Page 133 of Curse of Darkness
It’s something I’ve not truly discussed with her. “My mother… wasn’t a very nice mother. She had banned the reading of certain books, and when she caught my nurse reading one of them to me, she had her tortured. My magic simply erupted from me. Maybe I was trying to protect Nanny. Or maybe I was simply overwhelmed. But I nearly burned the castle down.”
Amaya’s eyes go wide. “Will I be able to control flame too?”
“Fae gifts are often hereditary. You might have your father’s gifts. You might have mine. We won’t know.” I smile gently. “My sister and I could both wield fire, but she’s better at it than I am. Or maybe more practiced.”
“Your sister?” Those eyes widen even further. “The one who was married to the goblin?”
“Maybe.” We’ve still had no word from Lysander or Edain. Baylor can sometimes communicate with his brother over such a distance, but they have to both be aligned to each other. “We don’t know what’s happened to Andraste yet.”
“I’d like to meet her one day.”
I stir the flames into a whirlpool with a lazy finger. I can’t help picturing Andi. I never got the chance to thank her for saving Amaya for me. “You will. I’m sure of it. We’ll get her back and—”
“Vi!” a voice gasps.
“What was that?” Amaya demands, sitting upright. “In the fire?”
Something definitely flickered there. I focus on the flames again, reaching for them, through them—
A face appears, carved of flame. Trying to say something.
I shove to my feet, knocking over the glass of water. “Andraste?”
“Vi?” Suddenly her voice echoes through my ears. “Can you hear me?”
Falling to my knees, I lean toward the flame. “Yes!Yes, I can hear you! Where are you? Are you safe? Are you all right?”
There’s a slight discordant buzzing in my ears. “—I’m safe…. Captured by the goblin king… but… fine…. going on? Amaya?”
“She’s safe. Thank you. Thank you for everything you did for us. She’s safe and she’s here with us. Have you heard from Lysander and Edain yet? They’re coming to rescue you.”
“Edain’s… here.” Andraste’s face becomes worried. “…You need… get to Eidyn… He’s coming.”
“Who’s coming? What’s wrong?”
“Urach! Urach’s coming!”
“Urach? He’s coming to Eidyn?” The goblin king she was sent to marry. “Andraste, where are you?”
“We’re coming… day’s ride.”
“Who is we? When?”
I suddenly realize I’m talking to nothing but flames.
She’s gone.
And with her, that last vital snatch of information I was trying to discover.
* * *
On day three,I’m finally allowed out of my bedchambers when news of what Mother’s been up to finally hits.
Thiago reclines beside me at the dining table, reading through reports on news from the border. Baylor punctuates the silences by filling us in with regards to the situation at Eidyn. He and Eris make daily visits to the staging areas, but until the battle is engaged, their job is here, talking strategy to Thiago and discussing intel with Thalia.
“So Adaia’s finished staging,” Thalia mutters, toying with one of the poached pears on her porridge. “I don’t understand why she hasn’t pushed her forces across the river. News from Evaron’s scouts in the north suggest the goblins are only days away. And Eidyn is the best place for her to launch an offensive. The keep there is on a strip of land that juts into the river. Whoever controls the keep controls the Firenze and all trade along it. And this side of Eidyn is a marsh. Our forces have to camp miles away from the keep, which means a limited response time. She has all the keys to success.”
“She has some other piece in play that we can’t yet see yet,” I mutter, because my mother always does.
