Page 54 of A Rising Hope

“Says who?”

“What?”

“Who says everyone is going to die?”

I paused, unsure how to reply. We had always taken that as a fact, the cause of the wild magic. But I wasn’t sure who discovered that as a possibility to begin with.

“Exactly,” Priya answered. “She is probably the one who started the rumors. She probably got so mad that people calledher theMadQueen that she decided to come up with some threatening backstory.” She tapped the hilt of her dagger. “I’d like to see her tell that to my friend number one.” She clicked another dagger at her hip. “And my friend number two.”

“And if we all die because of your brutish methods?” I countered, giving her a skeptical look over my shoulder. But Priya’s words breathed a flicker of hope back into my heart.

“First of all, Freckles, my methods are not brutish, they are art. So watch your little tongue. And second, if we all die, so what? At least then I won’t have to deal with your depressed skinny ass.” Priya pushed past me. “People die, get over it.” She glowered at the waving person before adding to me, “Though personally, I plan on staying alive.” Determined, as always. “Or are you no longer interested in getting your loser boyfriend out?” she mocked me.

“Not boyfriend. Husband,” I corrected her, taking a deep breath.

“Yeah, not if I’ll have anything to do about that . . . ” Priya murmured, earning a scowl from me. But she was right. Getting Gideon out was my number one priority. I just hoped I’d figure out the rest too.

I stopped in my tracks, my sight drifting a few houses down, recognizing the familiar faces. Something inside of me warmed at the sight. There was Viyak, dressed in clothes a bit too big even for him. His sleeves rolled, the same for his pants. His hair had grown out since the last time I had seen him. His infectious laugh echoed through the garden where he chased Nizana—a woman from the Desolate Desert—in between the large buckets filled to the brim with water and laundry. Nizana squealed, laughing as she splashed water at him, awkwardly tumbling between other refugees that scrubbed their clothes free of dirt.

I smiled.

He was happy.

“So that’s the slave,” Priya said with dismay near me, swiping a few rolls from the lunch table near us.

“He is not a slave, not anymore,” I stated. She passed me a roll, but I wasn’t hungry. The constant ache in my stomach wouldn’t allow it.

“Florian will be devastated when he finds out you traded his looks for that scrawny looking man.” Priya sneered between chewing on the fresh bread, clearly already in a better mood than a few seconds before.

“I didn’t trade anyone. Besides, I am married.” I finally looked away from Viyak, hoping my mind would remember the happy look on his face, his joyful laugh. I took a sharp turn down another path, returning to our dragonfly.

“Ah yes, I keep forgetting. Considering yourboyfriendis nowhere to be seen.” She casually strolled next to me. I just shook my head, passing a meadow filled with wildflowers.

“You two are going to get along so well.” I scoffed, thinking that perhaps the end of the world would be Gideon and Priya meeting and not me killing the Queen.

The blazing heat from the summer sun tickled my skin. I wiped away a small drip of sweat off my brow.

“You still don’t want to get a cozy boat? I could compel a few of your ‘no-longer-slaves’ to row for us. I bet they are good at that,” Priya taunted me, pointing with her chin towards the horizon where the sky crackled. And dark clouds gathered.

“Your slave jokes are getting old, Priya. Come up with something more clever,” I snapped back. I shielded my eyes with my hand, looking at the darkened horizon where the ocean met the sky. “It wasn’t supposed to rain today.”

“Well, it sure looks like a storm to me.” She rose her brow. “And I am not flying in a storm. These fucking leathers aren’t getting ruined. Do you know how hard it was to find Laviticusand now with him being dead, there is not a single competent craftsman in the whole of Svitar. Besides, I think?—”

“Shhh . . . ”

“Did you just fucking shush me?”

“Listen,” I warned. Priya stopped.

“What? Did you get upgraded fucking hearing too? It’s just the wind, Freckles.”

“Gods, Priya, shut up,” I scowled, brows furrowed. Priya opened her mouth to say something vile and bitter, but then she heard it, too.

It wasn’t just the howling of the wind or the roar of the ocean. My powers surged, and I felt the pull then.

A second later, horns went blazing from the surrounding islands.

What previously looked like rapidly approaching dark clouds, now shaped into winged, leathery creatures. Their loud war cry shook the seas like thunder.

---