Page 136 of Crown of Darkness
“What is—?”
A sharp hand gesture silences me.
Nothing moves through the ruins. Nothing but wind shivering through the brambles.
But now I can feel it too.
We’re not alone.
“Who is it?” I whisper.
Eris holds up a hand and one finger.
“Well, o Lord of the Shadows,” I mutter, silently stringing my bow. “Surely if there’s someone lurking in there, you’ll be able to find them.”
Grimm turns and saunters directly into a shadow. “Don’t get yourself killed. I’ll investigate.”
He’s gone for maybe fifteen minutes before Eris shrugs off her pack. “The little bastard’s probably chasing mice. I don’t like this.”
“You want to set a trap?”
She grins.
“Let me guess…. You want me to play the bait?”
Eris flashes a smile as she slowly draws her dagger. “Well, let’s be honest…. Nobody is going to mistake me for any sort of damsel. But you and those big, pretty eyes?”
I roll said pretty eyes. “Fine. Let’s go see what I can draw out of the forest. Watch my back.”
“Always.”
* * *
I walk slowlythrough the empty courtyard, leaves crunching underfoot, and every inch of me prepared for an ambush.
But when it comes, it’s from the most unexpected source.
“Halt!” calls a voice, the familiar sound slicing right through me.
Maia’s mercy. Every inch of me freezes, and I spin around to face my sister, cursing her under my breath. Andraste slips out from beneath an arch.
We face each other, and I can’t stop my heart from racing.
Her gold-plated armor gleams in the burnished light of sunset. Braids sweep her hair back off her face, though the rest of it hangs in a tangle of elegant curls. It’s like looking at a younger, kinder version of my mother.
“What are you doing here?” Andraste’s face hardens. “You shouldn’t be here. Mother will—”
“What? Curse me? Steal my memories? Lock me away in the oubliette? There’s nothing she can do that she hasn’t already done.”
“You fool,” she says bitterly. “You think those are the worst things she could do to you?”
“What are you going to do? Summon her?”
Andraste’s always been better at swordplay than me—despite all of Eris’s teaching. There’s no way I can beat her. Not with cold iron.
But I draw my sword anyway.
Magic? Maybe. It was the one area she lacked, and though I don’t dare rouse the power of the Hallow before I know exactly what danger lurks around Briar Keep, I can feel the ley line quivering beneath my feet.
