Page 26 of Secrets & Curses of Cerithia

I wasn’t sure if his whole story was a lie or if there was another reason that he wanted me to forget about Exile. Either way, tonight I would find out the truth.

Standing, I slipped on my dark green cloak and strapped my daggers to me. Exile was my destination, and afterward, I didn’t think I would return to Cerithia. My thoughts have run wild since this morning. I realized I would not care if I ever saw these fae again. But I would care if I never saw Sybil and the twins.

I glanced around the shitty room and felt nothing but a need to leave this kingdom. Quickly, I headed out of the room and upthe stairs. I took my time sneaking out so no guards would see me, but there were no guards in the halls as I slipped through, which was odd. It was too late for the party to be going on, so they shouldn’t have been busy elsewhere.

Something in my instincts told me I needed to hurry up and get far from here.

Kaida was happy to see me when I finally made it to the stables. My hand glided over the length of her face before I froze. An odd noise outside caught my attention. Harsh whispering in the dark was moving closer to the stables. I kneeled behind the low wall and waited. Perhaps it was just guards on night duty.

“I saw her run in here,” a man whispered.

My body tensed when I realized they were out there looking for me.

“She’s going to kill us before we can take her.”

“No, she won’t,” the other argued. By the sounds of their feet, I could tell it was more than two, but no one else was talking.

“Her horse is still here, so maybe she snuck around and kept going to the woods.”

I stilled my breathing. It was as if Kaida knew I was in danger and sensed my need for her calmness. She was so nonchalant that she would not attract attention, and her body blocked mine from view. My scalp prickled as I held my breath in order to hear them speak.

It was then that Wisp appeared next to me, her flames burning a bright red. She was warning me I was in danger, but I already knew that. Wisp floated toward me and flashed an array of colors.

I know.I mouthed at her. It’s not like I can run out of here. Kaida’s ears flattened, letting me know someone was close to me. A moment later, a guard dressed in green popped their head into the stall, locking eyes with me. Before he could speak, my fire shot out and silenced him forever.

“She’s here,” one of them yelled. I darted.

Moving through the stables, I fled through the back door and into the woods on foot. Wisp floated in front of me, leading me somewhere. I followed her blindly because I couldn’t see shit in the darkened forest.

The sounds of heavy footsteps alerted me to the fact that the guards were running behind me. I shot my fire out behind me without knowing where they were in the dark. Their pained screams let me know I hit at least a few of them. All of a sudden, Wisp stopped moving. Her red flames froze, and it made my chest tighten. When I turned around, a small dagger flew quickly at me. Luckily, it barely nicked my arm, but it burned violently.

I continued to run, but my body hummed with something foreign. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. My magic was retreating inside of me, and I knew this wasn’t good. Wisp kept leading the way, but I had to stop. My forehead was damp with a sudden fever that was kicking my ass.

“I can’t keep going,” I groaned as I leaned over and threw up. Spots overtook my vision. “I don’t feel right.”

“It’s just a little sleepy powder to make you weak.” A guard dressed in green appeared beside me. His eyes glanced at me oddly.

“What do you want from me?” I snapped. How did these Falgon guards get close enough to our castle without being caught?

“I was just told to take you.” He glanced over at me before looking away. His eyes landed on the other guards coming, and he kneeled down. “Don’t worry, you won’t suffer for long.”

His words were fuzzy at best. I willed myself to focus on him, but it was difficult with the spots in front of my eyes.

My darkness burst out for a brief moment, but it faded before it could kill the guard in front of me.

“Why?” I choked out.

“To start a war, of course,” he smiled down at me as I passed out.

?????

“Crimson’s army is breaking through the barriers we had set up as defenses.”

My eyes shifted to Kaz. I sighed heavily to control my irritation, but everyone knew I was mad. It was no use trying to hide it. I had just come from the front lines of the battle. I knew how bad it was.

“I know this already. So why did you pull me from the battle for this mediocre news?” I hissed. Someone joined Kaz, but my anger was too focused on him to make note of who it was.

“We found out where he is,” he said. I stopped glaring and looked around. I had been waiting to hear these words for seven months. For seven months, this man has caused problems for my men.

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