Page 61 of Crownless King

He placed me with both feet on the road again, and I had to grip his arm for balance as my head cleared slowly.

Just a step to my left, the road turned into cobblestones. We were at the bridge across the Cloud River that merged with the pink fog of the River of Mists in the very middle.

It was overcast, with dark storm clouds gathering along the horizon. The wind increased, bending the tops of the trees, their branches rustling and creaking ominously. Oddly, the wind did nothing to disperse the thick fog rising from the river and shrouding the bridge.

“Let’s go.” The leader grabbed my arm, forcing me up the bridge and into the clouds rolling over it.

The rest of the guards followed us to make sure the royal order was fulfilled.

Halfway across the Cloud River, the leader stopped.

“Climb up,” he ordered, nudging me toward the railing. “Or I will drop you in and hope you’ll make it.”

“Please, don’t push me in.” I climbed onto the thick stone parapet that served as the railing of the bridge.

“I won’t,” he relented. “But only if you jump yourself. And promptly. Do you see the pink mist far below?”

Standing tall on the parapet, I peered down into the thick fog.

Was it the River of Mists shimmering far below? Or was it the shimmer of the tears gathering in my eyes?

Voron sent me here with nothing this time. I had no money, no food or jewels. All I had was the gown I was wearing, and even that wouldn’t fit into any time period on Earth. How far would I make it there, even if I managed to cross the treacherous River of Mists unharmed?

But worse of all was the burning pain in my chest—the agony of betrayal. My heart fractured, and I desperately tried to keep it together, hoping for a miracle I already knew was not going to happen.

Voron wasn’t coming for me.

“Ready?” The leader poked me in my calf with a finger. “We don’t have all day.”

I jerked in panic, glancing back. The fog grew so thick, I couldn’t see any of the guards anymore, not even the leader, only his hand and some of his arm sticking out from the haze.

“Just step back, okay?” I pleaded, regaining my balance. “Give me a minute.”

I closed my eyes and drew in a long breath.

What difference would it make if I jumped into the thin wisp of the River of Mists or missed it and ended up falling through to the Below?

The second outcome might even be better. Death would possibly be faster. Maybe I should take a step to the left and miss the pink mist on purpose?

“Jump!” the leader snapped.

A rough hand shoved into my back.

I screamed, losing my balance.

Another hand grabbed my ankle, yanking me down.

My feet slipped off the railing.

And I fell…

The stones of the bridge rushed by me. Then suddenly, the bridge was above me, right over my head. And it wasn’t moving. Patches of images emerged and disappeared back into the thick, gray clouds.

An arm held me around my middle. A hand closed over my mouth, and a strange raspy voice sounded in my ear, “Shut up, now. They need to think you’re gone.”

With the stranger’s hand over my mouth, I couldn’t scream, but after those words, I stopped even trying. My eyes open wide, I peered through the fog, gathering my bearings.

Someone was holding me from behind. Their speckled brown wings moved to keep us both in the air, right under the bridge.

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