Page 60 of The Last Wish of Bristol Keats
“Perfection,” Olivia said. “I think she has a kinship with fire.”
Esmee clapped. “Our lessons weren’t for nothing after all.”
Reuben heaved a sigh.
Olivia rolled her dark eyes. “What, Reuben? Just say it.”
He shrugged his bony shoulders. “All is not flowers and sunshine, you know?”
“But neither is it—”
“She’ll be hunted. If she isn’t already. From this day forward, every kingdom in Elphame will want to control her, at least until another bloodmarked is found. There are Kormicks all over this land. One will eventually get her. She’s too great a prize for them to resist.”
Esmee clucked her tongue, annoyed with his doom and gloom. “She has all of us and Tyghan to protect her. She’ll be safe.”
Reuben only nodded. “A bird in a cage. Going back to her old life will be impossible.”
Bristol had never been so exhausted in her life, but it was in the very best way. She’d had no idea that magic could be so tiring. Like everything else, it came with a cost, but it was worth it. She had been opening portals and closing them from one end of the palace grounds to the other, each effort taking less time. Exhilaration fueled her. She was surprised at how free she felt. Like a final shadow of the past had been shed.
All those weeks of faking magic, knowing she was a fraud, were gone. The shame was gone. She was confident she could close the Abyss door now—again and again if necessary. It might cost her a few blisters, but she would close it, and she’d make sure it stayed closed.
There could be a happy ending after all, she thought. For once in her life, it wasn’t too much to hope for. Her promise to Harper and Cat seemed more certain. She pictured her father, hiding somewhere out in the wilds, strategizing, scheming, still concocting an impossible rescue plan, one man against all of Fomoria.
Hold on, Daddy. Stay put. Stay hidden just a little bit longer. This is almost over. I will take you home. Bristol knew he didn’t want her help. He only wanted her to return home. But this time, he would get her help whether he wanted it or not.
And I will take Mother home too.
Her heart tugged. Another promise. Had her sisters received the letter yet? Her mother had never asked or wanted to be the monster of Elphame. Tender moments with her mother had resurfaced in these past days. Bristol remembered the warm colorful scarves her mother wove for her daughters, the summer nights she lay in a meadow with them all lined up like sausages as she pointed out the stars, the way she would recite poetry as she brushed their hair, adding sound effects to make them laugh. The good memories had been buried beneath Bristol’s mountain of anger when her mother left so suddenly without word. It had been a cruel rejection Bristol couldn’t accept, especially as her father fell apart. But now she knew why she had left. Her father said she did it for them.
She had no choice. She sacrificed everything to keep us safe. She vowed her daughters’ lives would be different from hers.
Leanna Keats would get her life back too. And Kormick would pay for what he had done. That was Bristol’s vow.
She checked her nails. It had become a habit, just to make sure nothing had surfaced. Her nails were only creamy, with pale moons. She looked forward to the day when she would stop thinking about it altogether.Don’t tell anyone. It was a shameful whisper to Tyghan, and she wished she hadn’t said it at all. It made her think of her childhood, the whispers that made her ashamed.Pack up, ease out, don’t cause a stir. The secrets grew in her imagination, secrets that became monsters. She was done with monsters. She wouldn’t live this way. She would never think of it again.
Bristol reached out, tendrils of light flying up her arms and through her hair, her lashes sparking with magic and the buzz of power humming in her chest. “Abiendubra,” she whispered as she closed her fist. And without a drop of sweat, without fear, without hesitation—success: The portal to the sacred groves that she had just opened was gone. A handful of onlookers applauded.
But then she felt a presence at her back, eyes watching her. Very specific eyes. She turned to find Tyghan studying her, his mind brewing with some question. Officers milled around him, absorbed in their own conversations. Tyghan had been in meetings all morning with the monarchs of Bleakwood and Silverwing, but had popped in with the officers when he could to check on maneuvers. He left the group and walked closer now that he had her attention. “I have a question for you, soldier.”
“Yes?” she said, drawing out the word seductively.
A smile lit his eyes. He was ready to play her game, but then he cleared his throat, knowing they had an audience, and got back to business. “How big can you make one of those portals?”
She had been so focused on opening them so she could practice shutting them that she hadn’t really experimented with the size. “I don’t know. Let’s see.”
She started to raise her arm, and he grabbed it. “Wait. This time I want you to open one to a place farther away. Timbercrest. Where you closed your first one. Think you can do that?”
She needed coordinates—a specific spot in mind. Her mind tumbled back to the ride through the predawn forest, the purple sky, the silhouettes of trees, and she nodded to herself, seeing the exact spot in her mind. “I’ll try.” Big and far—another challenge. She lifted her arm, her palm facing upward, as she concentrated. A ball of silver light hovered in front of it. “The glade. The brook. The stand of alder trees,” she whispered. The silver light jumped and spread outward in a line.Wider, Bristol thought when it reached a width of a few yards.Wider. As the watery light spread, Bristol’s arm shook, like she was holding a heavy weight.Wider. Sweat sprang to her brow.Wider.
By now, a crowd had gathered.
“That’s enough, Bri,” Tyghan said. “Your arm—”
Wider.
“Bri—”
She dropped her arm, the energy released. The light slowly dissipated until the portal couldn’t be seen. Far and wide, just as Tyghan had asked.
