Page 19 of The Curse of Golden Blood
Perfect.
"Some lessons," I said quietly, my voice barely audible over the storm, "require a more... memorable approach."
Her eyes widened as she realized my intent.
I released my hold.
She plummeted into the darkness below, her scream swallowed by wind and thunder.
five
Tethered Not
Miralyte
"Mira!"Pelbieshouted,joltingme awake. I turned to see her standing by my bedside. There was a distinct edge of concern in her big brown eyes and her brows were knitted together with worry. "Are you all right?"
The room spun when I tried to sit, and a terrible smell filled the air, something caustic and sulfurous, like flesh melting in a crucible.
It was coming from me.
"I'm okay," I said. But then I fell backward and smacked my head against the thick, stone wall. Everything shifted sideways.
"Oh for the love of the heavens, Mira! Stay still." Pelbie pressed a cold cloth to my forehead, easing my discomfort. I squinted against the bright lantern to take in our surroundings. She grimaced and lowered the light.
I was lying in a strange bed, a stone slab covered in soft furs and white linen. Vials and glass cases littered an island counter behind her, some filled with poultices and salves, others with leaves. Tubes of strange, liquidized ointment hung over the side, dripping blobs of shimmering metal into bowls below.
The glowing liquid looked oddly familiar. Had I seen something similar recently? A wound on my arm began to throb.
"W–where am I?" I asked, trying to sit up.
"Just relax. You're in the infirmary."
My head felt strangely empty. I rubbed my temple, wondering if someone had struck me in the back of the head.
"What do you remember?" Pelbie asked me, looking both concerned and relieved at once. She pressed a cold rag against my forehead. The smell reminded me of what had happened.
"I failed the challenge," I mumbled, feeling dejected. If I closed my eyes, I could still remember the terrible sensation of plummeting off the platform, falling, knowing that my death would come in the form of a knife slicing through my bones.
Then a hand, rough but gentle, had abruptly ended my fall, gripping the collar of my shirt and hauling me into the sky. Shame burned my cheeks as I recalled how the world had faded into nothingness as adrenaline and fear had coursed through my veins.
"Lord Zydar caught you. He carried you here himself."
I stared at her. "He what?"
"You got lucky," Pelbie corrected.
"Lucky? I definitely do not feel lucky."
Another cold wind swept across my skin, and I shuddered against it. This time, I could feel the scars along my ribs tugging, as though the fragile flesh had started to heal.
That made no sense. He'd dropped me. I remembered his cold smile, the deliberate release of his grip.
"Why would he—"
"I don't know." Pelbie's voice was tight. "But you're alive, and that's what matters."
Everything hurt. My muscles felt like molten lead, my head stuffed with burning coals. Even breathing seemed impossibly difficult.
