Page 185 of Flame and Sparrow

“Take my horse,” he said, shaking me from my stupor. “Her tack is already hanging near her stall.”

I couldn’t find the words to reply.

“Get as far away from here as you can,” he urged. “I’ll distract him and hold him back for as long as I’m able to.”

“If he finds out you helped me—”

“It doesn’t matter.Go.”He took my arm and pulled me into motion, setting me on a path toward the front door.

I didn’t stop again. I didn’t even look back. I raced out into the cool, misty evening air and sprinted directly for the stable, Moth soaring closely behind.

I found Nyxia, Cillian’s barely-tamed mare, and I wrestled her into her riding tack. Then I grabbed a bag hanging nearby, threw some supplies into it, and hauled myself onto the horse’s back.

We galloped for the forest.

I guided her to the places where I’d buried my divine keepsakes. They’d taken the bag, as Andrel had claimed, so they had the Star Goddess’s crown, Moth’s feathers, a dozen other things laced with the energy of the divine realm...and there was no telling what sort of power they’d be able to extract from them, what sort of anti-divine spells they’d derive by using that power.

But there was little I could do about those losses, now.

More importantly, the two most valuable things that had been in that bag—the glass sparrow Dravyn had made for me, and the waters of Melithra—I had buried elsewhere.

I focused on finding these two things; I had discreetly marked the burial spots with lines of berries pressed into the ground, so even in my rushed and panicked state I managed to track them down relatively quickly. But my hands still weren’t at their full strength, the lingering numbness making my fingers difficult to coordinate. I spent far too long digging in the mud before I finally unearthed what I was looking for.

With a sigh of relief, I clutched the sparrow and the water to my chest, bracing myself for what lay ahead.

I heard shouting in the distance. Moth let out a soft, uncertain cry, while Nyxia stamped her feet and whinnied anxiously.

I hastily threw my things into the new bag I’d taken from the stable, tied it tightly shut, secured it to the saddle, and then hoisted myself up, my arms violently shaking from a combination of cold and poison.

With one final glance at the place I’d called home for so long, I turned and set a course toward the north, determined to fix all the things I’d gotten wrong.

Chapter49

It was nearlya two day ride to Terrath, the largest of the two protected elven cities of the northern territories.

It seemed to take much longer.

I barely slept, and ate only what I managed to scavenge—which wasn’t much. The ride was rough, climbing in elevation along roads that were eroded, rarely traveled, and ill-kept; the elves of these territories rarely ventured out of them, and the humans in surrounding places avoided venturingintothem—save for occasional attempts at raids or other violent conquests—which left little need to maintain the roads in between.

As the hours pressed on, I became a ragged shell of a being, barely awake, all my energy narrowed in on the singular task of making it to the veil that lay north of Terrath.

I’d figure out the rest of my plan once I arrived, I’d decided.

For now, I just had to keep going.

Moth stayed close, loping alongside me at times, settling into my lap during others; if he had not been there to occasionally nip or headbutt me back into awareness, I likely would have toppled off Nyxia’s back more than once.

But as the sun began to set on the second day, I finally saw it: The vaguely familiar skyline of the city of Terrath, made hazy by the anti-magic barrier protecting it.

The city may not have been my final destination, but it meant I was getting closer—the beacon of hope I needed to keep me upright on my horse for just a little longer.

As we approached, I ordered Moth to stay in a small clutch of nearby trees, out of sight, while I used my sister’s necklace to shift the color of my eyes and hair to a soft shade of honey.

The disguise was necessary; I suspected Andrel had plenty of minions in this city, and there was a good chance he wouldn’t be far behind me himself. I doubted the sparrow’s spell would last long once I passed into the city—given the city’s wards against divine magic—but hopefully it would endure long enough for me to find the information I needed from the local residents.

Once I had seen to Moth and my appearance, I guided Nyxia into Terrath at a quick trot.

The flame mark on my wrist—which until this point had mostly burned with a steady, soft glow—faded and began to itch as I passed through the gates.

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