Meisha whispered, turning away. Then, more quietly. “The sights of war will change you forever, in ways you may regret.”

But I couldn’t look away. I needed to understand.

The warriors spread out around us. Their torches were flickers of bright light in the near-darkness. The dancing light highlighted the determination in their expressions as their gazes fixed on the wizard.

But nothing happened.

“What are they doing?”

Meisha spoke, misery lacing her words. “Norma will enchant the lands. This is her skill. To make herself, and those warriors whose True Names she holds, transform into whatever she wishes… whatever can fight the way she desires.”

Icy tendrils crawled along my flesh. I was about to see what a person of magic could do with someone’s True Name. I rubbed at the goosebumps racing down my arms. It couldn’t be any worse than the many tales I’d been told, could it be?

Confused, I looked to Norma for guidance.

She pulled her blade from her sheath and yanked her leather shirt up to reveal her stomach, covered in deep scars. Magic gathered as she murmured words in a language unknown to me. Her voice deepened as the spell grew more powerful. Jerking wildly, her head fell back. She screamed like an animal dying, before slashing open her stomach with her blade.

My heart stopped as the coppery scent of blood struck me. I pressed my hands to my mouth, trying to keep the scream inside from exploding.

She fell against a nearby tree, holding her belly to keep her insides from slopping out. A dark stain of blood slid down the tree and onto the ground. Where it touched, a white glow shot out, covering the forest floor.

The soft glow lighting the ground could mean only one thing, Norma had enchanted our lands. With what, I didn’t know. Her powers chilled me, but some small part of me was grateful there was some sense to the violence I’d just witnessed.

Behind me, shrieking and wailing rose like a chorus. I turned to face the warriors, my body shaking.

They mutated before my eyes.

Ugar stood nearly as tall as the trees, and as broad as a house, his skin the color of oil. His pupils shone, all a milky white. More beast than man, a snarl escaped his lips.

My gaze skidded away only to spy the tall creatures, covered in silver spines, screeching as they stretched. They no longer clutched blades; instead, it seemed their whole bodies had become sharp and deadly.

Wolves with scales howled, arching their backs. The musky scent of serpents hit me like a wave, combined with the equally powerful scent of wet dog. Salvia dripped from their lips, and hunger filled their gazes.

My stomach dropped. I turned back to Norma as she rose, no longer human. With red skin and two white horns twisting sharply on her head, she resembled a she-demon straight from the Underworld. Taller than most houses, with thighs as thick as trees, and long wicked claws, she was every nightmare come to life rolled into one.

They were all around me. Some only a leaping distance away. One step of Norma’s enormous feet and I’d be squashed

My heart stopped. My head swam. Loud noises and searing heat suffocated me. My vision darkened.

And then, I gasped. My heart pounded, and the world lurched back into focus. Norma’s eyes, putrid yellow and streaked with black, watched me, expectantly.

Sweat soaked my brow. Looking down, I expected the enchantment to have changed me into something monstrous. But I was still me, helpless except for the dagger in my hand, but still me.

“We shouldn’t be here,” I said, my voice ridiculously high as I wheezed out each word, looking to the still human Meisha for guidance. “How can we possibly fight with such creatures?”

Meisha’s dark gaze fell on mine. “It is the Undead wizards and their creatures you should fear.”

Dread filled me until my legs shook so badly I could barely stand. Before us, the wizard’s features grew sharper until he was more man than shadow. I was no doubt about to see Marcalus, the Head Wizard.

I inhaled sharply. Asher?

But then, hee came fully into focus, and my knees nearly sagged in relief. It wasn’t Asher. Yet… quite unexpectedly, the man looked normal. Almost… handsome? Short blond hair, high cheekbones, generous lips, and a muscular frame came together in a perfect combination. He wore brown slacks and a tight, white shirt that opened wide. If not for the greenish tint to his skin, he would’ve been an uncommonly beautiful man.

Some of my fears ebbed, replaced by nervous anticipation. What lay beneath this goddess-blessed exterior?

Yet there were other horrors to come, a small army gathered behind him. The orange haze hovering around them was like a sickly sun, illuminating the pale green skin of the dozens of wizards, boys and men, who waited.

Other creatures remained concealed by darkness.

“Send in Gadagus! We’ve waited long enough!” The raspy, hissing voice from somewhere among the wizards raked along my nerves. One shape separated from the others… the one who had made the demand of the Head Wizard.

