Page 33 of A Liar's Twisted Tongue

Lucian doesn’t seem impressed when he asks, “As for my memories?”

“Nothing,” I say with the not-so-sweet feeling of defeat. Nothing to hold over him, the prince of Soma. He would’ve fit so well in my pocket.

“Get in the water,” he demands.

“What?” Has he chosen to kill me?

“In return for the truth, I’ve decided to show mercy.” He smiles, bearing his perfect teeth. “Submerge yourself completely in the water and wait for the light of the moon to move over you. When it does, visualize your target.”

Your target. Of course the prince would use that word. I don’t know much about this form of mental magic, but I have heard it called a war crime.

I drop my head under the water and look up. Lucian opens his arms as if he is inviting an invisible audience to watch, and the light of the moon moves over me. It’s truly a magnificent sight, but I’m not here to watch in awe.

I close my eyes and fill my mind with images of my mom. She had the lightest hair everywhere we went through the septic, honey with streaks of darker brown. Her eyes are the kindest I’ve ever known, even though she wasn’t known for being kind. She’s strong, brave in the face of everything, and certainly brave wherever she is now. Only, when the calm and collected face begins to transform, it is into one whose eyes are stricken with fear.

I can barely make out her face in the dimly lit room—a cage or prison of some kind, I’m sure of it.

I step toward her, her features coming further into the light. “Mom?” I call. “I’m here!” I say as I begin to lose feeling in my legs. My feet are falling asleep, my nose and throat are burning, but I take a step forward. Her eyes are shutting now and my worry grows. What if she’s hurt? I push through the numbness lingering in my legs and tingling up my torso, into my chest.

“Mom!” I scream at the top of my lungs when a hand grips around me. I turn, ready to fight, ready to save my mom, but I’m no longer in the dark room. I realize where the burning sensation is coming from—the water in my lungs.

The prince’s arm is around my waist, pulling me to the surface faster than I sunk. I cling to the edge of the lake while I cough up water. Today I’ve almost died by fire, water, and shadows. I am absolutely right to think of this school as the enemy, along with everyone in it.

When I’ve finished coughing, Lucian offers me his hand and pulls me from the water.

“Did you see?” I ask him, my breath shaking and weak. If he saw her face and could identify her, I’d have done the exact opposite of what she wanted. But he might know where that was.

“I did.”

“Where was she?” I say so fast that I start coughing again, wheezing between breaths. How ridiculous I look, how weak, what a contrast to how I want him—anyone—to see me.

“I don’t know,” he says, but his tone is different. Different enough for me not to believe him.

I narrow my eyes at him and catch my breath as best I can, making sure my voice is strong when I say, “What happened to your back?”

A prince with scars is a rare sight. I’d think, at least.

He levels his eyes with mine and his eyebrows push down, making him look fierce. He’s trying to show me I don’t intimidate him, but clearly I do, otherwise he wouldn’t be looking at me like this.

I match his gaze, mimicking the placement of his eyebrows. When he smiles, I smile right back at him. I hope I look deranged, like someone he has no choice but to fear. It’s a long shot, considering I’ve been completely at the mercy of his power and decisions this entire night, but it’s hope. It’s not meant to make sense.

“Born with it,” are the only three words I get. He picks up his shirt and throws it over his head and dripping hair, turning to leave.

“You were born with burns?” I question before he has a chance to take a step. He looks at me quizzically and I add, “Fire Folk. I’ve seen a lot worse.”

“They’re not burns.”

Either someone is lying to him, or he is lying to me.

“My mistake,” I say.

“It’s but a problem.”

The prince turns once more, and I disrupt his attempt to escape again. “Do me a favor and don’t tell anyone what you saw tonight?”

“Now why would I want to incriminate myself?”

“I’d be the only one to pay for it.”

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