Page 42 of Sky of Thorns

Tricella’s powers disappear as quickly as they have appeared. Pretending as if nothing out of the ordinary has happened, she sits back on her throne. “You’re dismissed. Take your dog with you.” Her eyes gleam, her grin feral as she waves towards the door.

My eyes, still fixed on her, have a newfound clarity. Feeling as if I am slowly resurfacing from the depth of an ocean of lies and conjectures I have cowardly hid under, I turn towards Nero and lead us both out of the throne room. I’m finding out the truth.

Once I capture myself a unicorn.

Again.

***

“That was…intense,” Nero says, keeping pace with me as we make our way back to my wing of the castle. “What happened back there?”

“I am not entirely sure, but something isn’t right.” I slam the door open, startling a maid changing the sheets on the bed. “Leave us.”

She quickly grabs her basket and leaves the room. I throw my magic out, closing the door and creating a barrier blocking prying ears from overhearing. Nero takes a seat by the fire, leaning back and crossing his fingers before him. He looks at me circumspectly, trying to ascertain what I’m not saying.

“It’s just something Sybil said.” Leaning over the table, I let my finger run along the aged parchment map. I trace from the castle down to Bellevue, where her house would be. Is she heading back home?

“I thought Sybil wasn’t anything more than a shifter?” Nero’s tone is casual, but when I glance up at him, both eyebrows are raised. He tosses his feet on a chair before him as he leans back in his chair. “Since when do ye believe anything that crosses her lips?”

“I don’t know what to believe anymore.” I reply grimacing and take a deep breath. “When I saw Sybil in the dungeons she told me things I refused to believe, but I am starting to wonder if that was a mistake.” As the words hang heavy in the air, my shoulders sag under the weight of the undeniable truth that has finally breached the fortress of my denial.

How did you escape, Sybil? Where would you go?The questions come unbidden. I have to find her. I have to know she’s okay.

“I have to find her, Nero. She knows the truth.”

My finger lazily draws circles on the faded ink marks of the forest to the North. It would be suicide to be out there without shelter. There are no known villages directly North of the kingdom. Only thick forest that leads to the Mountains of Aldervora. Shadowvale winters are anything but mild. She is just as likely to freeze to death as she is to be eaten by beasts. A chill runs down my spine, leaving the hair on the back of my neck standing up.

“Ye think Tricella has a hand in it?” His chair lands on all fours with a thud as he stares at me.

“No–yes, I don’t know.” I sigh, glancing back up at Nero. “She seems to be desperate to have her. I don’t think she would have allowed her to escape.” Sheneedsher.

“No matter how high they rise or how much they amass, those who lust for power will always have a ceaseless craving for control and more dominion.” Nero grips the arms of the chair so tightly his knuckles turn white. I glance up at my best friend, concerned at his obvious anger.

“Nero, are you well? I apologize for not hearing you out earlier.”

“Do nae worry about me, mate.” Letting go of the chair, he stands up and knocks me playfully on the shoulder with a grin but his smile doesn’t reach his eyes. “Where do ye want to search first?”

“Well,” I muse. “If I was a prisoner in a foreign kingdom, I wouldn’t seek refuge in towns that would sell me out. She likely doesn’t know the territory at all, but knows we came from the South. I expect she’s going to head north.”

“That’s what I was thinking. Unless she’s that desperate to go back home?”

“Sybil is not a female to run back home with her tail between her legs.” I snort with derision. “No, if I learned anything about her on our journey, it’s that she’s smart and resourceful.”That beautiful, magical witch is too smart to go home.“Do you think anyone saw her escape? That could give us a clue.”

“I could ask the servants and guards.” Nero pushes up to stand.

I shift my gaze from my friend to the open window. I can see storm clouds hovering above, casting a dark gray hue over the room. The sunlight peeks through the covered sky, creating a dancing pattern of light and shadow on the table in front of me. The scent of snow permeates the air. I can hear the distant rumble of thunder in the distance. While thundersnows are not unheard of this far North, they are rare. And deadly.

“Be quick about it. Meet me at the North gate in an hour whether you’ve discovered anything or not. I don’t want to waste the precious daylight. Or tempt a storm.”

Sliding into his vacated chair, I bury my face in my hands.

What am I even going to say if we find her?

More importantly, what will I do with her?

Sybil

Getup.Getup.Get up!

---