"No," I beg, voice cracking. "Don’t bind me again."
He looks confused. "Again?" His voice is softer now. “Arlet, this is the first time we’ve done this.”
Estela takes my hand. “We are here for you,querida. We’ll make this better.”
I press my lips together. "Please, find another way.”
They each take on their version of anapologetic look.
"Forgive me," Vann says, threading the rope through something on the bottom side of the table where I lie, and passing it around my wrist.
A sharp, icy press meets my forehead.
Liana’s voice fills my ears, a melodic hum that snakes its way into my thoughts.
Darkness surges up to meet me. Its claws fasten around my arms and throat, dragging me back. I try to call out again, but all that is left is darkness.
Chapter 16
VANN
Nearly two days after Arlet woke up…
It’s as if the world around me has tilted.
I am unbalanced.
It’s too quiet, too dark.
Few know the truth of what happened in Arlet’s house, and even fewer are speaking of it. No one else remains in the council section except Liana and me.
All the other houses are dark.
We have one day left to fix her, and I am useless. Daniel is still missing.
There is still no enemy to slaughter yet. What good is a warrior against magic? I am not a great reader, nor do I know how to consult the stones of fates. Even Endu has been silent during the last two days.
I did not attend any of the mating ceremonies, nor did I go with Liana and Estela to speak with Diego’s family. A hollow feeling opens in my chest, but I push it away. Instead, I shirk sleep and other responsibilities to head to the only place that I feel like I can breathe. Liana’s dwelling.
To Arlet’s side.
The Wise Woman and I have cultivated a friendship over the years, helping to run Enduvida. She is the one person who indulges my joy of painting.
I like the way she toils to ensure the old customs are actively practiced. One of those traditions is the Seer Cards, or obsidian shards, sharp enough to split flesh. Their edges bleed fate, speaking of futures yet to unfold. When used, Liana can see images in her mind, just as she does with the Fuegorra. I’ve already given her several decks, but she continues to ask for more.
Estela also performs the ritual from time to time. It’s a pleasing idea, but I have never partaken. I don’t need someone to tell me that my future is dark.
As I climb the steps to Liana’s home, brushing past the glowinglumikapmushrooms and towering crystals, I have a harder and harder time breathing. One foot after the other, I tell myself.
I’ll feel better once I see Arlet—once I know she’s alive and safe. And then I can paint until sleep taps on the windows of my mind.
I knock twice against the door.
It doesn’t take long for the door to swing open.
Liana stands there, her silver curls half-loose and her robe threaded with starburst crystals. She looks less like the Wise Woman and more like a woman exhausted from too many questions and insufficient answers.
“Extra informal tonight, are we?” I raise an eyebrow, nodding to her hair. It is a custom that only mated pairs or lovers see each other with their hair unbound. A tradition that grows looser and looser with each passing month. I don’t like it.