Chapter 11
“Can you also read minds, sorceress?”
She liked that Rise had addressed her as the powerful being she was. She might have even detected a slight measure of awe in his question.
She had surprised even herself with the extent of her mind-talking power. It wasn’t something she’d ever been able to do with anyone else but her sister. Something about being with Rise enhanced her powers in a way she’d never experienced before.
She shrugged. “I don’t think so. At least, not yet, but to be honest, I’ve never been able to push my thoughts into anyone else’s head before—except for Val’s. I always thought it was because we were twins. Now, I wonder what else I can do?”
“Val is what you call your sister, Valentina Strongwill?”
Rise walked beside them as Liv and Atta rode his horse.
He had insisted, explaining that he didn’t want them to slow their progress.
She wondered if he were softening toward her…
or maybe it really was more for speed reasons.
Either way, she knew they couldn’t escape on the horse, even if she wanted to, which she didn’t—for now.
Besides, the creature only listened to Rise.
That had been already been established, embarrassingly.
Liv, lost in her own musings, nodded in response to his question, then realizing he was staring in the direction they were traveling and not looking at her, she said, “Yes. Val is my mirror twin. We are opposites in almost every way.”
Atta shifted in the saddle where he sat in front of Liv and asked over his shoulder, “You have a twin sister? Where is she?”
Great question! Where was Val, and why had she not followed? She should be here by now. “I’m not sure. Hopefully, on her way.”
“Yes. We can all hope.”
What the hell was that supposed to mean? Liv knew that she could be a formidable opponent on her own, but paired with her sister, they were near unstoppable. No way did Rise want the Strongwill sisters to unite against him. Why would he say such a thing?
“Something I’ve been wondering about, Rise?”
He didn’t turn around, but she saw his shoulder muscles tense. “What’s that, sorceress?”
“Why me?”
He turned slightly and glanced back at her once before shrugging and saying, “Why not you?”
“No. Seriously. You waited until Val and I were separated, and she was behind a large rocky structure. She would have been easier to take and conceal the deed. But you targeted me. Why?”
He didn’t answer immediately, but after a forced bark of laughter, he said, “Don’t read into it, princess. You said it yourself. The two of you were separated. You were by the portal, and I grabbed the most convenient sister in the moment. It could just as easily have been Valentina.”
She wasn’t entirely satisfied with his answer.
She surmised it had something to do with their shared childhood.
Maybe it was just a matter of proximity, but she wondered if she had been his specific target, if he felt a similar familiarity with her that she was beginning to recognize in her own feelings toward him.
Either subconsciously or, most likely, consciously, he’d gone after her.
“Besides, what’s it matter which one of you gets me close enough to Grawl to lop off his head? Either one of you would do for that job.”
He might think that, but it wasn’t entirely true.
Even if he hadn’t chosen her on purpose, though in Liv’s mind, he clearly had, but between Val and her, Liv was the better choice.
Though Val was a warrior in her own right and could take out a vicious army with ease, Liv was the one who seemed to incite Grawl’s wrath to its fullest.
“If it’s Grawl’s head you want, then you should listen to me.
Val and I have traveled to the farthest regions of Umbraland, and we spoke to some of the oldest, wisest creatures still living.
We even spoke to a Haint that no longer had a beating heart.
Every one of the beings said the same thing.
The only way to defeat him is with the curse breaker. ”
“And do you even know where to look for it?”
The look on his face made it clear he knew the truth.
She had no idea where the curse breaker was…
didn’t even have the slightest idea what it was, what it looked like, or where to begin looking.
But the words of the Oracle of Lenno played in her head, “The curse breaker is what happens when you’re busy making plans. ”
She lifted her chin and stated, “I know that I’m on the right track.”
“How can you possibly know that?”
Liv let his question roll around her mind for a moment before she shrugged.
“I can’t…I don’t, but I thought all hope was lost when we couldn’t convince my brother Tay to come back with us, and yet, before you grabbed me, someone was coming through the portal.
I think there are forces at play we can’t begin to explain, and they are pushing us in the right direction. ”
Rise shook his head and threw up his hands. “That’s crazy, but I’m curious to see where your mysterious forces take us. Who knows? Maybe, at the end of all of this, a lowly slave like me will sit upon the throne.”
“I am sure stranger things have happened.” The Oracle of Lenno might have hinted at just such a thing, but sometimes those prognosticators could be so grandiose.
Honestly, it had always seemed to Liv that they wanted to be the biggest brain.
Each wanted to be the one who saw it all coming and earn the bragging rights of knowing important things ahead of time.
So, they were apt to throw out loud, crazy thoughts, hoping one would become the prediction of the century or whatever. Most of what they said was bullshit and never came true. But one thing the soft-voiced oracle said came rushing back in a sudden burst of memory.
Evil will only be destroyed with a sacrifice.
Did that mean someone would have to die? One of the siblings? Someone who helped them kill their father? Liv should probably share every detail with Rise so that he would know exactly what he was getting into.
“Rise, there’s something I need to tell you.” She took a deep breath and said, “There’s more to the prophecy—”
He halted abruptly, held his hand in the air, and pulled on Nick’s bridle to stop the horse’s progress. Atta stirred in her arms. He had fallen asleep as they had ridden. Rise had led them from the ground, and now he lifted his gaze to meet hers.
“We’re here.”
Suddenly, a burst of energy began to swirl in the air in front of them, starting the size of Liv’s fist and growing quickly to a disc large enough that Nick could walk through.
“Be ready for anything.”
All thoughts of the prophecy receded to the corners of Liv’s mind as she handed Atta down to Rise’s waiting arms.
“Do you expect trouble?”
“Always.”
Liv nodded and dismounted. With swift movements, she readied her bow, notching her arrow but keeping the string slack for now.
“I’ll go through first with Nick. You two follow closely.”
Like he was readying for battle, Rise set a now-alert Atta on his feet and reached for his daggers.
He gave a low whistle to Nick, who gave a nickering sound that seemed like an acknowledgement.
The two of them inched toward the swirling mass of energy, which had grown to a size that seemed big enough to admit the largest of creatures.
With a whooshing sound, like a wind picking up speed, Rise stepped through and Nick followed.
“Listen, Atta, I don’t know how much we can trust Rise. If something seems strange, I want you to run. Just take off and run as fast as you can. Do you understand?”
The kid looked confused, but he nodded.
She knew Atta wasn’t any more confident in this plan than Liv was, but she certainly didn’t want to see anything bad happen to the kid. For all she knew, they were walking right into the firing line of Rise’s personal army.
She wanted to believe the best of Rise now that she knew how he had been one of the good parts of her horrible childhood, but he had threatened to take her to her father as a bargaining chip.
And there was still so much she hadn’t told him, mostly because she hadn’t understood who he was until now.
Yet, her father had already hurt Rise so much, had taken so much from him, there was no way he would continue this journey if he understood what they were facing.
He seemed so determined though. And that determination is what worried her more than anything.
If his animosity for Grawl even came close to how she felt about the man who had made her young life hell, then she wouldn’t put it past him to use any means necessary to get his revenge, including betraying her trust.
As she stepped through the spinning disc and felt the disorientation that followed portal walking, she tensed as total darkness surrounded her, and she felt a sudden, sharp blow to the back of her head, causing her to go to her knees and fade into unconsciousness.