Page 142 of Summer of Sacrifice

Déliez la graine,

Ne soyez plus protégée

Que la corde soit brisée

Dans l'obscurité du jour ?*

“May love be what binds us,” two sets of Sisters and a reaper said in unison.

The locket around Aggie’s neck—their mother’s—glowed with the same bedimmed, blush magic it had the night the Sisters’ forced separation had ended. Lifting off Aggie’s chest and into the air, the locket hovered for a breath before the magic shot forth, diving into Aggie’s breastbone where the locket had rested. When the magic disappeared within her, Aggie gasped, and the locket dropped back down, swaying on its chain.

Seleste looked up to find that Talan, Hissa, Monarch, and Belfry were faint, hardly even ghosts.

“We will meet again,” Belfry whispered, just before their spirits blinked out.

* Unbind the magic, Unbind the seed. No longer protected, Let the twine be broken, In the darkness of the day

Chapter

Twenty-Six

SORSCHA

Squealing, Sorscha ran out of Whitehall, one hand in the air waving a letter. “Gaius!”

Still rubbing sleep from his eyes, Gaius turned from saddling his horse to face her. “What in all the myriad realms are you screeching about this early?”

“Asa is meeting us at Aggie’s cottage!” She shrieked and jumped, smacking Gaius on the shoulder with the letter. “He sent the others ahead half a day’s ride, and he is headed to the Forest of Tombs.”

“That’s excellent,” Arielle said with a chuckle as she walked up next to them. “Just in time for a wedding.”

Sorscha baulked. “Goddess above, I almost forgot!”

She ran off screaming again, this time shouting for Agatha. There was way too much to do, and only a two days’ ride to plan it all.

AGATHA

Grimm and Sorscha hadn’t spoken of anything but the wedding for two days.

Grimm, she suspected, was only trying to distract her mind. Sorscha, however, was fully immersed for joy’s sake alone. She envied her Sister Spring’s buoyancy.

At least she was riding Guinevere. Her sweet steed had been sequestered in the castle stables for too long. Nuit, Grimm’s horse, had made a bit of a fuss over that. He’d grown to love her and stamped his hooves with gusto when Grimm climbed on his back instead of Agatha.

Gaius urged his horse up next to hers. “What’s eating at you?”

She swung her head toward him and he laughed outright at her withering expression. “It would be more beneficial to ask what is not bothering me.”

“Fair enough.” Gaius patted his horse. “What is not bothering you?”

Agatha didn’t feel like answering that, either. “What will you do, when this is all over?”

“Your avoidance is on point today.”

“I’m serious, Gaius. Answer me, or you can run along little pony.”

Tongue in cheek, Gaius exhaled. “I’ll return to Araignée, hopefully with Arielle.”

Agatha snorted. “You’re an idiot if you think she’d choose to be anywhere else but with you.”

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