Page 32 of A Reflection of Lies and Truth

He meets my gaze, his brown eyes softening with a sincerity that I haven’t seen before. “We need to write a letter to your family. They should not wonder what happened to you. I wouldn’t feel right about taking you away from Bakva without that letter.”

Jasce’s right. It would be cruel to leave without a word, to vanish like a wisp of smoke in the wind.

I nod. “All right. I’ll write the letter.”

Jasce reaches into his cloak and produces parchment and a writing utensil. He lays them before me on a nearby crate, turning it into an impromptu desk.

The quill trembles in my hand as I hover over the parchment and scrawl the words.

Asha,

By the time you read this, I will be gone. Please understand that I did not make this decision lightly. My heart is torn between duty and desire—between what is expected of me and what I yearn for.

Know that I love you and our sisters more than anything in this world. You have been my rock, my protector, and for that, I am eternally grateful.

I cannot stay here and risk our people or myself any further. I must acquire the skills to control this power within me for all our sakes.

I am going to crimson territory with Jasce, so I may learn how to control this magic.

Please forgive me.

With all my love,

Annora

Once finished, my hand lingers on the parchment, as if it could transfer my resolve into the ink itself.

Jasce takes the letter from me and rolls it up with care. He steps out of the stables without a word, leaving me with Jude and Arian in a silence punctuated by the occasional stamp of a horse’s hoof.

As I wait, I wonder who he’s entrusting with such precious cargo. Probably some spy he has planted in the city.

A short while later, Jasce returns. His nod at Arian is all it takes for her to rise from her seat on the hay bale.

Arian’s long chestnut hair sways against her back as she moves to an open space in the stables. She lifts her arms out to her sides, palms upturned. Nerves tighten in my throat as silver flames leap from her to the open space before her. They swirl and curl as if caught in an invisible wind, forming an oval frame taller than me.

I glance at Jasce and Jude. Their faces show no surprise, only bored nonchalance, as if they have witnessed this type of magic countless times before.

Arian lowers her hands and the glow enveloping her body fades. A fine sheen of sweat glistens on her forehead, and she sways slightly. Conjuring the portal must have drained some of her strength. Jude moves to her side and slips an arm around her shoulders to steady her.

Jasce takes my hand and leads me toward the portal. Nerves thrum in my throat as we step through. For a moment, all sight and sound blur away, leaving nothing but the gentle caress of silver fire.

Just when I think I can’t endure it any longer, solid ground materializes beneath my feet, and the tingling fades away, leaving me gasping in the cool night air.

An endless sea of stars glitters above us, and in the distance, sheer cliffs rear up against the night, their faces carved with elaborate spirals. Banners with crimson Phoenix’s flap from poles mounted atop the cliffs, the fabric snapping in the wind.

Even in the darkness, I know those are the fabled Cliffs of Solasine.

Forgive me, Asha.

ChapterEighteen

ANNORA

“This is Narhavva,”Jasce says as we walk with Jude and Arian a few steps behind us. “I thought we could stay here a few days before continuing to Sharhavva.”

I swallow through the sudden dryness in my throat. A part of me wants to turn around and run back to Bakva, to Asha and beg her forgiveness. The part of me that is linked to Lyra cannot run back.

And…of course, there is Jasce. My heart wants to be with him, even if it feels selfish and reckless.

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