Page 99 of The Bones of the Cursed

There is always another way.

I won’t go back. Before Alanis, I was empty. I got into so many bar fights that my mother and father started sending bodyguards after me to ensure I wasn’t mortally wounded. Alanis opened my eyes to a world of colors. From the second my eyes landed on hers in that cave, my soul knew that it needed her.

Kailu and I walk hand in hand with Alanis to the dining hall, everyone already seated around the table. A tension hangs over the room as we sit down. Neither my father nor Elion are here, and when I glance at Alanis, know she’s clocked it, too.

I drop a kiss on the top of her head. “I’ll be right back.”

She nods, leaning over the arm of her chair to converse with Hannah and Hendrix, who are scouring through books to figure out a way to break the Fates’ prophecy.

Kailu must sense my nervous energy. He quickly gets up tofollow me. “What’s going on, Mal?”

I shake my head. “I’m not sure. Elion has been disappearing every day, and now my father.”

I’m not sure where I’m headed, I just let my feet guide me. Before long, I find myself in front of the healer’s quarters and spot the healer deep in conversation with not only Elion but also my father.

When we approach, the healer’s eyes go wide.

“What is going on?”

My father and Elion look at me, both with guarded expressions. The healer—Laylani, I believe her name is—looks between all of us.

“I was just asking our healer for some medical advice. Elion was already here.”

Elion clears his throat, leaving without a word. As he walks by, I catch the scent that lingers on him.

Death.

My father stands, motioning for me to follow.

Every step to my father’s study, my mind still reels from that very unique smell. Kailu and I take the chairs in front of my father’s desk, waiting for whatever he has to say.

“I am sick.”

My brain freezes. “All right. Did the healer give you something? How long did she say it would last?” His hesitant stare has my heartbeat kicking up a notch. “Dad…”

He lets out a sigh. “The healer is not sure what ails me. But whatever it is, we currently don’t have a cure for. Sickness of the blood, she called it. I weaken every day.”

Kailu clutches my hand, but I refuse to believe that my father, ruler of this realm, is anything but strong and healthy. “I’ll have a word with her. I’m sure it’s just an average seasonal illness. We will figure it out. I’ll call in other healers.”

My father gives me a sad smile. “Mal…”

My throat feels tight, my body too hot. “No. You arefine. This is nothing.”

My father opens his mouth but quickly closes it when Kailu gives an almost imperceptible shake of his head.

The room is silent for a moment before my father speaks again. “There’s another thing…War is coming.”

I scoff. “Tell me something I don’t know.”

“No, you misunderstand me, son. War is imminent. Iclas is mobilizing his army. The Witches have reported multiple spikes in activity at each of the portal sights. I have sent a warning to residents. I also set a mandatory curfew; no one is to be out after dark. Ghouls are more likely to attack then.”

“Do we have any idea where he intends for this battle to take place?” Kailu asks.

My father shakes his head. “I’m unsure, but the matriarch will be here by noon. She requests to see Alanis.”

“If that is what Alanis wishes, then fine,” I say. “From what her father said, he wanted her nowhere near her grandmother.”

“You misunderstand me again. Alaniswillbe at the meeting. There is no other option. We need the psychic Witch to help us, and the matriarch will only allow it if Alanis is present.”

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