Page 80 of A Liar's Twisted Tongue

“No surrender.”

The door opens, and Lilac sets down a wooden tray of food and runs the three steps to me. She hugs me as if she wasn’t sure I’d survive my slumber.

Gently cupping my cheeks, she examines my face in a way I’d think a mother would, but she’s only an older sister. “Oh, Lucy.” She hugs me again, her hands on the back of my head. “I was so worried.”

“I’m alright,” I tell her, though I am not.

“What happened?” she asks quickly.

I meet Azaire’s eyes and shake my head ever so slightly. “Lusia and her antics. I’ll be fine.”

Lilac pulls away from our hug, shakes her head, and wipes a tear from the side of my face. “Alright,” she whispers and walks to the other side of the room, bringing the tray to the bed. “I got Eudora to make your favorite.” She hands me a ceramic bowl with cheesecake and red berry reduction.

I smile at her. “A better remedy than any.”

She smiles back and walks across the room to where her violin sits and picks it up. “Would you like a song?”

“Always.”

Azaire jumps over me, sitting on the free side of the bed while we listen to Lilac’s mini-concert.

Chapter 16

I’m A Killer Everywhere

DESDEMONA

The Lucents did not always have shadow magic, not for a long time, in fact. For centuries, they were seen as nothing more than mentalists. I can’t imagine the shock the first one had when she found she could move shadows.

— LUCENT MAGIC AND THE NATURE OF THE SUBCONSCIOUS MIND BY CLEMENTINE PROTNUS

I walk away from the dead body on the ground. A dead body I know. Bernice. I think I killed him, and I’m just walking away, because what else can I do?

The trees around me catch fire. It doesn’t even take a minute for a twenty-some-foot tree to become engulfed by the flames. I run. Was that me? I didn’t know I could set fires yet. Mom always told me my powers would manifest when I was older.

The fire follows me while I feel my heartbeat in every inch of my body. “Mom!” I’m calling, and my throat is growing raw. I think I’m running toward home.

I did kill Bernice. I must’ve burned him to death. I killed a boy, and now I’m going to kill a forest. He told me I was just as bad as the Nepenthe who are killing us. I think he might’ve been right, because I killed him, just like a Nepenthe.

“Mom!” I scream, and my throat hurts so bad. “Mommy!”

“Desdemona?” I hear her. Relief floods me like the river, and I almost stop running. I’m safe now.

“Mommy!” I run into her and wrap my arms around her hips.

She pulls me back, holding me while she sits on her knees to meet my eyes. She looks scared. “You need to put it out.” But I just look at her. I can feel the heat flooding my back. “Put it out!” she screams, turning me around so I face the fire. It’s so close to me.

I hold out my hand and they lick the flames.

And I wake up with a scream.

I’m safe, I repeat in my head. I’m inside, there’s no fire, and I’m safe. Sweat is pouring from my forehead, from every inch of my body. I’m lying in my own puddle, but I’m safe.

Only, air is caught in my throat, and it doesn’t take long until I’m hyperventilating.

“Des?” Aralia says. “Des, are you alright?”

“Fine,” I try to say while taking shallow breaths, but I can’t manage to get the word out.

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