Page 2 of A Blightress of Wrath
“Friendsof mine.Andone other.Theyhave not seen you since you were very young.”
“Lucky,Iguess, they got to see me at all.”
“Sae—”
“I’mgoing to letThevinknow we’re leaving in the morning.That’swhat you said earlier, isn’t it?Heand his parents are leaving with us?”
Mymother nodded, her eyes back to black, her countenance back to the hardened stoneIrecognized.Iturned to leave.
“Iunderstand if you do not wish to sleep in my rooms tonight, but stay withPah-PahorThevininstead.Ido not want you sleeping alone anymore.”
Iwhipped around. “Andwhy is that,Mother?”
Herjaw clenched. “Ido not trust that she has not found a way to get to you.”
“Who?”
“Thewoman who is the reason he left.Sheis called theBlightress.”
Chapter2
Thevin
Itookanother long pull from the bottle of wineI’dsnuck off with, wholeheartedly prepared to be drunk by the timeSaegot to our grove of maple trees.
Idon’t want to forget it, she’d said to me, andI’dstopped her.
I’dall but said the exact wordsIhad felt every day for the past year, and she had stoppedmethen.Iwanted her, but more than that,Iwanted her to be real.I’dnever let her compromise or settle for me like she was attempting to.She’dtold me she didn’t want to risk our friendship.Shehad worried that somedayI’dleave her, arguingI’dbe able to live without her smile.
Butthat was never going to be an option for me.
Thenext pull on the bottle was longer, andIgulped continuously.
I’dbeen drunk twice before.Bothtimes my parents had discovered me outside a tavern in theSpire, heaving my guts out.I’donly wanted to wash away whatI’dseen in those days.Thehorrors of war were a heavy burden on my nineteen-year-old shoulders.
Onanyone’s shoulders.
Therain continued its pelting through the trees, but our fort held strong.Wehad built it together two summers ago as our stronghold against the summer storms that frequentedFelgrenForest.
Well,Ihad built it, and she had directed me.Ihad gathered the logs and laid them at an angle.Ihad tied them together with willow branches, filling the gaps between with mud and moss so it remained warm and dry.She’dchosen the charred maple tree as the site for our little sanctuary.Itgrew over a rocky outcropping that led to a small stream.
Wehadn’t yet visited our fort sinceIhad arrived inFelgren, soIsorted through the things she’d left to show me.Eachsummer whenIvisited with my parents, she’d have new things to share—stones she’d found, leaves she’d collected that she thought were particularly interesting.Ipicked up a bundle of dried daisies bound in yellow ribbon.Iremembered giving them to her on the last day of summer whenI’dhad to leave again.Ithad been the hardest leave yet becauseIhad accepted the reasonI’dso badly wanted to stay.
Ithad taken a few nights that year for me to sort out my feelings.Atthe end of every summer,Ifelt the urge to stay inFelgren, butI’dalways thought it was the forestIwas missing.ThenIbegan to imagine my future after the war, andSaelynwas always at my side.Idreamt of taking her to the cities ofArcaynenthat were still intact.Iimagined what it would be like to watch her experience life outside of the forest for the first time.Iwanted to show her everything, butIalso wanted to follow wherever she wanted to lead like a moth to the most enchanting flame.
She’dsaid we’d just stay friends.
Friendsstayed in each other’s lives, so just friends we would be.
Iheard the sound of her lumen beforeIsaw him.Amassive beast, he was easily the largest of the wolf pack with thick, black fur, a snout longer than my arm, and silver eyes.
Sheall but tumbled off him asIrose to greet her, patting the mossy roof. “You’llbe happy to hear our fort has?—”
Saefell into me, her black cloak soaked, her face pressed into my chest like she wanted under my skin.Ifelt her body shaking as she wrapped her arms around my shoulders, andIsobered immediately.
“Whatis it?”Isqueezed her back, winding my hand across her head, holding her cheek to my chest.Shecontinued to shake, sobs leaving her throat. “Areyou hurt?Tellme that at least.”
Sheshook her head, andIchecked that off my list of worries for the moment. “Comeinside.Ihave some wine left and your favorite meat pies.Ieven snatched you a square of strawberry cake.”
