Page 67 of The Curse of Ophelia

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Two Years Earlier

Dawn light was filtering through the curtains when my eyes cracked open, and my heart lurched into my throat. We had fantasized about this day all our lives, and now that it had finally arrived, something felt…wrong.

Undeniably wrong.

As if air had been sucked from the world and I was left lying there, trying to remember how to breathe. Like I was waiting for the black spots that would cloud my vision and lull me into a state of permanent darkness.

But nothing was wrong. Today was Augustus’s eighteenth birthday. Today was the day he would embark on his journey to complete the Undertaking. I tracked specks of dust swirling through the morning sunlight, scowling because I would remain behind.

Shoving myself upright, I threw back the covers and kicked my feet over the edge of the bed. Bitter winter air snaked up my short nightgown and kissed my bare skin as mystlight flared to life in the hearth.

There was no reason to worry. Augustus would begin the trek to the Undertaking today, and in a fortnight, he would ascend to a full Mystique Warrior before returning to Palerman for a celebratory feast. In three months, I would follow.

Then, our lives could begin.

My heart fluttered at the thought of that future—eighteen years in the making—finally within reach.

I pulled the linens up on my bed, straightened the pillows, and tied back the drapes before selecting a pale blue dress from my armoire. Had our people not been devastated by the war, Isobeth, my attendee and friend, would have been in my room, tidying and helping me dress. She would have selected a spectacular gown for my farewell to Augustus and insisted on weaving gems into an intricate fashion in my hair. I would have let her.

Instead, I was on my own, and Isobeth was in the city tending to orphaned children as she had been since the war had ceased last month. At least she survived, I comforted myself as I slipped the dress over my body and struggled to tie the backing. Not everyone could say the same.

But today is a day to celebrate, I reminded myself, smoothing the soft material that hugged my skin closely, its velvet lining protecting me from the winter air. It cascaded over my frame, golden detailing shimmering in the light, giving me an angelic appearance.

I didn’t quite care for this particular dress, but Augustus did, and today was about him. He always said that the color reminded him of the pale blue of the accents on Mystique Warriors’ leathers. That it made my skin and hair glow. I preferred it for the former reason, but the memory of his fingers trailing across the neckline brought heat to my cheeks even on this cold morning.

The flush was quickly followed by a cold, sinking feeling in my gut that I couldn’t place.

With nerves fluttering up and down my body, I skipped breakfast that morning, calling farewell to my family. I closed our heavy front door behind me and rested my back against it, breathing in the morning with a sigh. The air was crisp, the gray dawn wafting around me a sign of shifting weather. A breeze lifted the loose waves of hair around my face invitingly, teasing me with the promise of a fresh snow.

I watched the gray sky, awaiting those first flakes and all else the day would bring.

*

At midday, residents of Palerman paused their post-war restoration duties to gather in the town square and wish Augustus good luck on the Undertaking.

The morning had been pure bliss under a shadow of the encroaching farewell. We’d barely left each other’s embrace, always a hand on the other at the very least. When Tolek and Cypherion chided our attachment, I let the words wash over us. They were right; he would not be gone for long, but something told me to hold on. To hold on and not let go.

I looked at the faces of warriors and refugees who bestowed best wishes on the shoulders of my partner. Old and young, symbols of our past and future, tan-skinned and bright-eyed. Despite their recent losses, all smiled at the promise of another warrior reaching his true purpose and fulfilling this destiny we all chased. Augustus was the embodiment of hope among our battered clan.

But when my gaze locked with his, I couldn’t find the usual brightness there. The guard he had carried for the past few weeks sprang into place, and with it the foreboding I felt upon waking washed over me. A cold pit settled into my stomach when Augustus’s smile did not reach his eyes, and it consumed me as we walked to the edge of Palerman where his mare, Ombratta, waited.

She released a pleased exhale as we approached, her black coat a streak of night against the snow that was starting to stick to the ground. Her mane shimmered around her, dislodging glittering flakes as she shook her head. His spear was propped beside her, the two ready to see him through the journey.

When we reached the point of our farewell, I tangled my arms around Augustus’s neck, letting the heat of his body seep into my own and chase away the chilled unease.

Hold on and do not let go, that nameless voice in my head echoed. I didn’t understand it.

His steady arms snaked beneath my cloak and tightened around my waist, crushing me to him as he ran his hands over the soft blue linen of my dress. Each stroke of his strong fingers was a silent message to me, imprinting his touch on my memory. His leathers were cold under my cheek, though I knew the reinforced material would keep him warm. His heart beat a steady pattern against my cheek, the knowledge of the Bind inked there warming my skin.

Just like that. We should have stayed just like that forever.

I slid up onto my toes, careful not to push away from him in the slightest, and pressed a gentle kiss to his neck. “Come back to me, Augustus,” I whispered against his ear.

His breath hitched and a shadow formed behind his eyes as they drifted closed. The hands at my waist tightened. “My North Star,” he muttered against my hair. “I love you, Ophelia.”

“Until the stars stop shining,” I forced out through an unsteady breath.

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