Page 113 of The Curse of Golden Blood
"Here." I pressed it into Pelbie's hands before I could lose my nerve. "Take this to the eastern courtyard. There's an altar there, carved with runes. Drop my blood on the center stone, and it will open a portal."
Pelbie stared at the vial like it might bite her. "A portal to where?"
"Home. Back to the mortal realm."
"What?" The word exploded from her lips. "Mira, what are you talking about? Why would we need a portal? We're not leaving without you."
"Yes, you are." I kept my voice steady through sheer force of will. "The three of you are leaving tonight."
"No." Pelbie shook her head violently. "Not without you. We stick together. That's what we agreed."
"Plans change."
"Not this one." She thrust the vial back toward me, but I stepped away. "I'm not taking this. I'm not leaving you."
"Pelbie—"
"No!" Her voice cracked with emotion. "You vanish for hours, return as pale as a ghost, then tell us to leave you behind? "
The kind who deserves to live, I thought but didn't say. The kind who shouldn't have to watch another person she cares about die.
"I promise I'll come later," I said instead, the lie tasting like ash on my tongue. "There are things I must see to before I go."
"What things?" Tomos spoke for the first time since we'd entered the room. "What aren't you telling us?"
I met his gaze, letting him see just enough truth to satisfy him without revealing everything. "Things that would bring you all peril, if you stay."
"Then we face them together."
"No." The word came out harder than I intended. "You don't understand. This isn't about bravery or loyalty. This is about survival. Your survival."
"And what about yours?" Pelbie's eyes filled with tears she refused to let fall. "What will become of you while we run?"
I thought of Gryven's chambers. Of the twilight hour that crept closer with each passing moment. Of the choice that would either save the man I loved or destroy us both.
"I'll be fine," I lied.
Pelbie's tears finally spilled over, cutting silver tracks down her cheeks. Brond's jaw worked silently. Tomos watched me with the kind of knowing that made my chest tight.
I crossed to Pelbie in two quick strides, pulling her into a fierce embrace. She felt small in my arms, fragile in a way that reminded me of everything I was fighting to protect. Her shoulders shook against me, but she held on like I was the only solid thing in a world that had turned to smoke.
"You still owe me a game of dice," she whispered against my shoulder, her voice thick with tears. "Don't forget that."
The words broke something in my chest. Such a simple thing. Such a normal thing. The kind of promise friends made when they assumed they'd have tomorrow to keep it.
"I won't forget."
She pulled back to look at me, her eyes searching mine for answers I couldn't give. "Promise me you'll be careful."
"I promise."
Another lie. They were coming easier now, each one a small death that made the larger one feel inevitable.
"Keep the vial," I said, backing toward the door. "Use it. Promise me."
Before any of them could argue, I was gone, slipping through the corridor like a shadow fleeing dawn. The twilight hour crept closer with each heartbeat, but I had one more thing to do. One more lie to tell. One more goodbye to steal.
The dice game would have to wait forever now.
