Page 78 of Skyshade
—But the island.
She hadn’t traveled here only to see a piece of her parent. No, this island would serve a purpose.
Still in the center of the water, Isla reached into the deepest crevices of her power. Into all the places she had buried her ability, and emotions, and sanity.
And let it all come rushing out.
The water around her exploded upward before turning into steam.
Waves of petals and trees broke through the land around her. The air itself seemed to shatter, wind howling. Shadows coated her arms, wrapped in sparks.
The beast within her—the one that made her powers deadly—uncurled. She gave into it, only here. Only in a land where she couldn’t hurt anyone.
As her power unleashed across the island, the monster within felt relief.
Isla awoke in the middle of the night, shivering from another nightmare, only to find a serpent curled at the foot of her bed.
She hadn’t gotten another from Wren in a while. Where had it come from? Cautiously, she reached out to grab it, but the serpent slithered onto the floor.
Lynx was still asleep, curled in the corner. Isla stepped out of the bed, and lunged toward the snake to catch it—
But it was too fast. It slithered beneath the door frame. She crept into the hall, following it around the corner, only to watch it be joined by more snakes. They were all the same dark green color with black specks, moving as one, as if each were pieces of the same whole.
Follow the snakes.
She did, even though the traitors had been captured. The serpents were relentless; it was as if they were trying to lead her somewhere, tell her something. She followed them until she turned a corner and nearly crashed into a wall adorned with an intricate mirror.
Her reflection stared back at her.
She was covered in snakes. They were wrapped around her arms, her stomach, her throat, squeezing—
She gasped, and they were gone. They weren’t on the floor either. They had vanished, as if they had never been there to start with.
Slowly, she inched back down the hall, her heart hammering, only to crash into something solid. She seized, then whipped around, and Grim gently grabbed her wrists before she could reach for her hidden dagger.
“Hearteater,” he breathed. “What are you doing?” His voice sounded faraway.
She blinked, and it was as if she was plunged back into this moment, into the hall. She heard a faint screeching.
“Did—did you see them?” she asked, squinting against the darkness, searching for any sign of them.
Grim frowned. “See what?”
“All the snakes,” she said, as if it was obvious.
“Heart,” he said, knuckles running across her forehead. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine,” she told him, stepping away from his touch. She drew her brows together, studying him. “You look like a demon.”
“Thank you,” he said.
“That wasn’t a compliment.” She shook her head. “Why are you in armor?”
“The stormfinch,” he said. “It’s singing.”
That was the screeching.
Hope flared within her. Finally, another chance. She still had the other ring Azul had returned to her...he had trapped a shred of storm inside. Perhaps it would work.