The fine hairs on the back of my neck stood on end.

Bent by a large hump, he limped to stand beside the Head Wizard. Tattered pants hung off a body so thin it was little more than bones. Black, stringy hair concealed most of his face before he looked up, revealing his face to us. I stiffened in shock. Huge red eyes peered out from a face with flesh dripping like jowls beneath his throat.

Only Meisha’s hand gripping my arm kept me from collapsing.

“Did you hear me, Mighty Marcalus?” he sneered at the leader of the wizards. “Send the boy to do it if you still believe this plan will work.”

Anger blazed in the Head Wizard’s face, the man he’d called Marcalus. “Back in line, Sazar.”

Sazar! I know that name. Nausea rolled through me. This creature… he was one of the Three Bringers of Death. The abominations that killed and destroyed without regard.

Two others stepped forward, nearly identical to Sazar in appearance.

His brothers.

Marcus’s voice dripped with barely restrained anger. “Get back in line, or I’ll send you to the Underworld myself.”

The two brothers slunk back into the crowd, but Sazar didn’t move.

“But remember, Gadagus must make the sacrifice.” His laugh was that of a mad man. “Even if this plan doesn’t work, we’ll enjoy watching your smug nephew suffer.” He didn’t wait for a reply, before hobbling to join his brothers.

A moment of strained silence followed his words.

Marcalus put his hand on the hilt of his sword and stood straighter. “Gadagus, step forward.”

A boy of perhaps twelve years, with fresh specks of blood sprinkled across his face like freckles, separated from the other wizards. He strode forward until he nearly reached the trees, mere feet from us. Hesitating for only a breath, he stretched his hand out. It brushed something in the air, and he leaped back, pain marring his features. Where he’d touched, a deep red stain hung in the air briefly before exploding in all directions, enclosing us in a huge red dome.

I took a deep breath, fighting the panic threatening to swallow me whole. No one else seemed to fear the red dome. But no one else seemed particularly alarmed by anything that was happening, and I was pretty sure they should be.

“What is that?” I asked, trying to sound calm.

Meisha whispered in answer to my question. “Do not fear. They are simply testing Norma’s shield, as they always do. Usually, they then frantically shoot their magic at it, leaving holes for their Undead creatures to crawl through and attack, but the shield itself always holds. For a long time, it has surrounded and protected these lands, at least around each tunnel from the Underworld.”

My insides quivered. “But what’s to keep them from going around the shield?”

“The Undead can only travel a short distance from each tunnel.” She answered with a sigh. “You really are not prepared for this place.”

I clamped my mouth shut and waited, finally looking at the she-demon Norma had become. She was watching me, and when I returned her gaze, she turned back to the wizards.

“What now, Marcalus?” Norma roared, slamming her enormous red fists into the ground.

The earth trembled beneath our feet, but the child, Gadagus appeared little more than annoyed. “Now uncle?” he asked.

Marcalus moved to stand behind his nephew, placing his hand on the young boy’s shoulder. “Yes, now.”

I tensed, my heart racing.

The boy raised his hand once more, brushing the tips of his fingers against the hazy red wall. Where he touched, the red darkened. The boy’s lips trembled. Tears spilled down his cheeks, blending with the specks of blood. He clamped down his teeth on his bottom lip, and his eyes squeezed shut. A chill wind rose as black smoke billowed from his fingertips.

The beating of my heart filled my ears.

Norma laughed, a chilling sound. Sharp teeth, as large as my hands, shone, dripping with saliva. “After all you’ve tried, this is your great plan? It reeks of desperation!”

I looked between the two of them, my palms sweaty. Please let her be right! Let this plan of theirs fail, so I can get as far from here as possible.

Marcalus said nothing, but the air grew colder until my teeth chattered. Black smoke curled from the wizard’s fingertips, spreading over his nephew’s shoulder. Another wizard lined up behind Marcalus, placing his hand on the Head Wizard’s shoulder. One after another the wizards formed a line until black smoke curled over every one of them, like living cloaks. I sensed magic channeling through each wizard.

Dark shapes assembled around the line of wizards until they too took form.

My gut clenched.

Dozens of Undead had joined the wizards. Their lizard heads were the color of coal. Their scales gleamed as if wet. Yellow, silted eyes shifted as their long, split tongues flickered. Their lower halves were those of pale-skinned men, wearing tattered pants, and nothing else.

