Page 188 of Kingdom of the Two Moons

But then—the myths must come from somewhere, right?

What Calianthe received from Caryan in return, Blair has no idea. But Calinathe’s cruelty and cunning easily match Caryan’s own, so Blair figures Caryan must have given her something that would amplify her power.

No, in truth, Blair’s looking for that spot marked on the blacksmith’s map. She studied it over and over every night, when her mothers were already safe and sound asleep. She’s looking for that godsdamn marker. The place of power.

Hells, she has no intention of ever going against Caryan. Certainly not with her mothers in tow. They would be dead in an instant. No, she has a different plan.

Blair takes one last turn on her wyvern before she signals the other two witches to veer and follow her back to the inn. It’s so fucking cold up here, and Blair craves some spiced beer and a fire to warm her boots.

But halfway, she suddenly spurs her wyvern into a sharp descent.

There it is, finally, the crossing of three tiny brooks that she’s been searching for all this time. The marker on her map. Finally. There, beneath the fog.

Her wyvern’s claws touch the lush, high grass, her huge wings still spread, ready to take off any second. Blair slides down, and her mount pushes herself protectively between her and the forest, her massive head rearing to throw a vigilant glance towards the wall-like trees to their right. A breeze comes up in answer. A warning.

The air down here is treacherously soft, caressing, so muchwarmer than up there, filled with the foreign fragrances of the forest.Dangerousfragrances, Blair corrects herself.

“I know, I don’t like it here either,” Blair admits as her wyvern gives a warning screech.

“What is this about, Blair?” Aurora’s wyvern touches the ground nearby. Her mother jumps from her bluish wyvern—Vyren—and comes walking towards Blair, her gaze also trained on the forest, as if she expects an arrow to fly at them at any second.

Sofya, on her prickly, grayish hell of a beast—Tharox—follows last. Yes, well, her mothers named their half-solid mounts. It seems that Blair’s the only one who could never bring herself to name her wyvern.Never get too attached.Her credo. That’s probably why she never did. As if her wyvern felt her thoughts, she roars again but Blair ignores her.

With another grounding, deep breath she faces her mothers, pulling the crumpled map from her saddlebag. Her faeish heart suddenly beats unusually fast and her hands tremble when she says, “We can leave the fae world. Here.” She taps a silver nail on the three lines painted on the map, running like veins through the landscape, only to join right here, the drawing in the map resembling a star. “It’s a place of power. Three tiny arms of the healing springs from Avandal. It should be enough for us to open a portal to the human world—”

“We cannot, Blair. We should return to the inn,” Aurora cuts her off sharply.

Blair’s face falls, and her stomach tightens from an unknown terror. “Wehaveto leave. We can just go. Leave this all behind us. You would like it there. There’s so much to see.”

Aurora’s beautiful face stays hard. Blair’s gaze darts to Sofya in a silent plea. But only sorrow and regret shine on her mother’s stunning face. Sofya will always do what Aurora says, no matter whether Blair is their leader.

Blair’s heart sinks, back down, down, down into that bottomless pit. “We will die if we don’t leave,” she pleads, her voice trembling with all the desperation that haunts her every night, every day, every breathing second, for fuck’s sake.

“We are to find the girl,” Aurora counters sternly.

“Fuck that girl. We can just leave. We can have a life. Areallife. Do you know how that feels?” Blair asks.

Aurora steps up to her, and Blair closes her eyes as her mother’s still-cool hand rests on her cheek. Part of her expected a slap, yet her mothers have never hurt her in any way. Not then, not now.

“My beautiful witchling, we cannot. This is bigger than us.” Her mother’s voice is as gentle as it was when she sometimes sang to Blair at night, when Blair was still a child and couldn’t sleep. She hasn’t heard that voice in a long time. “You have a responsibility, Blair. One you cannot just turn your back on.”

“The Abyss knows we’re entitled to our freedom,” Blair says, her eyes flying open, her teeth clenched.

“There’s a reason you were brought to Caryan, Blair. A reason for all that pain. I know it. All your suffering, it was not for nothing.”

Blair can feel her stomach bottom out.They knew. They always knew.

“Who told you?” she hisses.

“Oh darling, no one. Everyone could see the way you looked at him.”

“It’s because of thatflingthat Perenilla says I committed treason,” Blair grinds out.

She expects Aurora to be disgusted. To step back, or hurt her finally, for the first time. Take it out on her,

But her mother’s face stays unbearably soft, so understanding Blair feels something in her cracking open to bleed all over.

“Then find a way out, Blair. I know fate brought you to him and to that girl. I know that you’re meant for something else. Somethingmore.”

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