Page 9 of Wingless Crow: Part 1

The muscles in the High General’s jaw moved. His eyes narrowed in annoyance. He clearly had enough of thebrack. But giving the promise must be important, because he kept in control and said what Trez had asked for.

“I promise to present the human woman to King Tiane. The deal with your goddess will be honored.”

The wind changed momentarily. Instead of the brutal, ice-cold gusts, a warm swirl curled around us. It shimmered with a light of its own. The breeze puffed softly, blowing the wet strands of my hair, then settled down to the ground just as suddenly as it had risen.

Trez pumped his fist in the air. “The bargain is complete!”

The High General no longer paid him any attention. With a finger under my chin, he lifted my face to his. The butter-soft leather of his glove glided smoothly along my skin.

My hands felt numb, as cold as ice.

“I just want to go home,” I whispered, pleading.

His eyes were like the sky behind him, gray and cold. The emotions I glimpsed behind them were even more chilling. I saw regret in the High General’s eyes—regret for me, for all that I’d been and for all I would never become now.

A chilling regret for my entire life.

ChapterThree

The High General held my chin in his gloved hand.

“I’m sorry, little bird.”

What was he apologizing for?

Maybe he felt sorry about me being kidnapped by Trez? Or about my getting here, whatever this place was?

Deep inside, I feared he was apologizing for things he hadn’t done to me yet.

I held my breath as he shifted closer. His lips parted as if for a kiss. I felt his breath on my face. It was warm and fresh, and it smelled like rain. His lips were but a hair’s breadth away from mine. Only instead of kissing me, he inhaled deeply through his mouth.

I stilled, unable to move, unable to even blink as I stared into his eyes that were the same color as the sky. The longer I looked into them, the more it appeared like he didn’t have any eyes at all. That they were just bottomless holes in his head, open to the sky behind him.

He sucked the air in through his mouth, and a part of me disappeared. I felt emptier inside. Something was missing, but I couldn’t tell what it was.

I didn’t remember what was gone.

“From now on, your name is Sparrow,” he said.

Breath left me in a gush, as if my lungs had been punctured. At the same time, I felt relieved I could still breathe at all, that I could still move. That I was alive. For a few moments there, he seemed to have absorbed my entire being, leaving nothing left.

“I already have a name,” I said, gasping for air.

Of course I did. I had my very own name, just like everyone else did. I hadn’t lived all these years without one. How many years would that be?

How old was I?

What was the name that my parents gave me?

Whowere my parents?

My family? Did I have them?

A heavy ball of dread formed in my stomach as I realized I had no answers to any of these questions.

I didn’t remember.Thatwas the part that was missing.

My past was gone.

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