Page 20 of A Tale of Treachery

I already regretted the promise.

My magic wouldn’t be very happy when it found out I’d lied.

CHAPTER8

Nothing remained of the witches’ encampment but burned shards and curling smoke, no evidence the witches had occupied that part of the forest, no trace for Aiden’s party to find or use to determine their whereabouts.

Since the witches had avoided capture, a large part of me felt massive relief, but the other more significant part felt a pang of deep unending guilt. What I’d done was abhorrent, and it seemed as though my magic had turned me into something not so different from Malachi.

He’d always said it was bound to happen.

I pushed the thought out of my mind, desperate to forget the night’s occurrences and move on, but my magic would continue to be a problem if I couldn’t find a way to control it.

There needed to be a way to get rid of it.

I wandered away from the encampment and sought a place to hide. The soldiers would arrive any moment, and it was important to be gone before then. Moving through the forest, I found a nice spot to hide away for the night, a riverbed shielded deep within a copse of trees. And when it was safe, I finally allowed myself to collapse, letting the guilt and regret tear me apart.

My chin quivered, and there was a desperate urge to clean myself, so I stripped free of my charred clothing, dove into the river, and scrubbed my skin raw as though a mere bath could absolve me of my sins. The chilly water washed over my body, cleansing the smoke and ash away, and I scrubbed, scouring my skin until it was red and broken. The icy tendrils slid down my face and arms as I emerged from the water, still feeling tainted.

It was too bad the water couldn’t simply wipe away my transgression. I’d give anything to take it all back.

I clothed myself and let out a deep sigh, settling in for the night. It wouldn’t be safe to return to the palace grounds until daybreak, so I snuggled up against a tree and let myself unwind.

Moonlight glinted overhead, shining through the crystalized leaves of the tree above me and splashing a rainbow of color against my pale skin. I laid there, captivated by the beauty of the forest, and let the chaos of the day slip away until I was calm enough to drift into a restless sleep.

Sometime later, after a fit of nightmares, something startled me. Loud thudding noises moved closer to my current position, and I held my breath and burrowed against the tree, pulling my charred hood over my head. My teeth chattered, but there was no way I would use my magic to warm myself. It couldn’t be trusted.

The sounds drew nearer, and I tilted my head to listen. It sounded like the clinking of armor and echoing footsteps.

The soldiers had found my hiding place. I thought I’d covered my tracks well enough, but obviously not. Sucking in a breath, I quickly peeked around the tree. A soldier of Cambriel surveilled the wooded riverbank.

“Shit,” I mumbled, clutching my cloak to my body. The green of the scholar’s cloak would be a dead giveaway as to who I was.

“Show yourself,” a familiar voice said.

I breathed a sigh of relief, tugged the hood of my cloak down, and stepped from behind the tree.

Brandon’s handsome jaw dropped, his plump lips forming a perfect O. He was in a fighting stance, one leg firmly placed behind the other, his sword drawn and ready for an attack. If he was here, his brother and Aiden wouldn’t be far behind.

I giggled at the shock on his face.

“Dahlia! What in the world are you doing in the Scourged Forest past sundown?” he asked, sheathing his sword.

I seriously considered knocking my friend out to avoid further questioning, but my presence had already been revealed. I racked my brain for a reasonable excuse, coming up with something ridiculous.

“Redmond sent me to find an herb,” I blurted.

Brandon raised his brows in question, his lips tilting into a knowing grin. “He sent you to search for an herb in the Scourged Forest after curfew. After dark. Why is that so hard to believe?”

“Well, it’s the truth. He heard of a plant that only grows in the dead of night, which contains great medicinal properties, so he sent me to retrieve it while he works on…other things.”

Redmond was going to kill me.

Brandon made a vague mocking sound and tapped his temple with his forefinger, in a motion that said he knew me too well to believe the lie. “And what is this plant?”

A sly smile tore across my face. At least he was trying to play pretend.

“Moonflower,” I retorted.

---