Page 94 of Bound By Roses

“Go on,” he says. He’s tense with urgency, but trying to be patient for the sake of the boy.

“It was the night you came. All the kids were supposed to be hiding, but I wanted to see what was happening. They were whispering in an empty hall. Erwyn said the rift would open again because history always repeats itself, but Aurelia disagreed. She said her mother sealed it. What rift were they talking about?”

I see the colour drain from Quinn’s face the same moment I feel it drain from mine. ‘History repeats itself,’ I say through the bond.‘That’s what Ty—what Evan said.’

Quinn stands and moves to my side, desperate eyes searching mind.‘Void is going to try to open the rift again. To free the army.’

I shake my head, refusing to believe it. He can try, but it won’t work.‘There aren’t enough people. Thousands died in the slaughter. There are only hundreds left, even with the wolves and dragons. It’s not enough.’

Desperation turns to horror.‘There aren’t enough people in Marein.’

Oh, Gods. ‘He’s going to slaughter his own people. With an army, he won’t need them.’

“They are weird,” the boy says to Fern. At the sound of his voice, I shove my building panic back down because we can’t lose it in front of them.

I pick up the journal that belonged to the last weaver and clutch it tight in my arms. Our first priority is getting these kids safely back to Marein, and then we can figure out what to do about the shadows.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

QUINN

We camped in the same place we did the last time we came to this cave, though this time we aren’t sleeping under the stars. Abby made sure of that. Even with dark revelations still swirling in my mind, the beauty of Abby’s magic pierces the despair. She’s getting so good at it now. What used to take her solid minutes to coax roots and vines to grow and merge into a small shelter now takes far less than that—and the shelter she produced this time is significantly more impressive.

It’s more than twice the size of any she has built before, and I don’t have a single complaint about its construction. Even if I had a week in the forest, I wouldn’t have been able to build something as protected from the elements as this. It could storm right now and I bet even with a torrential downpour, not a drop of water would find a way through the intricately woven leaves and branches.

It took me a bit to start the fire despite the bone-dry wood she summoned. I’ll have to brush up on my survival skills before we go to war. It’s been far too convenient having the dragons at our disposal, but who knows how many of us will survive this. IfVoid is successful in freeing whatever army lingers between our worlds, we might already be dead. I should probably go hunting with the wolves, too. As much as I hate being in that form, it’s always been the monster that killed. I’ve never hunted as me, and with what’s just beyond the horizon, I should be prepared for all outcomes. It does no good to survive a war, only to starve afterwards.

The siren boy’s laugh draws my attention back to the kids. Fern and Vik—I’ve finally bothered to learn his name—sit together near the fire. Fern is still in her wolf form, and even though they can’t communicate like this, they seem to understand each other just fine. I’ve watched this friendship blossom from the day my people arrived in Marein, and hope blooms in my chest that this is a good omen for all of our futures. If these two children can become the best of friends despite the distrust of the adults around them, then maybe we can learn, too.

I chance a glance at Abby, but she’s still too lost in that book to notice. She’s seated just inside the shelter and far enough away from the flames that I don’t understand how she can even see the words on the page. My grandmother’s writing was hard enough to read in sunlight, never mind the shadows of twilight.

‘What?’The question she shoots through the bond is sharp, but I know it’s out of frustration with her reading rather than annoyance with me. ‘I can feel you staring.’So I guess she did notice.

‘I’m just wondering how you’re reading in the dark.’

She flips to the next page and ever so slightly tilts the book downward so I can see the faint glow emanating from her chest. I look down, expecting to see the matching glow on my own chest, but all I see is fur. For just a moment, I’d almost forgotten what form I was in and I’m not certain if that’s a good thing ornot. At least I’m not in the thralls of a panic attack and leaving her alone with two kids who would very likely chase after me.

But then again, so would she.

‘Is there anything interesting in that book?’I should read it myself instead of asking. This is my family, my history, but I’m afraid of what else I’ll find in there. Knowing that my mother didn’t betray her people is more than enough for me. She was told to leave to protect the future that was being weaved. Her part in all of this was making sure that Kaylee would live long enough to finish what was started. My heart breaks at the thought of my mother knowing what Kaylee was meant to be and the devastation when she realized something was wrong. Kaylee couldn’t weave because part of her lived within another. Even then, my mother died in Rosewood rather than return to her home because she was exactly where she was supposed to be.

That knowledge does little to quell the anger and heartbreak, but at least she had the choice. Even if I still believe she made the wrong one.

Abby sighs and flips another page, more aggressively this time.‘There’s plenty interesting, but nothing useful. Nothing we don’t already know.’

I’m surprised she can even make sense of it. We’ll give the book to Kaylee when we make it back and hopefully she’ll see something we can’t. If we could carry all the books back, we would, but I’d rather not have a riot of sirens demanding to read how many times their futures were changed. I imagine more than one person got fucked over along the way. That must be why only the weaver is meant to read these tomes. It’s impossible to avoid all loss and in the end, there’s always someone who gets hurt.

Abby slams the book shut and tosses it on the bed of grass that’s already calling to me but likely won’t get much use from me tonight. Even when Abby and the children settle in for thenight, I plan on keeping watch. The last time we slept here, I woke up alone. I’m not about to risk that again.

I watch as she moves the short distance from the shelter to the fire and crouches down behind the kids. Her voice is low, but I hear it as well as if she were right next to me. “It’s time for you two to get to bed.”

Fern whines and Vik seems even less thrilled by the idea of sleep.

“It’s getting late and we’re leaving as soon as the sun rises.” As soon as I can shake off the wolf. She doesn’t say it, but I know that’s what she means. “Your mother must be worried sick,” Abby says to Vik before turning her gaze to Fern. “And Tess is going to be furious when we get back. You’re lucky we’re not taking you back tonight.”

There’s more grumbling from the kids as they make their way to the shelter. Abby stands by the flames, arms crossed tightly as she watches them go. I can’t help but laugh and her beautifully sharp gaze snaps to me.

‘What? Could you have done better?’

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