I sensed the blood draining from my face.

Was this what was supposed to happen? Because… because I had the strange feeling that the world was on the brink of destruction.

And that death was coming for us. I just hoped I was wrong.

13

Rose

Meisha’s hand gripped my arm. “Something’s wrong here… different.”

My eyes were glued to the boy as I asked. “What?”

Her words barely rose above a whisper. “They must know we’ve been weakened… that we haven’t the strength to…”

I waited, but she said no more.

Norma turned back, red-eyed gaze seeking Meisha and me. No words were spoken, but after a moment, Meisha nodded.

“What did she say?” I whispered.

Meisha leaned in until her lips brushed my ear. “If the shield should falter, even for a moment, we’re to run.”

“What will happen if the shield falls?”

Her hand clenched my arm. “Then the only barrier between these vengeful creatures and all of Tarak will fall.”

My breath caught in my throat as her grip loosened, and time slowed down as the reality of her words set in. The temperature around me dropped, and a strange feeling, like I was living a nightmare came over me. The air grew so cold that the tiny hairs on my skin stood on end. Icicles gathered on the trees. The leaves froze. My rapid breath puffed out in a white cloud before my face and seemed to hang there.

I swear for a minute I thought it was all in my head, but then I turned and looked at the other women. The cold wasn’t in my head. It was real. And I knew exactly what was causing it.

Looking back at the wizards, I clenched my hands together. Whatever was going to happen. It was going to happen now.

“This is the day!” Marcalus screamed, and then pointed at all of us.

A blast of freezing wind smashed our group, pulling me from Meisha’s grip and knocking me back into a tree. I rose as fast as I could, on legs that shook. My body ached from the impact of my back smashing against the tree, but my small pains faded in the face of the dark magic before me.

The black smoke coming from Gadagus’s fingertips transformed into a thick oily substance that shot out, covering the red shield and spreading across it. In several places, it ate through, spilling onto the ground beneath the trees. With it, a putrid stench of death and decay rose like smoke.

The half-lizard creatures gathered at these holes, and Norma’s army moved closer to their failing shield. At last, one of the Undead stepped through a hole. A scaly wolf roared as he pounced on the creature, slaughtering it with ease. But his quick death did nothing to stop more from coming. Warriors fought these creatures too, but more man-sized holes spread, and other lizard-men entered.

Scents of smoke and wet reptile filled the air, along with screams, and the sounds of swords striking. I fought the freezing winds that sought to keep me pinned to the ground. Strands of hair sliced my face, while my cape snapped around my body.

My hands clenched, and that’s when I realized my dagger was gone. My gaze scanned the ground, but my search was in vain.

I was weaponless.

Above us, the red shield turned the color of blood and shuddered. A groan, like metal bending and twisting, split the air. I held my ears, nearly losing my balance as the earth trembled.

“Time to go!” Meisha screamed, suddenly at my side.

The groaning stopped, as if it were a great creature taking a deep breath.

My feet wouldn’t move. “Aren’t we going to fight?”

A fierceness stole over her features. “This is not my battle. Not our battle. Let them die for their precious kingdom. We did not ask for this.”

Her answer shocked me. I knew what she could become, what she was capable of. And she was a Protector wasn’t she? Why was she running now?

And could I live with myself if I did the same?

Rapid images flashed through my mind of all I stood to lose if the wizards were unleashed on Tarak, followed by ones filled with the gore these wizards could cause. I’d been forced into this situation against my will, but now I realized The Protectors were all that stood between revenge-seeking wizards and Sirena, Asher, and all the innocent people of Tarak. And through some twist of fate, I’d been thrown in a position where I might be able to keep them safe.

So far, I only knew two goddesses' true names, Hestia and Soteria. But which name would help me most? The Goddess of Fire could create destruction, but I might just as easily hurt one of our own as I could the Undead. Which left the Goddess of Protection.

“Get a hold of yourself,” Meisha ordered, painfully grabbing my shoulder. “Nothing would be accomplished by our deaths here.”

Something in the air had changed. The mutated people seemed to sense it too. There was a desperation to their attacks on the Undead creatures, a lack of reasonable thought or planning, as if this were their first day of battle.

Some of the people ran. Others stood unmoving, expressions of disbelief twisting their inhuman faces.

