Page 201 of Grim and Oro
It was dangerous, using emotions. We aren’t supposed to. It’s too easy to let your entire power source drain, killing you. I never would have even attempted it, if I believed there was any other way to stop the tremors.
“Grim did this,” I say.
“He didn’t.” Zed.
My eyes shift to his. They urge him to explain.
“I was watching him the entire time, Oro. He didn’t use his powers.”
I shake my head. Grimshaw can create illusions; his powers are greater than we can imagine. “How do you know?”
Zed scowls. “Because he caught me following him and was a moment from putting his blade through my chest, when we felt the castle trembling.” I curse, and Zed lifts a shoulder. “He—he went pale. Herantoward the ballroom like a madman. So did I.”
He was worried about Isla. I know it for certain. He cares for her in a way I believed impossible.
Until I felt those kinds of feelings too.
Now, I’m not sure if anything is truly impossible anymore.
If he cares for her ... then he wouldn’t have risked her life to destroy the castle. “So, who did this?”
Calder looks pensive. “Maybe no one did. Maybe ... the island is breaking. Dying, just like you are.”
That would explain the pain. I felt like my skin was ripping open, just like the land itself.
“We need to end these curses,” I say. “Now. Before the hundred days are over.”
Egan and the rest of the rulers sacrificed themselves to give us a chance to save this island and the realms.
No one is coming to save us, I know.
It’s up to us to save ourselves.
CROWNS AND CAGES
The island is in ruins. It wasn’t just the castle that was affected during the tremors.
We’ve had burials for those lost. I’ve been in endless meetings, panic rising. But the moment I see her, my mind quiets. It’s like I’m back on that beach I haven’t visited in centuries.
She looks concerned. “Are you okay?” she asks, her eyes sweeping down my body, and why does that make me feel like I can’t breathe?
No. I’m not okay. None of us are. But I don’t tell her that. Instead, I give her a sharp answer, and that makes her frown. I tell her that we must visit Remlar, yet another ancient creature who could know where the heart is. One I had hoped we wouldn’t have to deal with.
She bites her lip in focus.
“What are you thinking?” I ask. I’d give anything to be let into that mind for even a moment.
She looks surprised. I suppose she should be—it’s not like I’ve typically asked her opinion on any of our plans. Perhaps I should. She’s smart. Capable. Her tone is steady. “What if we let them capture me? This ancient creature and his people? You said they hate Wildlings, right?”
Fuck no. That’s my immediate reaction. But what I say is: “Why would we do that?”
She shrugs. “You said it’s unlikely he’ll agree to see you. We’re short on time. We’ll force him to have an audience with you.”
“... By using yourself as bait.”
She nods.
I don’t want to admit that it’s a good plan. Still ... I don’t like it. Isla is right. The ancient creatures do hate Wildlings. Remlar and his people hate me too. They think I abandoned them, after the curses. And maybe ... maybe I did. So many groups were suffering. We’ve tried to help everyone ... but it’s meant no one has felt completely taken care of.
