Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 83933 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83933 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
She raised her nose higher but said nothing else. Better to wait until she’d calmed down to ask about the prophecy.
The farther we traveled, the taller the trees, the thicker the shadows, and the more Nugget darted off. Those four-eyed birds perched on branches and peeked from between leaves, watching us with undisguised interest.
Eventually my curiosity peaked, and I forgot about waiting. “Tell me about the prophecy.”
Leona’s color drained. “Why would you…I can’t…we aren’t to speak of it,” she finally articulated. “To do so is to invite death.”
Why? “To not speak of it is to invite my wrath, a far worse choice.”
Jasher made a choking sound, as if—no. No way he’d just cut off a laugh.
“What? I have wrath,” I threw the words at him, and he held up his hands, palms out, in a gesture of innocence. “If you aren’t careful, it’s gonna erupt all over both of you!”
“Fine, fine. I’ll tell you.” The ex-mayor extended her bound wrists and smiled coolly. “If you untie me.”
“I can’t untie you with only one working hand. If you tell me, I promise I’ll ask Jasher to do the deed. He always agrees to do what I request sometimes.” Hopefully, he’d say no in this particular instance.
“Untie me,” Leona insisted.
Jasher unsheathed a dagger and slapped the hilt into my unbandaged palm, leaving the decision up to me.
Fine. I sliced the blade through the rope, a far easier task than expected. “Talk.” Rather than give the weapon back, I anchored it to my side. He didn’t complain.
The other woman sighed with relief but missed the fallen branch in front of her and stumbled. Quickly righting, she blew a lock of hair from her brow and said, “A few months ago, a man blazed through town claiming the ultimate sacrifice had been or would be made, providing a way to live uncursed and without requiring an execution whenever an infraction is committed. He didn’t state how or why.”
I waited for her to say more. She didn’t. “So the prophecy involves bypassing the crimen and therefore the storm through this ultimate sacrifice?”
“It must. Days later, two royal guards arrived from Lux City, hunting the guy. They told us anyone who mentioned the prophecy—their words, not mine—would be put to death by order of the Guardian.”
I didn’t have to wonder why the Guardian had gone straight to death. To prevent people from foregoing the sacrifices, thereby bringing the storms and the monstra. Obviously, the great and terrible Guardian acted as the Wizard. But was he a fraud only able to intimidate?
My gaze slid to Jasher. “Do you know anything about this?”
“The same whispers resurge every few years and nothing but chaos and confusion ever comes from it,” he responded, palming the axes crisscrossed over his back. “Now, if you’ll both excuse me, I’ll go kill the trappers on our tail.” The full force of his intensity on display, he swung his gaze in Leona’s direction. “She had better be in good condition when I return.”
She sputtered for a moment. “I’m not going to harm your woman, soldier.”
“I wasn’t talking to you,” he said as he stalked off.
I sputtered, too. He’d spoken to me? As if I would actually harm the mayor! Then I noticed the mass number of birds taking flight from the branches around us. Hold up. Jasher had spoken to them?
And they’d listened?
CHAPTER 13
QUESTIONS AND QUESTIONS
Leona and I watched as Jasher headed the way we’d come, quickly disappearing in the foliage. Worry pricked my nape.
“So,” she said, studying her nails. “You two are secret lovers, huh?”
“He’s my guide, nothing more.” Despite the occasional flirtation, we hadn’t reached the valley of decision.
“Sure, sure. I believe you.” She exaggerated a wink. “Denial is always best with a royal guard, considering most people hate them.”
“And why is that? Other than beheadings and taxes, I mean.”
“Those reasons aren’t enough for you?” She released a pft sound. “They are emotionless yet wild, highly volatile yet unresponsive. They detest commitment and have no mercy. We aren’t even allowed to look at them without permission!”
I mean, she wasn’t wrong. On the other hand, Jasher was the steadiest, most dependable and protective person I’d met in Hakeldama.
“A relationship with him won’t end well,” she stated.
“I don’t recall seeking your opinion.” Before I left for college, Dad shared a nugget of wisdom I utilized to this day. If you wouldn’t trade lives with someone, don’t follow their advice.
“I wouldn’t call it an opinion so much as a fact.”
We lapsed into silence, waiting for Jasher’s return. And waiting. Finally, he arrived, splattered in blood. Silent and stoic, he marched past us. We glanced at each other, wide-eyed, before rushing to catch up with him.
Our threesome resumed the trek, but we didn’t pick up our former topics of conversation. Leona was too busy issuing a rapid-fire stream of questions at Jasher.