Did they think this was the end too?

“Move!” Meisha shoved me.

I stumbled, shaking my head. “We can’t just walk away from this.”

Her eyes widened. “Why? You and I are the same. We did not want any of this. We are not meant for killing and war. Let me take you out of this, somewhere safe.”

I ignored her, focusing my attention on the faltering shield.

“Soteria,” I whispered the Goddess of Salvation and Protection’s name, feeling even as I spoke it that the sound was wrong. “Soteria,” I said again, emphasizing each syllable. But again, it was wrong.

“What are you saying?” Meisha shouted, shaking my shoulders. “Have you lost your senses?”

Using all my force, I shoved her back. Her amber eyes were wild as she stared at me. Then she shook her head… and ran.

My hand trembled as I reached towards the shield, concentrating on a memory I hoped to forget, the memory of my fall from the glass bridge. My stomach cramped. Nausea bubbled as the clear feeling of life-altering pain flashed, but I pushed it aside, concentrating again on the way I’d spoken her name. Terrible screams filtered through my concentration, but I pushed these sounds aside as well.

“Soteria,” I said, only this time the name blossomed from my lips. It was a song, the whistle of a bird on a lonely night, the last words spoken from a mother to her dying child.

A wisp of pale light shot from my fingertips to the blood-red shield. It spread out on impact, and my legs trembled beneath me. Warmth, so hot it was nearly a fire, singed my skin. The trees beside me blackened.

“Soteria!” I screamed. The wisp of light grew in brilliance, now a raging river exploding from my body and into the faltering shield.

My white light filled the holes created by the wizard’s magic, reinforcing the shield. The sounds of creatures snarling and growling, and the screeching of animals in pain grew quieter. My ears strained to pick out the soft moans and heavy panting signaling an end to the battling.

The shield grew brighter with each passing second, and red filtered into my white magic, creating pink in the damaged areas. I gritted my teeth as an unexpected, sharp pain carved slowly deeper until something ripped within my chest. Panic and pain muddled my thoughts as I gasped for breath.

One thought overcame the daze of suffering: I had nothing left to give. My magic was failing me.

My throat closed. I struggled to pull in fresh air. Tears filled my eyes, and I choked on a scream. Agony accompanied the sensation of my heart being torn from my body. My knees trembled, but somehow I remained standing.

My necklace heated to a sharp burning, and I reached for it with one of my hands. The moment my skin came in contact with it, I heard a thousand voices crying out, fear, misery, confusion, and pain coming together in a chorus of wretchedness.

But just when my vision swam, magic like a raging river slammed through me. My exhaustion and pain faded. My vision returned.

Before me, the shield strengthened. Held.

For countless minutes, my overwhelming surge of magic ran through me and into the shield. But at last, strength drained from my arms, and the heat raging around me subsided.

Relief swam through me. It was done. I’d helped keep the shield standing. Only, I couldn’t put my arms down, couldn’t stop the flow of magic.

Concerned, I looked around. Meisha was gone. Norma was fighting. I’d have to find a way to deal with this myself.

And then, I was tugged forward.

I only moved an inch, but fear seeped through my exhaustion. The white light flowing from me to the shield was repairing it, but did I know how to end the connection? I was pulled forward again, further this time, and sweat gathered at my brow. I tried to step back but was yanked off my feet.

My magic linking me to the shield was like a rope, with the strength of a hundred men pulling on the other side. No, make that three dozen dead wizards. I dug my heels into the earth, but it was like a leaf fighting the pull of a river. Within seconds, I was lying on the ground, staring up at the shield, now firmly in place.

On the other side of the haze, a man’s face hovered.

His pale hair, blue eyes, and handsome features urged me to trust him, to like him. Only, this man was an Undead wizard. And in his hand, my magical rope laid, nothing but a shield and a couple of feet separating me from him.

“And who might you be?” Marcalus asked.

I shook my head, scraping my free hand pathetically in the dirt behind me, searching for something to grip onto. I’d never felt so weak, so vulnerable in my life. My body and mind urged me to give in to sleep, to calm the tremors that grew fiercer with each passing moment.

“Too smart to give your name?” He sneered. “You’re wiser than most Protectors. You see, they often believe themselves invincible.”

“Release me.” I wanted my words to sound like a command, but instead, they came out a plea.

