Page 150 of Flame and Sparrow

His approval did nothing to settle my nerves.

I watched closely as he stepped to my side and knelt down. His hand braced against the ground for a moment before he drew up a handful of dust, letting it trickle between his fingers. As it fell, it swirled into the shape of a large goblet with black jewels encircling it.

“What you become is, of course, up to you,” he said, handing me the cup.

I took it slowly, marveling at it, trying to understand what sort of magic could create such a thing from dust—and with so little effort.

When I looked up again, the Tower Keeper was gone.

The cup shook in my hand as I turned my attention back to the water. This felt like another test. Another trick. I was not ready to drink anything I might draw from this pool. I was, however, ready to leave this place—and I couldn’t go back empty-handed after all the trouble I’d gone through to get here.

After steadying myself with a deep breath, I scooped up a cupful of the magical water, taking care not to let even a drop of it touch my skin. I started to back away, but hesitated, unable to resist peering one last time into Melithra.

I’m not sure whose face I wanted to see—mine or my sister’s.

I saw neither. Instead, the water frosted over as I looked into it, turning to an opaque glass that blazed with a bright energy for an instant before going dull, the dark shift causing a foreboding twist deep in the pit of my stomach.

I hurried back up the sloping pathway. My mark’s light had dwindled, but the water I carried glowed brightly enough that my eyes could make out the way well enough, even once I left the path of glowing crystal behind.

As I reached the main floor once more, I braced myself for another trial, another fight to get out, just as I’d had to fight to get in.

The door was already open.

I could hear Zell whinnying, could feel the chill breeze rolling in, could smell the salt and dust in the outside air.

It felt almost too good to be true, but I was too anxious to leave to question it. I raced outside, taking care not to spill the elixir I’d gathered.

The other two doors, and the bowls and relics beside them, had ceased their glowing. The tower seemed darker than ever before. Duller, almost, as though taking even just a cupful of Melithra’s water had somehow leached the dwelling of an incredible amount of power.

I grabbed Hydrus and the Star Goddess’s crown from their receptacles, and I raced to the bag I’d left at the edge of the pavilion. Inside it was a waterskin; I drank all I could from it as quickly as possible, then dumped the rest of its contents out and carefully refilled it with the water from the tower’s pool, securing it tightly before shoving it deep into the bottom of the bag.

I didn’t look back at the tower as I raced up the hill. I wanted to. But I was afraid of what I might see. The foreboding feeling that had overtaken me as I watched Melithra’s waters go dark was back, twisting more deeply in my gut than before.

As I reached the hilltop, I briefly forgot about the tower and its strangeness as I spotted a lone, familiar figure in the distance—the God of Death. He was walking along the steep edge overlooking the ocean of his dark energy. Maintaining it, I assumed, as was his punishment.

I froze at the sight of him.

Could he tell Dravyn and I had walked that same path days ago?

Had he seen me go into the tower just now?

No; he seemed entirely focused on his task. If he’d noticed me, he gave no outward sign of it. Part of me wanted to go to him andmakehim notice me, to demand more answers about his relationship with my sister.

But another, much louder inner voice told me I needed to run.

I had not forgotten our last encounter near this territory. I was no match for the Death Marr if he decided he was in a bad mood today, and Dravyn was a world away, unable to come to my rescue.

I’d be a fool to linger.

I still hesitated much longer than I should have before I dug the bag of dried fruit out and fed several to Zell, urging him to be calm and quiet while I gathered the gear I’d set aside and prepared him for riding again.

By the time I finished and hoisted myself onto the selakir’s back, the Death Marr was nowhere to be seen.

Of course, that didn’t mean he wasn’t there.

Palms sweating as they gripped the reins, I nudged Zell into movement. Luckily, he seemed ready to run, all the anxious energy I’d caused him unleashing all at once. He broke into a full speed gallop so quickly I was nearly thrown from the saddle.

He was moving so fast, and the wind stung so badly, that I couldn’t stay upright. I leaned forward, pressing my body nearly flat against his back, trusting he knew the way back to the palace and would carry me there.

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