Page 94 of A Sun Scorched Bloom

Lea jumped, dropping the seed as she spun around. Standing between the castle and the ocean against a starry backdrop was a small, frail woman.

"How did you…" Lea trailed off. Had the woman read her mind? "Who are you?" she asked instead, her shadows bursting to the surface of her skin on instinct.

"Who am I?" The woman remained still as stone as she looked Lea up and down. "I am the seer of all. I am the instrument of the gods; their voice and their will. I am the answer to the questions you seek." She nodded slowly at the ground behind Lea, where a large vine of moonflowers was spreading across the ground, small white flowers blooming every several inches.

The woman hobbled to Lea, her movements slow and painful. Her long black hair was streaked with gray and pulled into a low bun, curly tendrils hanging around her face haphazardly from the tie holding it back. She was breathtakingly beautiful, despite the wrinkles etched into her face and the forward curve of her spine. Her eyes weresilver—eyes that had seen too much—and were the most unnaturally stunning thing Lea had ever seen.

"You know how to grow the moonflowers?" Lea breathed, the hopeful energy flooding through her causing her to almost vibrate. This woman could help her. She could feel it in her very marrow.

"That is one of the answers you search for. But there are many more. Is thatreallythe question you wish to ask?" The woman lifted her hand, and a moonflower plucked itself from the vine and slowly floated through the air, stopping just above their heads. "I know who you are," the old woman continued, spinning the flower in small circles as Lea watched in awe.

"The orphaned queen, giver of life, and servant of darkness. A young, naïve girl turned woman through trials of fire. A beautiful flower hunted by the Prince of Flames. A sun scorched bloom, fighting to survive just like these flowers you wish to master." The old woman snapped her fingers and instantly, the flower turned to ash and floated back onto the dark dirt like snow.

Lea shivered, taking a step back. This woman could help her, but without a doubt, she wore misfortune like a shroud. "Who are you?" she asked once again, already certain of the answer but needing to hear it from the crone’s own mouth.

"You know who I am, girl," the woman said, a challenge in her eyes.

"Eudora," Lea breathed.

The witch tilted her head, narrowing her eyes. "I believe it’s time we spoke."

Chapter 63

Gray

Astheynearedtheseventh village that had fallen to the Lonely Death, Gray’s resolve strengthened. They hadn’t run into any danger along the border so far on their travels, nor had he sensed any danger from his mate. They were so far away at this point that he couldn’t speak into her mind, but still, with the mate bond sealed, Gray was able to feel Lea far more acutely. There was a constant undercurrent of light energy, skipping just next to his heart, his own rhythm thumping along with it.

The village they were approaching had only fallen the morning they’d entered Calir, just days after the sixth village had been decimated. Magic was so rampant within the kingdom that Calir had only seven men and women born without magic who were willing and strong enough to collect the bodies of the sick. It was far too big of a risk for King Tanad to allow his soldiers who had power to help, even if he tried to enchant his own protections onto them.

The cleanup had taken some time, King Tanad had explained a few days prior when they’d encountered the fourth village, where the seven selfless men and women were collecting bodies and respectfully stacking them in a large pyre to burn.

The fifth and sixth villages had almost broken Gray. He’d seen enough death, and certainly didn’t need the reminder of seeing the bodies of families huddled together, embracing each other in their final moments. Still, he had looked, allowing the sight to fuel his fury. He memorized every face, let his darkness observe every ounce of horror and rage he felt. That was why, as they approached the seventh village, Gray felt a sense of relief. It was almost over.

He pulled a thick piece of cloth from his pocket and wrapped it around his nose and mouth. Tanad had been so kind as to bring lavender oil to drip onto their nose coverings to attempt to mask the smell of death and decay. Breathing in the calming scent, he straightened his shoulders. After he looked upon the bodies of the dead here in this final, cursed place, they could finish reinforcing the border against the Lonely Death and return home. Gray took what he could only assume was his last breath of fresh air for the time being and slid off of his horse, stretching side to side to loosen up his tight muscles. He couldn’t help the tension that was creeping into his shoulders as he looked toward the final village.

"Our duty to the deceased, to acknowledge them and their inexcusable loss of life, is difficult, is it not? And yet it is a good reminder of why we are willing to sacrifice our own lives to stop it," Tanad said from behind him.

Gray exhaled sharply at the thought of dying, now that Lea’s life was linked to his. And yet he knew that, if that is what it took, it was a sacrifice they were both willing to make.

"Respectfully, I don’t need the reminder.The thought never leaves my mind, what my father has done to our people," Gray responded.

"Nor mine," Tanad said with a sad sigh before looking at the setting sun. "Let’s go then." Tanad walked toward the rickety wooden gate to the small village. "We will soon lose light, and I wish to complete sealing the wards this evening. I’m sure you are eager to return as well."

Gray followed behind the king silently, flinching at the moan of the rusted hinges rotating as the gate opened. They walked to the first house, and Gray covered his nose with his sleeve, preparing himself for the awaiting stench, even through his scented nose covering, as Tanad opened the door. How many bodies rotted within these walls, just waiting for the king's men to come and give them a proper burial by fire?

The king paused as he entered the house, raising his hands in front of him. His gift was different from Emma’s in that he couldn’t see the dead, but he would still be able to sense the powers they’d had in life.

"There’s no one here." Tanad turned around slowly, his eyebrows creased in concern. There was no sound in the home other than the pounding of blood in Gray’s ears. No buzzing of flies or rustling of scavengers as they consumed the bodies of the dead. Something was wrong. He looked over Tanad’s shoulder through the doorway at the blankets haphazardly thrown on the couch, and cups sitting stacked on the wooden shelves in the kitchen. Pushing his way inside, his heart picked up into a rapid, thundering rhythm. There was a kettle sitting next to the hearth, and a baby doll propped in a nearby chair. Someone had lived here, and recently. Dust had not yet settled on the floor or mantle. It was as if the inhabitants had simply disappeared into thin air.

But wasn’t the kingdom on lockdown? No one was supposed to leave their homes. Without a word, Gray turned and ran to the next house, tearing open the door and barging inside.

Gray’s shadows shot from his body, floating through the air and sliding along the floor to search the remainder of the house—but he could feel it, the emptiness. "They’re gone!" He called to Tanad. A bloody rag laid on the ground, and Gray had a flashback of the rivers of crimson that had trickled from Lea’s nose, and the sores that had dotted her chest and arms. He stalked back out onto the dirt road, ordering his shadows to disperse throughout the rest of the homes. He felt them twisting up stairs and climbing ladders, sliding beneath closed doors, and through keyholes. But there was not a single soul remaining.

"You said they were killed," Gray said, his words accusing. "Every one of them. Did you not investigate that?"

"Every man and woman safe from contracting the Lonely Death has been working around the clock, making their way east to collect the bodies and burn them. I couldn’t spare a single one of them to confirm the village had fallen, and I am not willing to send someone with magic who does not have our protections to investigate when they themselves could be killed or bring the Lonely Death back with them. We received a heron with a message tied around its leg. It had the official seal of the village representative. He informed me of the first case of the Lonely Death. I knew it was only a matter of days before they were all killed. They already would’ve been infected by the time their message was received."

"Is there any possibility they escaped before that happened?" Gray closed his eyes, praying to the gods that this was the case, but a nagging feeling in his gut told him that he already knew the truth. He’d seen the bloody rag… The evidence of the disease.

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