Page 35 of Court of Bone and Amethyst

“No,” I say through a clenched jaw. “I want to kill that lying, worthless priest and free Eldare from his control.”

More shadows shoot out, and the surface of the pond vibrates as my power radiates around me. The ice begins to glow, which I think for a moment is my magic. But then I realize the illumination is coming from beneath the thick layer of frozen ice. Something is rising from the depths of the water. A bright orb presses against the other side of the ice, undulating back and forth along the barrier between us. I catch swirls of black and gray, almost like the soft fins of a giant fish. I climb back to my feet and stare down at it.

That’s when the thing shifts, and I see that it’s not a fish at all.

A face looks up at me through the ice. One half of the face is a woman with moon-pale skin and flowing black hair, perfect red lips and a bright blue eye.

The other half of the face is rotting flesh and chunks of matted hair, a glowing orange eye slit down the middle like a demon, and a grinning rictus of a mouth filled with rows of sharp, jagged teeth thin as needles.

The rest of the thing’s body is covered in dark, flowing cloth, so it’s hard to see what lies beneath, though I catch a glimpse of a claw, and something that might be a scaled fin.

“You seek vengeance,” the voice hisses.

“No.” I shake my head. “I seek to free my friend and a realm enslaved by lies.”

That unnerving laugh again, and this time, seeing the hideous mouth making the sound, it makes me shiver even more. “Youmay want those altruistic things, but you also want revenge. There is darkness in your soul. I seeall, girl, remember that.”

“Fine, yes! I want revenge also,” I growl, my shadows still whirling around me. “I lived in fear for years, starting as a small child, knowing he wanted my magic. Knowing it wasn’t safe to be myself, suppressing that part of me.”

“We are alike, you and I,” the creature below the ice says. “Both desired and shunned for our power. And you suppress your power still. You’re afraid.”

“Will you free me, then?” I ask.

“And why would I do that?” The glow beneath the ice pulses.

I pace back and forth in frustration over the ice. “You just said we’re alike. Perhaps you want revenge, too.”

“You would abandon your mission here in Valaron so easily?”

“No, I will do both. Save Valaron and save Lilette.”

“You wish to save both realms. Such a heroine. What do you think your husband would say if you were to leave, even for a little while?”

My heart pounds too hard in my chest, my shadows frenetic around me. “He would…he would not want me to go.”

“He controls you like the priest,” the voice whispers.

“No!” I shake my head. “He said he would help me find Lilette… one day…”

“Like he said he’d protect you from anything? But he didn’t, did he? Not from his brother. He would have let you marry him, bear his children…”

A tear slips down my cheek, my voice cracking. “That was his sworn duty. He didn’t have a choice.”

“Perhaps if you are free of him, you would be better off. No control. No oaths that bind you and he together…”

“Stop,” I growl. “That’s not what I want!”

“He is using you, just as your priest did. He only cares about his duty to Valaron, and you are his weapon.”

“You’re wrong,” I say, shaking my head, more tears spilling.

“Maybe there’s a way to prove it.”

I go still, watching the undulating body beneath the surface. “How?”

“If I let you go, we can see what choices you both make.”

My breath is unsteady as I speak, a fine tremble of hope riding on it. “You’ll let me go?”

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