Page 29 of Sky of Thorns

Firm hands grab my forearms, turning me back towards the door. I attempt to wrestle out of their grips as the two guards escort me back upstairs, but my strength is no match in my current weakened state.

Keep Aramis from knowing she’s taking shifter prisoners for their power? Does he not know what his stepmother does?

My mind reels with hundreds of questions as I play his words from the road over in my head. He thought I was involved in a rebellion to bring down his kingdom, but the queen is using shifters to gain more power for herself. He must be told the truth.

Sunlight blinds me as we pass through a large stone archway. I lift my arm, shielding my eyes from the stinging pain, waiting for them to adjust. Chancing a peek through my fingers, the first thing I take in are the rows upon rows of rose bushes in hundreds of colors. Goosebumps pepper the skin of my bare arms as a chill breeze wraps around me. Then I smell the scent of honeysuckle, chrysanthemum, and aster flowers. How does a land on the northern edge of the continent have such bountiful growth and blooms on the cusp of winter?

“There is a magical field placed over the gardens to keep them in a perpetual healthy growing state. We have many talented earth, wind, and water mages who reside in the castle.” Kieran’s melodic voice speaks softly behind me, as if reading my thoughts. Turning, I quickly back away from him, glancing frantically from side to side, looking for a route to escape. His laughter chimes like deep bells, as he leans against the rough brick wall of the castle exterior behind him, not moving in my direction.

“Why have you brought me here?” I ask. The guards who escorted me out of the queen’s sanctuary are nowhere to be seen, if Kieran is the only person I have to get rid of, I might have a chance at escaping.

“For the sunshine and flowers?” He lifts his hands towards the sky.

“I do not belong here. Please… please, let me go.” I beg. It has to be approaching midday based on where the sun is in the sky. “She’s already stolen my family. I’ve given her enough.”

“Walk with me.” Lifting a hand in my direction, he walks towards me before he pauses, his eyes taking on a milk white color, completely blocking out the iris and pupil for a split second.

“Who are you?” I ask once his eyes go back to their normal deep grey color. I stand still, refusing to go anywhere with this male.

“My name is Kieran,” he says, giving me a half grin and mock bow. “High seer to queen Tricella. You can choose to act as you wish unicorn, but I recommend that you and I become friends rather than enemies. It’s inyourbest interest.”

“And what makes you think I should trust you?” What an arrogant asshole. Is this what a kingdom is like? Everyone believing they are above the rest of us? That my life–myfamily–is expendable?

“I see you,Sybil Vandeleur.“ He draws out the syllables of my name, his eyes taking on a faraway look. “How much do you know about seers?”

His question throws me off, and I nibble on my bottom lip as I contemplate. I didn’t know much about seers except for the fact that they are rare. They could be born to any race, regardless of family lineage. “I know that seers are blessed by the Goddess with the sight, just like healers are blessed with the power to heal.”

“Yes,” he says with a sigh, rubbing his forehead before pushing off from the wall and pacing before me. “We are gifted with glimpses of the future, and sometimes the past. But looking into the future is not as easy as everyone thinks because that time has not been written yet. It is fluid, ever changing.” He lifts his hands and an orb of water floats from a small pond beside us, its surface reflecting the light. “To every event, there is a tipping point. When key players make changes, it changes the course of the future path they are on.”

“We are vessels of our own free will, as the goddess allows,” I say. “But we cannot control the future any more than we can control the seasons.”

“Ah, but that is where you are wrong.” He smiles and inside the orb replays the night Aramis broke into my house and captured me. The vision fades and flickers and images start playing faster and faster until they become a blur. “Each small event, each change in the pathway, can change the future. Just as water wears against stone. You just have to move the right pieces.”

“As much as I appreciate the lesson, what is the point of dragging me out here, giving me a taste of freedom only to lock me back in the tower? I’d rather waste away than be some pawn in assisting the queen.”

“You are more than just a mere pawn, Sybil.” The orb slows to an image of the queen standing before the people of Shadovale, Kieran at her side and me kneeling at her feet. As soon as it appears, the vision changes to one of me astride a dappled stallion riding across a field filled with wounded, charging towards a castle.

This castle.

My eyes flick up at the stone walls, breathing in the damp scent. This place? I’m meant to attackthis castle?

In my peripheral, I see the vision change. Spellbound to the possibilities, I tilt my head downwards, mesmerized by what unfolds before my eyes. To my astonishment, I see myself on a ladder, situated in a vast and magnificent library. The next moment, the scene changes, and I see a vision of myself kneeling before the king and queen of Kallistar. However, this image quickly fades away, replaced by a new one. Now, I am wandering through an endless snowy forest. The visions continue to whirl around the orb, growing faster and faster, granting me only fleeting, fragmented glimpses of possible futures.

If that is my possible future, I must escape this place. Somehow. My heart clenches and I can’t tear my eyes away. I need to know more, but the images return to a spinning orb of crystalline water.

“Your future is rich with possibilities, but one thing is consistent throughout all the visions the Goddess has granted me: your destiny is tied to that of my queen. You will be the reason for her success or her demise. “ He lets the orb float mid-air to gently brush the dark circles that have now become a permanent feature of my face with the soft pad of his thumb.

“Get. Your. Hands. Off. Me.” I shiver and recoil from his cold touch. “I might not be a pawn in this plan but you certainly are. You are a tool to her. How can you live with yourself knowing you’re aiding her in this madness?” I spat, anger rising. His fingers move from my cheek to my chin and lift my face up in his direction.

Even if the visions took my breath away, I also can’t just trust the right hand of the queen.

“Talking to me like that isn’t very friend-like now, is it Sybil?” His eyes darken, and I wonder if I have once again underestimated my opponent. “A word of advice. I am nothing but the queen’s loyal servant. Her success is all that matters to me, so you do not want to be an obstacle in our plans. It would be such a shame to have all of… this,” he says as his gaze leisurely roams down my body, “go to waste.” I swallow uncomfortably as he lets his hand fall to his side and takes a step back. Crossing my arms, I keep my gaze fixed on him in defiance. “Now, love, why are you not eating?” Kieran asks nonchalantly, as if he hasn’t just threatened to kill me if I do not cooperate.

“Why would I eat poisoned food? I can recognize thescentof valerian.“ Watching the muscles in his jaw tighten, I smirk. I am not a fool.

“You are not what I expected,” the seer says, letting the orb of water drop to the ground with a snap of his fingers, splashing our feet.

“I never expected to be abducted from my cottage and stolen away to be used as a pawn either!” I shout, losing my temper.

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