“I don’t remember your face,” he said, continuing as if we were having a pleasant exchange. “Were you at the queen’s celebration?” He must’ve seen the confusion on my face because he laughed. “No, of course not. Even though Protectors age differently than normal women, I can see you’re too young to have lived through that horror.”

My gaze darted backward, to Norma’s army.

Only a few people glanced my way, and their expressions said it all: there was no saving me now. All other eyes were on the shield, as the villager’s roaring cheers filled the air.

I called out to them for help, but my words seemed lost in the chaos.

Hopelessness twisted a raw path through my chest.

“Please,” and this time I was begging, “let me go.”

He sighed. “I was never a cruel man in life. I laughed often. Loved my family. And did right by Tarak, and they murdered me still.”

“I’m sorry, but I’m not to blame.”

“Then who is?” he asked, leaning over to stare at me. “Who should pay for the lives of me and my brethren? Who should revenge the boys, not yet old enough to grow beards, or the baby boys, still suckling at their mother’s breast?”

“I don’t know.”

His mouth twisted into a frown. “Well, I do. Blair and her witches, along with anyone else who stands in between us and Queen Gaudias. All will fall. All will suffer as we have.”

I cringed as his other hand closed over my magical cord. His eyes darkened. I turned from him, not wishing to see the other side, nor the creatures who would tear me to shreds.

Meisha fell to her knees beside me. “Forgive me,” she whispered. Her fist crashed into my face, and the world went black.

14

Rose

I awoke with the sound of a fire crackling beside me. My body was alive with pain, but it was my face that brought tears to my eyes. It felt raw and swollen. I wanted to fall back asleep, to escape from the pain, but even this comfort was beyond my grasp. Sitting up, a groan escaped my lips, and I reached up to touch my face.

One fingertip brushed the delicate skin, but my breath was torn from my chest. Fire radiated through my body, and it took me a moment for the spots to clear from my vision. When they finally did, I heard the hum of conversation near me.

“Is someone there?” I asked hoarsely.

A second later, the curtain was pushed aside, and Norma’s wart-covered face appeared. “Morning, hero. You sleep well?”

I didn’t know what to say, but she squatted down, pushing the heavy blanket from my body. Her arm snaked around my back, and she pulled me easily to my feet. I would have swayed, perhaps collapsed, but she held me close to her, dragging me from the room of pillows. Meisha waited just beyond the curtain, at the long table, seated in one of the wooden chairs.

“Are you well?” Meisha asked, as Norma placed me in the chair next to her.

I ran my tongue across my swollen lips. “Not sure. What happened?”

Norma settled herself across the table from us and pushed her mug towards me. “Drink that. It’ll help.”

I didn’t question her; instead, I dragged the cup to my lips and drank deeply. It tasted of cabbage and lemons, and I spat part of it back out, gagging at the taste of it.

“Not use to Oryens’ Potion?” she asked with a chuckle.

“What is that?” I said, wiping gently at my abused lips.

“It’s to help with healing, both your body and your magic.”

I nodded, eyeing the distasteful liquid, but already some of my pain began to ebb.

“You almost died yesterday,” Meisha whispered, “You should drink as much as you can.”

My taste buds screamed in protest, but I forced myself to take another swallow of the drink, before setting it back on the table.

“Feeling up to a discussion?” Norma asked, picking the mug off the table and gulping it down.

I straightened. “Of course.”

“Where to start?” Norma said, eyeing Meisha.

Meisha cleared her throat. “Your face is my fault. I punched you.”

I whirled to her, but Meisha avoided my gaze. “You did what?”

“As much as I’ve always dreamed of watching Meisha get ripped apart,” Norma interrupted. “If she hadn’t punched you, you’d be food for Marcalus and his minions.” She leaned across the table, setting her elbows on its surface. “I’m amazed that such a small girl, one who doesn’t even know how to end her spell, should be the one to save us all.”

Heat blossomed on my cheeks.

“We are grateful for your actions,” Meisha murmured.

“Is it done then?” I asked. “Is the battle over?”

“Yes, the battle was won, but the war still rages,” Norma said, rubbing her face. “And there’s no end in sight.”

I frowned. “But the shield’s back up.”

Norma cursed. “Yes, the shield’s up. For now. But there’ll come a day, soon, when it’ll fall, and the wizards will kill us all.”

“But why now? Hasn’t the shield been protecting Tarak for a while?”

