Page 103 of Skyshade
Kill anyone you want, heart, he had said before. I will never judge you.
His words had once been a balm, a sigh of relief that someone could see the worst in her without flinching.
Now, she wondered if it had been permission for the worst part of her to roam free.
Follow the snakes. The words echoed through her head as she attempted to draw the skyres, paying the price with every try until she finally got it. She didn’t feel any rush of triumph when the skyre gleamed upon the tooth.
Follow the snakes.
She remembered the augur’s laugh when he realized she hadn’t figured it out, she didn’t know who the traitor was.
When you learn the truth of yourself, your path will be clear, he had said. She thought of the sculpture on his wall. Her, wrapped in serpents.
She thought of her dreams, of drowning in scales.
She thought of seeing the snakes in her mind, crawling through the halls, leading her to a mirror. To her reflection.
Skyred tooth in pocket, she visited Wren and watched as every snake on the tree turned toward her. She stilled as they inched up her legs to wrap around her chest and arms, as if summoned.
Follow the snakes. She had.
And they had all led to her.
Grim was sitting on his throne when she entered the room. He looked exhausted. Still, the shadows at his feet puddled when he saw her.
He was in front of her in an instant. “What is it, Hearteater?”
He studied the snakes still curled around her body, hissing.
“What if it was me?”
“It wasn’t.” He seemed certain.
She shook her head. “What if I’m what everyone says I am? What if I’m a traitor? What if I’m a monster? What if I end up being your downfall?”
Grim’s look was fierce and fearsome as he caught her chin in his palm. He tilted her face toward his. “Then I will defend you until my last breath.”
Her voice trembled. “You can’t mean that.”
“I do.”
“You shouldn’t,” she said. “It’s madness. It’s...” The floor began to tremble.
She frowned. “What—”
Isla was flung back as the castle’s foundation lurched. Only Grim’s shadows kept her from crashing against the wall.
There was a moment of stillness, of silence.
Then the castle began to shake in earnest, as if it was being slowly pushed off its cliff. Another storm—a big one.
The doors slammed open as Astria rushed inside, her two blades in her hands. It was the first time Isla had seen her since she had accused her of destroying the village.
“There’s an army at our steps,” she said, out of breath, her eyes narrowing at Isla. “They—they look like ours.”
“What do you mean they look like ours?” Grim bellowed.
“They are ours,” she said.
