Page 83 of The Bones of the Cursed

He turns toward me with sad eyes. “No. She doesn’t even know it.” He walks towards the table, gently laying the book down to stare at it, as if it might come to life and attack him.

“Are you all right?”

His eyes snap to mine. “I know this book.”

I look at the inconspicuous tiny book and find nothing particularly special about it. “Did you find it where you found the scroll?”

He shakes his head. “No, it’s from home.”

I nod. “Have you read it before?”

He looks at me, eyes filled with grief and confusion. “No, you don’t understand. This is fromhome. The Caselian Realm. This was my mother’s journal.”

It’s then I notice the gold engraving on the spine:Matilda

“How did the Banshee get it?”

Elion swallows. “I’m not sure. The last time I saw it was when she was writing in it. That was the night before she died. It should be nothing but ash; fire burned through that entire camp.”

I frown. “Unless there was someone else there who took the journal before the attack. Someone who escaped.”

Elion looks to me. “Who? I knew everyone; no one would have stolen from her, let alone abandon the camp.”

I shake my head. “I’m not sure, but I’m damn sure we are going to find out.”

- KAILU -

I feel lighter than I have in days.

Alanis is awake.

My heart thumps an erratic beat. Seeing her smile again practically sent me to my knees. When Malakai first burst through the door, all manner of awful outcomes raced through my mind. When his words finally sank in, I raced to her side. Pushing into her room, I spotted her ice blue eyes first. They locked onto me instantly, and all the air in my body left me in a rush. Her bright smile filled the room and I pulled her into a rough kiss.

Her giggle thawed the remaining icy shards of fear that had taken up residence in my body. Truly, I thought we would never have another moment like this.

It happened so quickly that I can’t even recall what exactly it was. One second everything that mattered in my life was hanging in the balance. The next, gale-force wind threw the creature back, across the bridge. Then it tucked its tail between its legs and fled.

Now here we are, faced with her mother’s journal, Elioncautiously flipping through entries. Each one he passes leaves me more and more aggravated. Malakai bristles in irritation.

This woman was supposed to care for Alanis. It’s easy to see that she did so in Alanis’s early years, but as Alanis began to grow, so did her powers.

Malakai grunts. “This will break her,” he whispers.

“She deserves to know,” I snap. “And we will be there for her in the aftermath.”

31

- ALANIS -

THE JOURNAL

The king enters my room and I immediately feel self-conscious. I try to comb through my hair with my fingers, but it does little to help the knotted mess. In the end, I just tuck it behind my shoulders and hope he doesn’t look too closely.

The king settles into the chair next to my bed, looking me over intensely. “You are feeling well?” he asks, concern etching his face.

I nod. “A little sore and exhausted, even though I’ve been asleep for a while.”

He gives me a small smile, though his expression reveals nothing. “When they carried you and my son through the doors, I must say I was taken by surprise. I have seen Malakai injured before many times. You, though, were as still as death. For a second, I feared they were bringing back your body. My son has always been a troublemaker. A rebel of sorts. He enjoys causing a ruckus and going on grand adventures. I was worried for a while that he would never settle down, so when I could scent your faint bond, I was ecstatic.”

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