Norma and Meisha exchanged an uncomfortable look.

“A Protector had been lending her magic to us to keep the shield up, but just recently she died.” Norma avoided my gaze as she explained. “We thought we could keep it up without her, but we didn’t expect their new plan. There’s no way we can stand another attack like that.”

Sadness etched the corners of Meisha’s mouth. “And last night’s… actions drained a great deal of the magic we store for emergencies.”

I got the sense that more things were being left unsaid than shared, but I had no idea what they could be hiding. Or more importantly, why they were hiding it from me.

“So, the shield isn’t the answer.” I watched them as I spoke. “Then, I guess we’ll have to fight them.”

“You truly don’t know anything, do you?” Norma’s voice held a trace of disbelief.

I rubbed my pounding head. “I guess not.”

She ignored my sarcasm. “When you kill the Undead where do they go? To the Underworld! And when they get there, they can simply come right back.” She cracked her neck. “Yeah, it takes them a bit to heal up. They’re not invincible. And a bit more time to climb up, but they still come back. So how do you imagine we get rid of them?”

“So, everything we did last night was for nothing.”

“No,” she said. “It gave us time to fight another day.”

“But they’ll be back,” I said, suddenly wishing I could crawl back into bed.

She gave me a sympathetic look, but her tone lacked any softness. “Yes. We still don’t know everything about how they work, but we know it usually takes them about a month to come back after a battle. Not sure if they get new bodies down there, healed, or something even more strange. They do complain about the retched climb back, so that helps us a bit.”

Meisha shifted beside me. “We need more magic to strengthen the shield. But to do so requires the sacrificing of even more lives, and what would be the point in protecting this kingdom if there is no one left to protect?”

“Exactly,” Norma said, her tone bleak. Then, after a moment, added, “if only we’d left just one of those filthy baggers alive, then maybe he could reason with them.”

I sat up straighter. “What do you mean?”

Norma laughed. “Nothing child. It’s just foolishness.”

But an image of Asher came to my mind. The last, as far as we knew, wizard alive. Perhaps there was a chance at victory. Marcalus, after all, had spoken with me, had shown signs that a reasonable man hid beneath his skin… if one bent on revenge.

“I’d like to return to The Glass Castle.”

Both women watched me carefully.

“Child, you saved all of Tarak last night. Are you sure you don’t want to rest a little longer?” Norma’s gaze bore into mine.

Even though my face still ached, the rest of my body only hummed with pain, probably due to the horrible drink they’d made me drink.

“Thank you, but no.”

Norma rose, and we followed her out the door. Ugar stood waiting, his arm wrapped in bloody gauze.

“Much thanks for your help in the battle,” he said, reaching out.

He clasped my arm, and I blushed. This was an exchange between men, between warriors, not women. But as he drew away, I straightened. I shouldn’t be embarrassed, their leader was a woman, after all.

“You as well,” I said and received a smile for my efforts.

Ugar and Norma walked us back to the portal in silence. People regarded us as we walked, and I was awed by the gazes that clung to me as I moved.

When we reached the portal, Norma grasped my arm. “I can tell you’ve come up with some kind of plan.”

I didn’t know what to say, so I said nothing.

She tightened her grip on my arm. “Whatever it is, I’ve no doubt it’ll surprise us all.” She grinned. “I like surprises. They keep things from getting too predictable.”

“I’ll do my best,” was all I could think to say. “May the goddesses watch over you.”

She smiled at me. “And you.”

But as she turned to go, a thought made its way into my addled brain. “Norma, did you know a woman named Calyce?”

Her brows shot up. “Calyce?

“Yes,” I tried not to look at Meisha as I asked about my mother.

Norma stared down at the Protector’s mark burned into the flesh of her wrist. “Yeah,” she spoke more softly than I’d ever heard her before, “but we aren’t allowed to talk about her.”

I took a step closer to her. “Please, Norma. She was… my mother.”

Norma’s head shot up. “Your mother?”

I nodded.

Her gaze was scrutinizing. “You got her spunk, but not her looks.”

Smiling, hope blossomed inside of me.

“But,” she frowned, “I got to follow orders on this one.”

My hope dwindled. “Please.”

Her meaty hand closed into a fist. “I want to. I owe her so much.” She glared at Meisha. “But I can’t.”

Frustration churned my stomach. “A child should know her mother… at least if she’s alive or dead.”

