Contents ( 48)
- Dedication
- Map
- Contents
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Thirty-Three
- Thirty-Four
- Three Months Later
- Thirty-Five
- Thirty-Six
- Thirty-Seven
- Thirty-Eight
- Thirty-Nine
- About the Author
- Books by Kiera Cass
- Back Ad
- Copyright
- About the Publisher
“That’s sort of how it works,” Scarlet said plainly.
I looked over at her. “How many people have you lost?”
“Enough that I have learned I must let them be a landmark, not an anchor.”
I reached out and grabbed her hand. “Please don’t leave me, Scarlet.”
“I have no plans to. I intend to be still standing at the end of this. Free.”
“Good. I want to see that.”
I was suddenly quite exhausted. Tired of hiding, tired of running, tired of trying to be so many things. I reached over, leaving my hand where Scarlet could hold it if she wanted to. She carefully laced her fingers through mine, and I finally felt safe enough to sleep.
In the morning, I woke to the sound of songbirds and realized Scarlet and I were lying back to back, the warmth of another person taking away the bite of the cold air of sunrise. It was the most content I’d been in ages, and I had no desire to leave my bed.
As if reading my thoughts, Scarlet mumbled, “We have to go and eat now, don’t we?”
“I brought some of my money from Jameson,” I offered. “We could steal horses and become gypsies.”
“I could pretend to read tea leaves and tell fortunes.”
“If I can do an almain, surely I could learn to dance like they do.”
“Absolutely,” she affirmed. “You’re a very gifted dancer.”
“So are you. We’d really be quite the spectacle.”
“We would.” She paused. “But aren’t there laws against travelers?”
“Probably. . . . So, then, it’s prison or breakfast.”
She sighed. “Do you think they feed you well in prison?”
I considered this. “Well, if it’s between breakfast with Etan and prison, I’ll take whatever they’re serving.”
Four
AS I BENT MY ARMS in funny positions to lace up my dress, I remembered a season when it was a privilege to help me into my clothes. I did the best I could, but I was going to need Scarlet to finish doing up my sleeves.
I’d spent so many years waking up at Keresken Castle, but then I’d adjusted to waking up at Abicrest. And then, when it was gone, I got used to waking up at Varinger Hall. And today, here I was at Pearfield, waking up in yet another new place with new rules and rhythms. Before anything had even begun, I felt out of step.
I walked out of my room, hoping Scarlet would be waiting. She wasn’t there yet, so I paced our very short corridor, letting my gaze wander around the hallway. I didn’t want to critique the architecture, but it felt very plain. Sturdy, but plain. Why not carve into the support beams? Why not paint designs on the walls? There was so much space.
I tried to rein in my critical thoughts. Maybe there was something beautiful about the potential being left there, like the endless temptation of a blank page.