Page 16 of A Baron of Bonds
Parvus and Rauca, who were stretched out on the floor, didn’t bat an eye at the creature.
“That is all,” she stated, and it left, closing the door behind it with a trailing branch from its arms.
“What…” I stared at the door in bewilderment, holding a steaming bowl of stew in one hand and a glass of water in the other.
“Have you never seen a Grower, Karus?” She tsked again and sighed, placing her head onto her fist. “My, my, the things you still do not know.”
I righted myself and closed my mouth. “I am listening and you have fifty minutes left.” I watched her as I drank heavily from my cup, gulping the cool water without a sputter. I placed the empty cup on the floor and began my descent into the soup. The flavor was rich with beef and vegetable broth, its base thickened from starchy potatoes. I’d never eaten anything so wonderful in my life.
“I’ll get to it then.” She grinned and began to rock, turning her face to the fire.
“First, I will answer the question you have not asked, but are dying to know.”
I swallowed a slice of soft, savory carrot whole, doing my best to both placate my rumbling stomach and focus on her words.
“I have always had a way with portal magic. The one you entered is of my own creation from centuries ago. In order to leave, you must be true to your innermost desires and emotions. I am not sure what you showed it to get out, but by your demeanor now, I can guess.”
“You said it was two weeks I was in that portal. How is it that I am still alive?”
“Again, I was once adept at portal magic. Please listen, Karus, and trust your instincts here. Time slows almost to a standstill in that place. It took great effort from me to do so, but I have had many years to perfect it. It is the only way to enter this land unharmed.”
I glanced to the lumens and furrowed my brows.
“It has no effect on such creatures. Lumens are not capable of withholding their innermost desires and so they left immediately, only seeking to explore.”
The last few words of each of her sentences she spoke slowly, drawing out what could be said quicker. I found it infuriating and frowned into my soup.
“Alright. What are you hiding then, there in the cavern. What was that thing hanging and pulsing?”
“Do you not listen, child?” She pursed her lips. “You must trust what you assume. Indeed, that is the heart of the Blight. Indeed, it is my own.”
I set my bowl on my lap, my meal half eaten, but remembering what I saw there in the cave, I could not take one bite more. “How—how did you end up like this?” I cleared my throat. “I mean, how is it possible that your heart has become…that?”
She began to rock again, leaning her white head of hair back on the chair, her golden crown still shining in the light. “What do we have left? Forty-five minutes?”
I nodded.
“I will stay to the important parts then, Karus.” She crossed a leg at the knee, closed her eyes, and inhaled deeply. “I was born in Felgren and I was the most powerful thing it had ever seen.”
Chapter 14
Saelyn
I wasfifteen and worried I was in love.
Thevin lay next to me in a field of gold, his eyes closed to the summer sun, his light lashes long and pale. I studied his face and a look of disgust crossed mine.
Why did my heart beat quicker noticing the light splatter of freckles across his nose, and why did I assume his full lips must be soft, just like his hands and golden curls?
I wanted to gag, but actually, I didn’t. That’s what worried me.
I scoffed and fell back into the tall grass, angry with myself for getting worked up over a boy andThevinno less.
“What should we do today, Pip?”
I rolled my eyes in irritation. He insisted on the nickname he had given me in our gangly youth, short for pipsqueak. I had been all lanky limbs and bony legs when we were younger, but I was filling out quite nicely in my opinion.
My face was beginning to shape into something of a woman and my breasts and hips were not far behind.