Norma’s eyes sparkled. “Of course she’s alive, girl. At least… at least I can tell you that.” With that revelation, she turned on her heel and strode back through the woods.

Silence settled between Meisha and me.

Finally, I looked at her.

To my surprise, her expression was sympathetic. “Mothers are important.”

I spoke, hesitantly, “I just want to know about her.”

She brushed a strand of hair off my forehead. “I am sorry, but Blair is the only person who might be able to tell you the truth about her. And she may never willingly do so.” Turning around, Meisha pressed her palm against the portal, and it flared to life, revealing the snowy world of The Protectors.

I followed her through without pause, drawing my cloak more closely to ward off the cold. But even though my body ached, my mind whirled, focusing on the many things that had occurred over the past two days. One less complicated situation came to mind, a subject that seemed harmless, but that interested me all the same.

“You seemed bothered by Norma and Ugar,” I said after we’d been walking for some time.

Meisha’s shoulders stiffened. “Yes. Norma and I are,” she paused as if struggling for the right word, “different.”

“How so?” my breath puffed out in a cloud in front of my face.

She slowed her pace, allowing me to reach her side. “I do not believe in killing, except for food. Norma enjoys taking lives.” She shrugged. “We are different.”

“Then, why does she seem to dislike you so much?” I asked, huddling even deeper beneath my cloak to ward off the chilly air.

“She believes this makes me a coward.” Her tone was even, but she didn’t look at me as she continued. “She believes that I should battle at her side, not help Blair with recruitments.”

“Is that why you were,” I hesitated, “uncomfortable with her connection with Ugar?”

Meisha whirled towards me, then gasped, her hands clutching her side. “You must not speak of Ugar and Norma."

For a minute, I stared at her frowning. When had she been injured?

All at once, I remembered the burn I’d given her. She’d said nothing of it since our journey began and somehow I’d forgotten it altogether. “Are you all right?”

She clenched her teeth. “Yes, Blair gave me something for my injury. I simply need more of it.”

Guilt had me changing the subject. “Why shouldn’t we speak of Ugar and Norma?”

She sucked in a deep breath and dropped her hands. “We left The Glass Castle before you could learn more. Learn all the rules.” Her bare feet dug deeper in the snow beneath her feet. “As Protectors, we have more freedom than many, but we do not have the freedom to love just anyone.”

She resumed walking, and I struggled to keep up. While her delicate bare feet seemed to barely brush the surface of the snowy ground, my lumbering steps seemed to crunch through the snow, slowing me down with each step.

“What— do you— mean?” My words came in gasps, and already I wished we were out of the cold and resting before a warm fire.

She slowed her steps. “Women and men often fall in love with the wrong person, someone who will break their heart, or treat them badly. But we do not have that luxury. It is said the goddesses have created one perfect man for each of us, and we are to preserve ourselves for them.”

“That doesn’t— sound like— such a bad thing,” I said, trying to catch my breath.

A knowing smile touched her lips as she slowed even further. “But what if you were to find a man who you loved, but were told you could not marry. What if he wasn’t smart enough for you, or interesting enough for you, or any number of other things, but at the time you felt you loved him. It would not matter, you must simply accept he is not your One, and let him go.”

I struggled to understand her meaning. “So, how do they know whether we are meant for that person?”

“You are tied magically to your One after you share your first kiss. All of us can feel some sort of change when magic is used, but there are a smaller number of us who can sense the connections between two people.”

An image of the moment Asher and I kissed came to my mind, of that overwhelming feeling that we were two halves coming together to make a whole. Was it possible that he was my One?

Of course not. I bet it was nearly impossible…

And that’s what bothered me about her explanation. “Out of all the people in the world, we can only be with one person? What if we never find them?”

“Then you must remain alone, always.”

She was right. This idea sounded more like a cursing than a blessing.

I frowned. “But when we meet them, we can be with them?”

“No.” There was a trace of humor to the word. “We must serve our time first… whatever time that the queen and Blair decide is necessary. Before the war with the Undead wizards, most women were allowed to marry whenever they wished, have children whenever they wished, and come and go from The Protectors as needed. That is no longer the case.”

We avoided more red flowers, stepping in and out of the small shadows cast by leafless trees. Meisha seemed unbothered by our discussion, but I sensed tension humming beneath her calm exterior. This subject was one she didn’t enjoy.

