Page 59 of Song of the Dawn
No. Not Ginger. She’d exchanged herself to give Ezra happiness. And I knew why. She’d told me about her lost love, her biggest regret, and perhaps she’d seen what Ezra and I had and had decided to let us have what she’d refused: a lifetime of pure and perfect love.
I’d already cried too much, and yet tears itched the backs of my eyes as I thought of what she was willing to sacrifice, more for Ezra than for me, and yet could I let her do this when I was the one who’d decided to come here to make a deal with the sorceress? I found my legs, ever so weak, and yet they held me upright. My body ached from the use of magic, and I found my voice.
“I have something better than an unbroken vow and better than service. I have a violin carved from a tree of the gods, with potent magic none can match. If I give it to you, will you give me Ezra?”
The sorceress cocked her head at me, her dead eyes considering. It was impossible to hold her gaze, so I stared down at the skulls, which weren’t much better. Where was Ezra, and what had she done with him?
“Show me the magic,” she instructed. “Play.”
Play. My arms were weary from lack of sleep, and I’d already played twice today, invoking magic when I never had before, and my mind wanted nothing more than to sleep. Repressing the sob that built inside, I tucked the violin under my chin and forced my shaking fingers to play. The first note went wrong, a jarring sourness marring the air. The sorceress frowned, and my throat went dry. I took a deep breath. My song was within me, an original piece. It had always been. I just needed to let it out.
My fingertips hurt, the skin close to splitting as I played, moving my fingers up and down the neck. I’d never played the song for anyone before, not even Ezra when he’d asked. In secret I’d composed the melody, for this song was the cry of my heart. A song of hope, a song of love, a song of strength, calling out to the one who made my soul sing. Gritting my teeth, I forced myself to play through the pain, and as tears streamed down my face once more, I knew it would be worth it if the sorceress agreed to our deal.
Little by little, my strength ebbed, and I went from standing to kneeling. My limbs felt boneless, and yet I played until gold dust glittered above and the light across that dark cave became bright. Behind me the portal glowed, cold and purple, and the skin of my fingers burst open, crimson blood flowing down my arms. Still, I played. Because the pain did not matter—the sorrow was only a test—and if I gained my heart’s desire, there would be euphoria.
I did not know how long I’d played, but my shoulders ached, my fingers bled, and my body was hollow when I stopped. The court was silent. Even the sorceress stood, poised with an unnameable expression crossing her face. The silence was like the lull between a lightning strike and thunder, and the bow slipped out of my fingers, clattering loudly on the floor.
Tiny creatures flittered above my head, and gold dust drifted like a soft spring drizzle. I faced the sorceress, too tired to open my mouth.
When she spoke, her voice was the clap of thunder, boiling and shaking the foundations of the earth. “Bring the prisoner.”
Ezra did not look like my Ezra when he appeared, his hair damp and ruffled, blood darkening his tunic. He limped, a hand clasped to his chest, and my heart collapsed. They’d beaten him up, tortured him. What more would they have done had I not come?
“Ezra,” the sorceress said. “My Sorcerer of Portals, it seems you’ve passed your magic on to another and captured it in a violin. This is your greatest achievement, and I count your servitude to me complete. On this day, you shall return beyond the portal, never to grace it with your presence again. Your soul is whole, yours, and you will never enter my lands again. As a token, I will keep your loyalist, Ginger the Slayer, and she shall serve me in your stead. Now go, before I change my mind.”
Ezra’s eyes were wide as his head swiveled to Ginger.
Lips tight, she nodded at him. “Go. This is what I want.”
I felt his hesitation, his desire to fight for her too. But it was just a sliver, just a hint, before he turned and staggered toward me. His pain washed over me like a wave, and I went to him, delicately reaching out to support him. His arm was heavy on my shoulders, and when he murmured, “Mila,” my name on his lips filled a book with words, with all the things he’d say to me, later, much later.
We stumbled to the portal, and behind me came a clap of thunder. An intense coldness filled me. All I saw was light as we stumbled across the barrier, and it hissed and closed behind us.
Mila
We landed in a tangled heap at the mouth of a cave. Ezra lay on his back, gasping, his breath shallow. I pressed a hand to his head but snatched it away as it burned. “Ezra,” I sobbed, “don’t leave me. Not now.”
I had to get him back, back to the inn, back to bed, but we were so far away. I, too, still felt weak, but I pushed myself to keep going, rubbing my bloody fingers on my dress as I frantically sought for a way to get back to the Dawn.
A boat was tied up at the mouth of the cave, like a gift from the forest gods. Putting Ezra’s hand over my shoulder, I dragged him upright as best I could. “Come on, we’re going to make it.”
It was with some maneuvering we got into the boat, and Ezra lay heavily on his back, drifting in and out of consciousness as I rowed. At first I’d thought the pool was self-contained, but as I nosed the boat across the water, I realized it was a stream. My hopes rose that it would lead back to the lake. Giselle and Dusty would be home, working the farm, and once they saw me return, they’d come to help.
I can do this, I told myself, steering the boat through the water. After all, I’d gone to the lair of the sorceress, I’d made a deal with my magical violin, and I’d gotten the love of my life back. And Ginger, had she truly wanted to stay? To work as a slayer for that dark queen? Regardless, that lifestyle fit her better. I only hoped she would not suffer because of her loyalty to Ezra.
The waters ended up being a maze, forking off to other lakes and streams, leaving me hopelessly lost and confused. The afternoon burned away, and evening shadows grew. My arms throbbed with exhaustion, and black spots danced before my eyes. Ezra’s labored breathing had deepened into sleep, but if we were stuck out all night, lost in the streams, I did not know how we’d survive. He might take a turn for the worse. I needed to wake him to ask for help, but sleep was healing, and I needed him to live. I needed us both to live.
When a friendly light glowed in the darkness, I rowed faster. The streaks of sunset shot across the sky as I came out of the murky trees into the lake I knew well. Across the bay were the red barn and the homey lights from Giselle and Dusty’s cottage. My limbs trembled as I rowed to the dock, and as I pulled, voices shouted at me, calling, “Mila! There you are! Are you all right?”
Voices I knew well. Voices I loved. Voices I’d known my entire life. As the dock neared, I saw them there. Giselle and Dusty, with a lantern, waving, and beside them was Mother. Aveline. And Tomas holding Luc.
All the bravery that had been inside of me, the rush to bring Ezra home, fizzled at the sight of them. Suddenly I was young again, and I just wanted to be held. I rowed the boat to the dock and stumbled into their arms, sobbing as I held tight. We were together. We were home. Everything would be all right.
Giselle and Dusty took the lead, creating a makeshift sling to carry Ezra. They herded us back to the inn, where Moses had a fresh meat and vegetable pie waiting. A roaring fire was set in the dining hall, and we gathered among tears and hugs. Together. It all passed in a blur, but it was Aveline who helped me out of my bloodstained dress and pushed me into a tub full of warm water. Later, with me exhausted and clean, she urged me into bed, and I fell into a dreamless sleep.
Ezra was my first thought the moment I woke alone in my bed, as if the last day had been nothing more than a nightmare. Heart in my throat, I dressed with haste and went downstairs. Breakfast was laid out in the staff’s lounge, and Aveline and Mother were already there, sitting in front of the fire.
“Ezra,” I breathed, my heart lurching. A tightness squeezed my chest.
