I squeezed my phone, the phone I had gambled my life, and Idris’, to retrieve. What was wrong with me? The stupid thing didn’t even work, and now it would be my fault if Idris died…
Gradually, the shadows grew clearer, until I realised I could see. Only faintly at first, but then a sob burst from my lips as I rounded a corner and saw the tunnel mouth opening to reveal a world of green.
I’d made it.
I broke into a real run, blinking in the blinding sunlight as the stone beneath my feet turned to gravel then grass. Squinting, I spotted the witches lurking just beyond the treeline, and I veered in their direction, stumbling to a stop before them.
“Idris,” I gasped, buckling over.
My stitch was back with a vengeance. I needed to speak, to send them back into the tunnels, but my throat was too tight. God, I was unfit.
Stomping steps approached. Before I had a chance to straighten, a hand closed around my neck, forcing me upright. Idris’ blood-splattered face appeared not an inch from mine. All I could see was fanged teeth.
“What the fuck was that?” he spat.
“Your Highness!”
“Unhand her!” A male’s voice, barking a command.
I lifted my eyes to the pale green ones glowering down at me. They were so close my vision blurred.
“You almost got us both killed, mortal,” Idris snarled, but his hand dropped, and he spun away from me as though I was some dirty, contaminated beast.
My fingers brushed my throat, though I wasn’t hurt, only shocked.
I’d been stupid, risking everything to save my dead phone. The princes had only just awoken, and one had already brushed death because of me. Further proof that I wasn’t meant for this world.
“Are you alright?”
I blinked up at Prince Anwir. He hadn’t come as close as Idris had, and I was able to focus on the utter perfection that was his face. There was no revolting gore splattered over his fair skin, probably because he’d fled at the first sign of danger. Worry shone in his beautiful, pale eyes, quite at odds with his cowardly actions. Despite my annoyance, relief flooded through me. He was alive. The heir I’d almost died to save had made it out of the tunnels unscathed. I hadn’t killed the only known person capable of fighting Maelgwyn’s shades.
Pansy appeared at my side, concern shining in her eyes as she laid a hand on my arm.
“I’m fine.” I let my hand fall away from my neck to prove it, but my trembling fingers gave me away. I wasn’t fine. Not at all. “Can we go home now?” My voice sounded pathetic, whining. Like a child.
“Soon enough,” Sage replied in her usual brisk tone. “We need to get beyond this ward and then we can warp.”
“There are definitely wards then?” I’d hoped that things might be different on this side of the cliff.
Sage gave a brisk nod, her eyes sweeping the trees. “We must reach the border of Tir o Haf with all haste.”
God, would it never end? It was supposed to be over by now. This should have been a moment of elation. I battled down my turbulent emotions, forcing myself to focus on the birdsong overhead, and the golden beams breaking through the branches. We may not be safe yet, but at least it was peaceful. At least I could see. The sun was warm on my skin.
Sage approached Anwir and sank into a curtsy. Such a show of deference didn’t suit her, but Anwir smiled, inclining his chin. “Sister Sage of Nairsgarth, isn’t it? I take it I owe my freedom to you?”
Indignation bristled along my spine. Okay, so Sage had done her part, but I was the one who’d risked life and limb to wake his ungrateful arse.
“My coven and I have worked tirelessly these past centuries, Your Highness. I must apologise for our late arrival, but it seems we were waiting for the right human.”
The witch nodded in my direction, and heat hummed in my ears. At least someone appreciated my efforts, though that someone being Sage was almost as disconcerting as my many brushes with death. Pansy squeezed my arm in silent appreciation.
The prince didn’t look at me. Instead, his face grew several shades paler. “Centuries? How long has it been?”
Sage pressed her lips into a thin line before answering. “Two hundred and seventy years.”
A flurry of emotions crossed Anwir’s face. Shock, dismay, confusion. “I thought… it seemed an eter–” he cleared his throat and his face settled on simmering rage. “My uncle will pay for this.”
“An eternity?” Sage asked in a hushed voice. “You were aware of time passing?”
I grimaced at the idea of being trapped, fully aware, inside a useless, unresponsive body. An hour would be torture, never mind centuries.
“Almost,” the prince answered, his brow knotting in contemplation. “Not all of the time, but it was like trying to wake from a dream.”
A memory of my recent dreams popped, unbidden into my head. Kisses and teeth. Hands around my neck. My fingertips brushed my throat, the same spot Idris had grabbed. I glanced at him. To my relief, he lingered at the edge of the group, staring between the trees and paying no attention to me or anyone else. Beneath his crossed swords, his shoulders sagged. My heart twisted in pity. Just because he was a piece of work, it didn’t mean he deserved such a miserable fate. Neither of them did.
But pity, both for them and myself, turned slowly to pride. I’d done it. I’d freed them from their nightmare. Now they could rid the world of Maelgwyn, and I could go home. It didn’t seem the right time to smile, so I quashed my giddiness by pressing my lips together and fiddling with the sharp point of the letter A nestled against my chest. The fine chain whispered against my skin, a familiar, grounding sensation.
“You’re sure you’re alright?” Pansy whispered, peering up at me.
I nodded, and tears rushed to my eyes. I was alive. I was free. I was going home. Pansy threw her arms around me, squeezing tight.
“I knew it was you,” she whispered.
I laughed. “I wasn’t so sure.”
The witch beamed up at me, breaking the hug but still gripping my arms. “You did it, Aliza. You really did it.”
She was right. The weight of the last few days lifted from my shoulders, leaving me as light as a bubble. If not for Pansy, I might have drifted into the sky.
