Page 119 of A Broken Throne of Bronze

The mining sickness has finally caught him.

No.

My chest constricts.

Not Father.

How could the gods be so cruel?

“You must go to him,” Viridian says quietly from behind me.

“What?” I whirl around to face him, my voice equally low.

“You must go to him,” he repeats. His body has gone so still, that if not for the rise and fall of his breath, one might mistake him for a statue.

“But—”

“Go, Cryssa.” His tone is firm. Cold, as it once was. “Your family needs you.”

And I need you, I think. Though, I dare not say it aloud.

“What about the High King?” I ask, my head swimming. “He won’t let me leave.”

“My father has nothing to say on the matter,” Viridian tells me. To Lymseia, he says, “Bring her now. Take my horse. It’s the fastest we have.”

Lymseia bows her head, body alert. Ready for anything. “Come,” she says, pulling me with her. “We must leave, now.”

I nod, letting her drag me forward. We make our way through the throng of guests blocking our path, quickening our pace once we reach the corridor. Lymseia breaks into a run, and I pick up my skirts to match her pace. We don’t stop until we reach the stables.

Effortlessly, Lymseia hoists herself up onto Nightfoot’s back, tugging me up after her.

Once I’m steady, she flicks the reins, and we take off into the night.

The ride to Slyfell isn’t what I thought it would be. It’s ridden with panic, my fear growing as we near our destination. We ride through the nights, only stopping to let Nightfoot drink and rest. I barely eat during the four-day journey.

When we reach Slyfell, Lymseia and I ride through the city, passing familiar buildings and places I once knew.

We don’t stop until we reach my family’s small cottage in the human districts.

It feels strange to be back here. I’m not the girl I was when I left home. I’m not the Cryssa that used to live here.

So, I hesitate when I approach the door.

Lymseia stands some distance behind me, patting the horse. When I reach for the door handle, she re-mounts Nightfoot and takes the reins.

“You’re not staying?” I ask.

She shakes her head, eyes sad. “My place is in Keuron.”

The true meaning of her words falls over me. It weighs me down like gohlrunn.

Viridian doesn’t expect me to return.

When he told me to go home, he was saying goodbye.

I cover my mouth, eyes wide with the realization.

“Go,” Lymseia urges me. “See your father. I know this is not goodbye for us, Cryssa Thurdred.”

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