Xander shook his head. “We’ll know more tonight.”
“You’ll remember what I told you both?” Nonna asked, her gaze darting between us.
I stepped forward and clasped Nonna’s papery hands in mine. “Of course. We will be careful.”
The old female smiled, pulling her hands out of my grip to reach into her apron.
“Good girl,” Nonna said. Her wrinkled fingers came out of her pocket, holding a golden chain between her fingers. “I want you to have this.”
My eyes widened as I looked at the gilded necklace. It was delicate, and a small charm hung off the chain. It looked like a locket of sorts, although I couldn’t see where it opened.
“Oh, no, I couldn’t.” I shook my head, backing up into a tree. The rough bark pressed into me, but I didn’t move.
Nonna came forward, grabbing my hand and pressing the jewelry into my palm. She wrapped my fingers around it, beckoning me to lower my head.
“I insist,” she whispered, squeezing my hand tightly. “You will need this for the time to come. Swear on Kydona, you will never take it off.”
Something about Nonna’s tone made my ears perk up. It felt as though every word was laced with a double meaning, but I did not know what it was.
“Swear it,” the old female repeated. Her eyes were glowing blue, and cold sweat appeared on my forehead.
“I-I swear on the goddess herself, I will keep it on,” I vowed. A tingle ran through me, and I could have sworn I felt a hum from the tree behind me. But it must have just been in my head.
“Put it on now,” she insisted, releasing my hand.
I nodded warily. Lifting my hair, I clasped the necklace around my neck before pulling on my hood. “I promise, Nonna, I won’t take it off.”
My words seemed to mollify the old female. She stepped back, and the blue glow receded from her eyes.
“Good girl,” she repeated. Nodding to both of us, the witch smiled. “You should both be going now.”
Xander stepped forward, drawing the old female into a hug. He picked her up off the ground, squeezing her tightly. “Thank you, Nonna.”
Placing the old female on the forest floor, Xander turned to me. All traces of kindness vanished from his eyes as he scowled in my direction. Of course. I’d come to expect nothing less from him. His voice was gruff as he asked, “Ready, Sunshine?”
Pushing off from the tree, I narrowed my eyes at him. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”
He chuckled as he swung his pack over his shoulder. Nonna had been kind enough to give us enough food and coins to last us a few days, with strict instructions to buy more supplies in Thyr.
Xander started down the path, calling to me over his shoulder. “Let’s go, then.”
Huffing, I followed him. Even though I was going to the city with this less-than-pleasant company, I was excited.
Today, I would finally see Thyr.
A Gilded Cage
The trek through the woods back to the main road was different in the sunlight. The cloaks Nonna had given us were warm, and even with the added swooshing of my petticoats and dress, it was much easier to pick my way through the forest now than it had been the previous evening. For that, I was grateful.
I kept my eyes on Xander’s back as he led us through the woods. The irritable male was maintaining a healthy distance between the two of us as he picked through the forest. He hadn’t said so much as a word since we had left Nonna’s cottage behind, which was fine with me.
It gave me time to think everything over.
After having lived my entire life in solitude, the last twenty-four hours had been overwhelming, to say the least. Nothing about the past day had gone as planned. Yesterday morning I had been escaping what would have been at best a loveless union, and at worst a marriage to a psychopath.
My intended’s father had already proven himself to be a ruthless murderer who cared little for morals, and I knew his son followed in his bloody footsteps. That was why I had left.
There had been no way I was going to let myself be shackled in marriage if I could help it. Even as sheltered as I had been, I had seen the institution of marriage for what it was: a gilded cage.