Page 9 of Veiled Fate
Those same amber circles widened abruptly as I met her gaze. Andi screamed and jumped away like a startled cat, her face as white as the moon on a clear night. I had never seen the woman scared before. It was a look I would savor, that was for sure.
“Hi,” I said weakly.
“I thought you were dead,” she gasped, scurrying back to my side.
“You weren’t the only one,” I mumbled, trying to ignore the odd writhing sensations in my stomach. “In fact, I think Iwasdead for a moment.”
How else could I explain my weird dreamlike experience?
Closing my eyes, I gathered my mind, trying to tie the frayed thoughts buzzing around inside my head together. I was still curled in a heap on the cool, hard cobblestone of the alleyway where the Nehringi had stabbed me. The sun was shining bright, meaning it was still sometime in the afternoon. Clearly, not much time had passed.
“Jada,” Andi said, staring at my stomach. “How are you notstilldead?”
“I don’t know,” I admitted, clenching my jaw as the weird movement in my stomach increased.
“You should be dead. The amount of blood soaking into the street. This isn’t possible, Jada.”
“And yet, somehow, it is,” I countered, feeling my strength increase. Was my stomach …stitching itself back together?
“A miracle,” Andi whispered, still pale. “But we need to get you to a healer, fast. I don’t know if we can move you. Maybe I should bring one here.”
She shot to her feet, ready to get help, but my hand closed around her ankle, stalling her.
“Wait,” I said. “Where’s Kiel?”
“They’re parading him up to the palace,” Andi said, pointing. “All locked up in chains. Arcadus is using it as a message to anyone who wants to support us.”
“Kiel? In chains?” That didn’t sound like him. He would rather die than let himself be so captured.
“He …” Andi looked away. “He looked bad.”
“They beat him?”
“No. Not that. Like his soul had been ripped from his body.” Andi’s chest rose and fell slowly. “I didn’t understand at first, but now, I do.”
“You do?”
She snorted. “He thinks you’re dead. Come on, use your brain,” she said.
“Right.” I lay flat on the ground, looking up past Andi.
Think, Jada. Think. You need to act now.
“How long was I out?”
Andi shrugged. “I didn’t see you go down. I heard the commotion in the market and came to investigate after your parents were safe. The riot you started by the palace never made its way down here, so it didn’t make much sense. If I had to guess, though, I’d say maybe ten minutes or so, based on how far they’ve taken Kiel.”
I nodded, things clicking into place as my mind moved at hyper speed. “There’s still time, then.”
“Still time for what? You’re going to a healer, or you’ll die.”
“No, I won’t,” I said quietly. “I’ll be fine. We can do this.”
“We? What are we doing?”
“Breaking Kiel out before they get him to the palace,” I said, thinking frantically.
“Uh, what? Jada, he’s in chains, surrounded by troops. Troops that just finished putting down the riot you started. They won’t hesitate to cut you down either.”
