Page 114 of The Last Wish of Bristol Keats
She looked down at her sneakers. A note was tucked in one of them. Her hand trembled as she pulled it out.
You stole my life. You stole everything that ever mattered to me. Now I’m stealing yours from you. Don’t bother searching. It’s lying somewhere at the bottom of the sea. Blackmail has a price. Was it worth it?
Bristol couldn’t breathe. She grabbed her shoes, frantically ripping out the insoles, plunging her hands inside, searching for a cold metal disk.There was nothing. Her fingers shook, skimming the insides again, and again. Both sneakers were bare. Empty.Empty. Her knees gave way, and she fell to the floor. A curdling scream tore from her throat. Her timemark was gone.
A servant heard the scream and found Bristol on the floor, inconsolable. The urisk immediately summoned Tyghan. By the time he got to Bristol’s room, she was madly searching through piles of scattered clothes, stuffing her old tattered jeans into her backpack, her black tank top, then looking for something else.
He took in the mayhem. “What happened?”
Bristol paused her frantic search and slammed the crumpled note in her fist into his palm, then went back to searching.
Tyghan’s breath pooled in his chest as he read it. He hadn’t seen the depth of Kasta’s rage—only his own when he discovered her handprint around Bristol’s neck. He had offered her the mercy of leaving Danu and disappearing somewhere in the wilds, instead of being tried by the council. He had escorted her to the palace gates himself, but it was a mercy he shouldn’t have given her.
He looked back at Bristol, caught in a feverish pursuit. “We’ll find it,” he said. “Somehow. We’ll search—”
Bristol whirled, fury overtaking her. “At the bottom of the sea? Which one, Tyghan? Where will you start? How many more years of my life will it rob? Stop!” she screamed. “Stop making promises you can’t keep!”
She picked up a trampled toothbrush and shoved it into her bag.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“I’m getting out of here. I’m going home.”
He reached for her arm, and she yanked it away. “I’m angry, Tyghan, and I’m staying angry! Don’t try to change that!”
“I wasn’t. I’m just trying to make you slow down and think. You’re distraught.”
“I’m not distraught. I’mdone. I can’t do this anymore. My father’s dead. My mother’s dead. I made promises to her in her last breathing moments on this earth. I promised her another chance. I made her believe in the dream. I lured my mother to her own death. I can never forgive myself for that—or you. I gave Elphame everything, and it gave me nothing. And my sisters? I may never see them again. But there is one promise to my mother I’m going to keep. I’m going home! I’m suffocating here. My whole time in Elphame has been one long nightjump, and I’m not getting anywhere.”
“Give it some time, Bri—”
“Time? There is no more time! I’ve lost time! I’ve lost everything!” she said, furiously zipping her pack shut. “I’m on my way to tell Julia I’m leaving. She will take possession of the Cauldron of Plenty. And then I’m riding Zandra to a far place to create a portal where no one will find it. A portal back to Bowskeep.”
She headed for the door, and he grabbed her wrist to stop her. “You can’t do this.”
Her gaze was cold steel. “You forget. I’m the queen of Elphame. I can do whatever I want.” She looked at his hand on her wrist. “Now let go of me. I need to go speak with my steward.”
CHAPTER 86
I’m sorry,” Bristol said. “I have no choice.”
“Shhh,” Julia said, her arms wrapped tight around Bristol. “You don’t need to apologize to anyone.”
Bristol huddled with her friends, a mass of tears and arms holding on to one another. “We don’t want you to go,” Rose cried. Bristol had told them about the stolen timemark, and that she likely would never be able to return to Elphame once she left. This wasn’t just leaving for a little while, but maybe forever. Her friends worked through their own anger and disbelief, Avery wondering if she could substitute her own timemark for Bristol’s.
“It won’t work,” Julia said. “Each timemark was imprinted to us when we passed through the portal to Elphame.”
It took every bit of Bristol’s will to speak coherently, because inside she was a raw mess. “I’m sorry to leave, but at least you have each other. My sisters don’t have—” Her chest shuddered. “I can’t—” She felt she was going to be sick.
“It’s all right,” Hollis murmured, rubbing Bristol’s back. “You’ve lost too much. Witnessed too much. More than anyone should have to bear. Both of your parents and now this. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, my friend.”
“You’ll be back,” Avery said, her chin dimpling like an orange, refusing to believe they might not see each other again.
“Damn straight she will,” Sashka said. Tears streamed down her cheeks.
“We could go with you?” Rose cried hopefully.
Bristol shook her head. “No, your life is here. Help Julia as she watches over Elphame. She’ll need you. You’re my First Officers. And hers. Please—” She choked on her words.
