Page 128 of Realm of Thieves

One minute I felt ahorrible kind of pressure on my back, watching Brynla scream as she ran toward me. I was relieved; I thought maybe the dragon hit me with its snout, and I was mad at Brynla for running toward me instead of away to safety like she should have.

But then I couldn’t breathe and all I could taste was blood.

And Brynla’s face, still beautiful even when twisted in horror, was the last thing I saw before everything went white.

Blinding white. Pure white.

And then I felt nothing.

And there was nothing.

It was peaceful and it was wrong.

It felt like centuries passed while I was in this white, wrong place. I grew old, died, and was born again. And still it was wrong.

Until finally the light started to fade, shrinking into darkness.

The dark ceiling of a cave, illuminated by a faint orange glow that doesn’t flicker like a torch but moves like liquid.

And now Brynla’s face is peering over mine. She looks like a ghost.Her skin pale, eyes puffy and red as tears stream down her dirty cheeks.

“Why are you crying, lavender girl?” I ask, my voice sounding hoarse.

She just shakes her head and says, “I love you.”

I don’t know where I am or what’s happened but that doesn’t even matter because she just told me that she loves me.

Brynla loves me.

Me.

“Even though I absolutely don’t deserve your love?” I ask her, and though I’m trying to come across as joking, there’s a bite in my tone. Because I’ve never believed it. Not since my mother died have I ever believed that anyone would willingly open their heart to someone who makes a mess of everything.

“You deserve the world, Andor.” She leans in and kisses me softly.

I quickly reach up and grab her face, kissing her in return before I pull back. “And you deserve more,” I murmur against her lips. “And while my love might not matter in the grand scheme of things, I love you too. I think I did from the moment I first laid eyes on you. Should have figured a thief would steal my heart from under me.”

She laughs at that, which makes Lemi bark.

“Lemi,” I say, slowly sitting up to look at him.

But he’s not all I see.

“What the fuck?” I cry out.

Not only is there a blue, two-headed dragon in this cave with us, but there’s also a pool of lava and a lady made of lava standing right beside Lemi, her hardened palm over Lemi’s head.

Lemi wags his tail and bolts over to me, licking me up the side of the face, but I can’t help but stare at the lava lady in horror. “What the fuck is going on? Who is that?” I glance again at the dragon. “Is that a slangedrage? Oh my goddesses, Brynla, this is just like the vision you had with the Truthmaster, isn’t it?”

“There’s a lot to explain,” Brynla says, placing her hands on my chest to steady me. “You need to take it easy. You died.”

“I what?” I yelp. “I died?”

She nods solemnly. “The deathdrage nearly bit you in half. You died almost instantly. I stayed with you, I couldn’t let go, until this dragon showed up and took you from me. Took you in here, where my mother told me that she could bring you back to life.”

I shake my head, trying to get my thoughts straight but it’s fucking impossible. “Your mother? Yourmother?” I look at the lava lady. “That lava lady is your mother?”

“Voldansa is what I go by now,” the lava lady says in a faraway voice. “But now that you’re alive and awake, I have time to explain.”

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