Page 12 of The Bones of the Cursed

Shock reverberates through me, no matter his assurances. How can six men simplydisappear?

I feel the panic begin to claw up my throat, and my hands shake as breathing becomes difficult. That same numbness when I lost my parents begins to engulf me as I struggle through the blackness closing in around me. At least then I had Elion. Now I have no one. My heart beats an erratic rhythm in my chest, my pulse jumping and stuttering as I swallow past a lump in my throat. “That’s not enough!”

The group of men give me a sad look.

“Miss,” says the blond, “with all due respect, not many men are found alive when they go missing in those mountains. I think it best that you prepare yourself.”

The other soldier smacks his comrade in the arm.

My mouth drops open, my heart beating hard enough it might break clean through my ribcage. “I’m sorry, what’s your name?”

He winces. “Kailu.”

I scoff. “Well, you really need to work on your bedsidemanners when bringing news to soldiers’ families. In all honesty, you’re shit at it. My brother is not dead, I would know.” At least, I really hope I would know, and yet my stomach churns as doubt creeps in. The silence feels horrifyingly unsettling, and I can’t help but imagine Elion’s dead body, torn into pieces by monsters or enemies or worse. “If you won’t do everything you can to find him, then I will.”

I turn on my heel to head back to my cottage, but Kailu’s voice stops me in my tracks. “You can’t seriously be thinking of going after him,” he says. “You wouldn’t even know where to start. You will end up killed.” The other soldiers stand at attention, awaiting orders, while the captain steps forward to interfere in mine and Kailu’s disagreement.

I raise my chin. “I don’t see how that’s any concern of yours.”

“With all due respect, you are making an unwise decision. You dying won’t help your brother. You need to let the soldiers do their jobs. They are the best at what they do.”

I scoff. “Obviously not, if your track record is not finding most alive!” I try to tamp down my frustration. Logically, I know they’re doing everything they can, but I truly can’t let myself even consider the possibility my brother might be dead. He’s the only family I have left. And if I went missing, I know he’d look for me.

Swallowing past the lump in my throat, I wrench my front door open and storm inside. I can almost feel the soldiers gawking after me. I’m sure they aren’t used to a five-foot-five human arguing with them.

I lean against my closed door, doubts creeping in. Before I can talk myself out of this harebrained idea, I head straight to my room and start packing clothes into a small satchel. I grab the emergency money from under my bed and head to Elion’s room. Elion keeps emergency coin as well, so I pocket that and duck into his closet to pull up the floorboard beneath whichhe keeps spare knives. We have never faced danger since we moved here, but teaching me how to fight with a blade was a precaution we thought was best after everything we left behind. I slip the two daggers and the hunting knife into sheathes I strap around my legs, then return the floorboard and go to find a tent, canteen, and emergency medical kit in the hall closet. After being all but chased out of our home, Elion and I know better than to be unprepared.

By the time I return to the front hallway, Hannah is there, blocking the door with her arms crossed over her chest. I sigh. “Hannah, I have to find my brother. I can’t just leave him out there. I mean, he’d come for me.”

She gives me a long, hard look, then says, “You’re going to need food. And if you think I’m letting you go alone, you are absolutely insane.”

I blink. “You want to come with me?” Exploring with me is one thing, but this is a rescue mission that will definitely have dangers.

“You’re my best friend, so I’m not letting you go without me. And you know I have a knack for healing remedies. I’ve studied all the herbs and plants needed to make ointments, medicines, anything you might need.” She pauses, as if weighing her words, and then says, “Let me help. You don’t have to do this alone.”

An overwhelming sense of relief floods through me. I have never been more thankful for Hannah than I am in this moment. She truly has been the best friend I have ever had, apart from my brother. I feel as if a weight has lifted off my chest, and I can finally breathe again. We may not have Elion back, but I won’t sit aside and let him suffer. He would rain hellfire down on this world to save me. He’s been there for me more times than I can count, so now it’s my turn to be there for him.

“All right then, we better get you packed.”

5

- ALANIS -

WHAT HAPPENED?

I’m momentarily blinded by the early evening sun as I step through the front door. When I clear my vision of sun spots, I see Kailu standing with four other soldiers, who encircle him on the road by their horses. The captain is nowhere to be found.

I watch the way he commands the space around him, his shirt stretching tight over his muscles as he moves his arms. He catches me staring and I curse my bad luck. I don’t need him thinking I was checking him out. His smirk as he walks towards me is both annoying and disturbingly attractive.

“I’m not sure why you are still here,” I say as I shut and lock my front door. “Nothing you say is going to change my mind.”

Now it’s his turn to roll his eyes at me. “Yes, that’s what my captain figured. Hence why he ordered me to make sure you don’t leave this cottage.”

My eyes widen. “I’m sorry, what?”

Kailu lets out a long-suffering sigh. “I told him he should just let you get eaten by an Amarok. It would serve you right. But instead, some of our foot soldiers are going to be on babysitting duty. We have enough people disappearing, we don’t need to addto our work.”

“I fail to see why stopping me is more important than doing something useful—like your jobs. So if you don’t mind, I’m off to do that myself.” With that, I take Hannah’s hand and pull her along with me, only for the Fae to step directly into my path. I glare up at him, though he doesn’t seem in the least bit amused.

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