“How long has it been this way? How long have the wizards been attacking?”

Meisha stepped around a red flower. “Perhaps twenty years.”

“Twenty…” I couldn’t believe that. “But I’ve never even heard a rumor of it.”

“That is not a surprise. Many people work to make certain it remains a secret, and there are only three portals into the underworld on Tarak’s lands. They can only attack from these places and cannot stray far from them.” Meisha frowned up at the sky. A moment later, tiny flakes of snow began to fall. “The first attacks killed everyone in the towns near the portals. If Norma had not been in Sereus at the time, Tarak would have fallen that day. But she was able to create the shield around us, and after that, only warriors and Protectors were placed at those towns.”

“And no one heard of the attacks?”

A grim smile twisted Meisha’s lips. “We blamed them on the Northerners.”

We walked in silence for a few minutes until another thought occurred to me.

“But if the Undead wizards can’t go far from the portals, how can they attack the rest of Tarak?”

Meisha stopped and turned to me. “I am glad you have grown wiser, that you ask questions. This is an important part of you learning about your new life”

My cheeks heated even as I heard a warning bell rang inside my head.

“To answer your question. The other goddesses were not pleased that Persephone allowed the wizards to come back. After much fighting, and nearly a war between them, certain restrictions were agreed upon. The wizards must first get through our defenses, then the Undead creatures will open portals throughout all of Tarak, and we will be at their mercy.”

Meisha kept walking, and I continued behind her in silence. The sights and sounds of the battle were still too fresh in my memories. I touched my mouth and winced. Why had I even asked about the wizards when they were the last thing I wanted to think about?

And then, I remembered.

“Is Norma bonded to Ugar?”

Meisha tensed. “No.”

The glass bridge and the castle loomed not far from us. A wave of panic shot through me. I wasn’t ready to return there yet. I still had too many unanswered questions, as well as, the sense that I should be running instead of returning.

But if I ran, who would save Sirena and Asher?

Trying to swallow down a wave of panic, I forced my thoughts back to our conversation. “Why not?”

To my surprise, a blush fluttered across Meisha’s tan skin. “He is not her One.”

Her reaction pulled me from my panic as genuine curiosity blossomed. Pieces were coming together, but I still couldn’t see the full picture. “Then, why shouldn’t we speak of Norma and Ugar? And why do they bother you so much?”

“It is not my place to explain,” Meisha said, turning and hurrying towards the glass bridge.

I had to run to catch up to her. “Please, Meisha, I want to know, and I have no one else to ask.”

Her steps faltered. “Fine,” she said, keeping her eyes straight ahead. “There has never been an illegitimate child amongst The Protectors in all our years. This is because the penalty for disgracing your goddesses in such a way is death.”

“And…” I said, struggling past my embarrassment. “Ugar is not the One for Norma, but they still…”

I couldn’t say the words. I’d never thought to ask whether Protectors could marry, and I certainly never thought to ask how deeply they controlled our relationships.

There were many things I’d never thought to ask.

“Do not mention them. This is all you must understand. Norma may not consider the consequences of her actions, but this does not mean we should be so foolish.”

I didn’t know what else I could say. I was learning more about The Protectors, but I was also learning more about Meisha. It took a special person to protect someone, especially someone who called them a coward. I would do as Meisha asked.

“What will happen to me now?”

Meisha shook her head. “That is for Blair to decide.”

*** Want to find out what happens next? Then grab your copy of Witch Secrets. ***

About the Author

Lisa Morrow is a life-long reader who treasures fantasy in all forms. Being a middle child in a large family gave her a unique perspective on the world, but few experiences compare to her time spent studying abroad in Cambridge, England and wandering throughout Europe.

After her travels, Lisa settled down in Arizona to teach junior high English, and later, to spend time with her young children, husband, and cats. To some people, her life may seem quiet. But to her, every day is spent in a world colored by the imagination of children, and fantastical worlds created by her very own mind.

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Website: https://lisamorrowbooks.wordpress.com

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More Works by Lisa Morrow

The Order of the Cursed

Witch Fire

Witch Chosen

Witch Secrets

Blood and Bones

Cursed by Magic

World of Darkness

The Monster Inside

Legacy of Death

The Secrets We Keep

Trial of Magic

Twilight Rising

Dusk Falling

Dawn Awakening