Page 97 of Bound By Darkness

His hands gripped my arm as he yanked me into the tent. The flaps tickled my skin as darkness enveloped us both. An oil lamp lit the area as he led me further in, twisting me until the curve of my lower back rested against the oval table in the middle.

His body pressed against mine as his jaw clenched, his hands gripping the table’s edge. “I thought you trusted me.”

My brows furrowed as I willed my racing heart to still at the close proximity. “What? I do.”

“You’re lying.”

My hands pressed against his chest, the feeling of his muscles rippling beneath the pads of my fingers. “I’m not. You’re freaking me out, Ivan. Tell me?—”

“Then what are these?” he asked as his arm reached over my shoulder, the sound of papers shuffling.

Twisting my body, my eyes raked over the pages tossed over the table. It was the pages I’d stolen from the library.

“How did you get these?”

“Does that matter? You hid this from me, Thalia.” His voice echoed in the space. “I thought—I thought youtrustedme. Has everything been a lie?” His words echoed as he took a step back.

“Ivan, it’s not?—”

“It’s exactly what it is.” He ran a hand through his hair. “We agreed to figure out your casting together! Do you hate me that much?”

“No!” I yelled, my voice cracking. “No, that’s not?—”

“Then what is it? Why hide this from me?”

“I thought I was going to get in trouble!” I shouted, my hands wringing together. “I thought it might get you in trouble, because I stole those pages from a hidden library.”

Ivan’s hand paused over the pages.

“I thought hiding them from you would protect you from what I’d done. I stole pages from an illegal book which is punishable by death. I didn’t... I didn’t want any harm coming to you!” I yelled.

“Is that all?” he said as he took a step forward.

“Is that all?” I repeated. “Of course, that’s all! Figuring out why I have this casting is my burden.”

His hand curled a page, his eyes softening. “It’s my burden too.”

“Why?” I pointed to the pictures, then to him. “Why is it alsoyourburden?” I swallowed, my footsteps light as I moved closer.

He took a step, that stoic expression faltering. “Because your life is tied to Cethales,” he whispered. “That’s why it’s my burden. Your life is tied to mine… to everyone in this country.”

My balance faltered, my hand catching the edge of the table as I gripped it tight.

Ivan ran a hand through his hair, his pacing increasing in the dimly lit space. “I didn’t want to tell you. I didn’t want… I didn’t want to cause you fear when you’d already experienced so much in your life.”

He walked over to the pages, a finger gently resting against the shadowy creature. “There’s an old, long forgottenprophecy. One created the day the gods fled. It spoke of two sisters born with the ability to wield light and dark.”

When two sisters, born in winter, should claim the power from Mother Nature

“When these sisters were finally born, the curse would light anew to intertwine their fate with Cethales.”

Born of Light, and born of Dark, twist together to unwind Cethales’ heart

“These sisters would be the key to ending the curse. The curse of mortality and dying land.”

To unlock Mother’s hold on all those who fold to higher beings, cruel and old

Ivan stepped closer. “It’s you, Thalia. You’re the key to breaking the curse. Your fate has been set since the moment of your birth. It’s why the rebels want you. Why King Hywell kept you locked away for years. He wanted to break you, manipulate you so when it was time to act, you’d have no willpower left. But the thing is, you never gave up. He kept you locked away to break you, and yet, you never did.”

---