Total pages in book: 134
Estimated words: 127026 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 635(@200wpm)___ 508(@250wpm)___ 423(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 127026 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 635(@200wpm)___ 508(@250wpm)___ 423(@300wpm)
She couldn’t contradict him. “We’re supposed to do this together.”
“We will.”
“Liar.”
He kissed her again, drawing out the motion. “I’ll come back to you. I swear.”
“Not soon enough.”
“I know that I cannot escape you,” he said affectionately. “We’ll make this right.”
“Sometimes I hate you.”
He laughed, a soft, melodious note. “I know. I love you too.”
And then, slowly, the dream dissolved. One minute, Fordham was in her arms, and the next, he was gone.
She scrubbed the tears from her cheeks. It was more than she had thought she would ever get with him again. Still, it wasn’t enough. She wanted this dream to be done. For all of it to be done.
She squeezed her eyes shut and let it all go.
* * *
Kerrigan forced herself out of the water, sputtering. Hands helped her up.
She could dimly hear someone saying, “It’s okay.”
“We’ve got you.”
“Just let it out.”
She couldn’t differentiate any of the voices. She coughed, expecting to spew up water and expel it from her body, but no water came up. Her throat wasn’t raw. Her lungs didn’t hurt. In fact, she felt completely whole. As if the water had healed her out of the drowning.
She got her feet underneath her and rose slowly to her full height. She scrubbed her eyes and found Helly and Kivrin hovering over her.
“Are you all right?” Kivrin asked, worry in his voice. “You were out for a long time.”
Helly nodded, worry in her expression. “A lot longer than I’d anticipated.” She cleared her throat. “Hours.”
Kerrigan’s eyes bulged. “I was underwater for hours?”
“Yes,” Helly said softly. “I could still feel your heartbeat or else I would have revived you earlier. I’ve never known a ritual to take that long.”
“Mine was a matter of minutes,” Kivrin said.
Kerrigan looked between them. “You drowned me.”
They shared a glance.
Kivrin nodded. “We did. It’s part of the ritual to connect you to Bryonica. We never expected you to be out as long as you were. The water normally heals you, and then you come out, fully recovered.”
“I am fully recovered,” Kerrigan said.
There wasn’t a scratch on her. Her arms were healed. Her lungs felt strong. Even the normal scratches from everyday life were all gone. Not a single bruise.
She reached for the bond with Tieran and found that it was still missing. The water must have knocked out the bond, just as she’d thought. She would have to create another one when she got out of this place.
His mind touched hers. I was worried for you. When the bond severed …
“I know,” she whispered.
It must have terrified him. He must have thought she was dead. She was eager to rectify that.
“We should go. As long as there’s nothing else.”
“No,” Helly said, and Kivrin shook his head.
Kerrigan looked one last time at the holy lands that had taken her life and given herself something more precious—a way to find Fordham. The dream was turning murky already. As if it hadn’t quite been as real as she thought. Her magic hadn’t been so vibrant. She hadn’t been able to pull him into a dream. His touch hadn’t set her on fire. But she knew it had happened. Somehow.
They trekked back up and came out into the open again as dawn sparked bright on the horizon. All three of them gaped in shock when they reached the exit.
“Gods,” Kivrin said.
“What … what is this?” Helly asked.
Last night, the valley surrounding the caves had been a blank expanse of rolling green hills with a lake in the middle. And now, for as far as the eye could see, sunflowers bloomed atop the hills.
“How is this possible?” Kerrigan asked.
Helly shook her head. “I have no idea. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Kivrin wiped at his eyes. “I have. Just once. The land is blessing us for Kerrigan.” Her father got down on one knee and took her hand. “You are the rightful heir of the House of Cruse. The land has proclaimed it so.”
Kerrigan’s heart hammered as she realized that the flush of magic she’d felt was her connecting to the land itself. And the result was a show of support … for her.
21
THE VISIONS
Sunflowers were seen from the foothills of the Vert Mountains all the way to the eastern coast of Alandria. Everyone flying in from Bryonica couldn’t stop talking about it. The arrival of the flowers was so shocking that they were being braided into crowns and worn at May Day celebrations.
“It’s a sign,” March said from her side as they watched the younger children walk the Maypole.
Kerrigan forced a smile. It had only been a few days since she’d had Fordham’s mouth hot against hers. She wanted to try to pull him in again but worried that it wouldn’t work without the added magic from Draíocht waters. She’d contented herself with popping in out and of her friends’ dreams to practice before she saw Cleora in two days’ time.