Chapter Thirty-Two – Mira
Chapter Thirty-Two
Mira
I woke in the early hours of the morning, Cassius’s strong arms wrapped around me.
Careful not to disturb him, I slipped out of his embrace. The tree house was dark, but I didn’t dare light any of the candles or lamps. Dressing in fresh clothes, I braided back my hair and cracked open the door.
Cassius’s breathing remained steady and rhythmic.
With any luck, he wouldn’t realise I had left until the ritual was over.
He’d seemed to make peace with my decision last night, but I knew how unpredictable Cassius could be.
With so many lives hanging in the balance, I couldn’t risk him trying to stop me.
All seven council members were gathered at the edge of the village when I descended from the treetops.
They nodded in respect, their faces silhouetted by the soft glow of dawn.
The men wore their usual bone armour, and the women matched them in white woven dresses. I suspected it was a ceremonial colour.
‘Follow me,’ Sionnach instructed, turning on her heel. Her nut-brown hair was unbound today, cascading down her back in soft curls.
As we walked through the ancient forest, the lush trees curved above us, forming a gentle archway. Despite the thickness of the canopy, enough sunlight filtered through to illuminate my surroundings, and everything around me felt alive in a way I hadn’t experienced before.
All too soon, the forest opened out into a glade filled with golden flowers, and I found myself staring at the ruins of a temple. Seven elegantly carved pillars were still intact, ivy and greenery intertwining with the stone so completely that only the occasional glimpse of white was visible.
And beyond those pillars . . .
My legs turned leaden as I followed Sionnach to a cliff above a circular sinkhole.
The water was such a dark blue that it reminded me of Cassius’s eyes, and it was impossible to tell how deep it was.
If I was here under different circumstances, I might have found it beautiful.
Might have asked Sionnach if there was a story behind how it had been formed.
But speech suddenly seemed impossible. Foreign.
A dip of my head was all the acknowledgement I could muster for Conall as he approached. My heart lurched as I saw the rusted iron cage beside him. Ready to be pushed into the water far below.
My breathing was coming faster now. It was one thing knowing what I would have to do – and it was another facing the reality. How was I going to clear my mind when I already felt so close to panic?
The distant hum of voices and thudding footsteps made me turn. Despite their grief and anger, despite whatever blame they might harbour for my role in Roran’s attack, it seemed as if the entire village had come to witness me commune with the Sorceress.
Or die trying.
When they tried to move past the temple, the remaining five council members formed a barrier in front of them.
‘No further,’ one of the male shifters warned.
But his words had no effect whatsoever on Cassius. He strode through the crowd as if it wasn’t even there, his narrowed eyes focused on the councillors keeping the onlookers contained. As if daring them to try and contain him .
Then his searing gaze rose to lock with mine. Clearly, Cassius hadn’t been pleased to wake up and discover I was gone.
‘Let me through,’ he said to the shifters blocking his way – an order, not a request. The glint of Ravalian steel in Cassius’s hand made me very nervous.
It had to be a bluff. He couldn’t possibly intend to use that dagger, not when he was outnumbered and knew that doing so would risk his life. One of Cassius’s strongest instincts was self-preservation.
But as I took him in properly, I wasn’t so sure.
His golden hair was tousled, as though he had been running his fingers through it, and his tunic was rumpled.
I knew that his dishevelled appearance was an outward reflection of his mental state.
And if someone as calculated and conniving as Cassius was out of ideas–
‘According to your traditions,’ I said, turning to address Sionnach, ‘I am allowed one companion to stand by my side. Let Cassius be that companion.’
Sionnach’s proud face softened as she studied me. Turning back to the waiting shifters, she instructed, ‘Kasmira’s consort may join her.’
I didn’t correct Sionnach’s assumption. Not when it allowed Cassius to push past, joining me on the edge of the cliff. His face was like stone as he watched Sionnach unlock the rusted door of the cage.
Projecting her voice to the listening audience, Sionnach said, ‘As you know, communing with the Sorceress requires entering a state near death. Please bow your heads in prayer for our queen, and entreat the Sorceress to spare Kasmira’s life if she deems her worthy.’
A chill darted across my skin as the shifters fell to their knees. Only the Council of Ancients remained standing, but their gazes were cast down to the ground.
‘Let me get this straight,’ Cassius said, not bothering to lower his voice. ‘You’re going to trap Mira in that cage – and somehow you expect her to survive?’
‘If Kasmira is meant to survive, the Sorceress will free her from the cage.’ More gently, Sionnach said to me, ‘And if she does, you will emerge from the water reborn. The undisputed leader of the clans.’
I stared down into the sinkhole that could easily become my grave. But the potential rewards . . .
I removed my boots and slipped out of my fur-lined jacket, until I was shivering in my blouse and fitted leather pants, the bars cold and hard against my bare feet. Stepping inside the cage made my chest constrict, the bars seeming to press in against me.
The thought of V?lund and other clansmen facing this ritual buoyed my flailing confidence, as did the knowledge that their larger builds would have required them to crouch. In comparison, I was fortunate; the bars were a few inches above my head. Giving me at least the illusion of more space.
‘Sionnach.’ My throat felt tight as I curled my hands around the bars in front of me. Fighting not to think of how heavy this cage was, and how easily it could become my tomb. ‘Do you have any last words of advice?’
The faint breeze blew her unbound hair over one shoulder. ‘Just remember to clear your mind. Your best chance of survival is to stay relaxed. Trust in the Sorceress, and don’t panic.’
It would have been better if I hadn’t asked. In the Ravalian Trials, I had faced my death head on, and my bravery had never deserted me. But the thought of being submerged in this sinkhole, trapped and entirely dependent on faith to save me–
Cassius’s grip tightened on the dagger strapped to his side. I hoped he wasn’t planning to do something foolish if I was underwater too long – like attempting to force the key from Sionnach and dive in after me.
‘Don’t try to interfere,’ I told him. ‘If you do, this will all have been for nothing.’
I didn’t have the chance to take in Cassius’s reaction. My stomach dropped as Conall transformed into the hulking beast that had first greeted me. With one swipe of his paw, he could push the cage right into the chasm.
And yet I couldn’t seem to say the words. Couldn’t give Conall the order he was waiting to hear.
‘Don’t look at him,’ Cassius said softly, approaching the cage until he blocked out everything else. Reaching through the bars, he raised my chin so I was staring into his midnight-blue eyes. ‘Just keep looking at me.’
I swallowed as the sound of heavy footfalls rang out on my left, disturbingly close. But I kept my eyes on Cassius’s, and as he rested his forehead against the bars, I felt steadier. Afraid, but no longer close to panic.
A test of bravery , I told myself as I willed my fear down. That’s all this is.
‘Do it,’ I ordered without looking away from Cassius. Sucking in a deep breath, I trapped as much oxygen inside my lungs as I could. Knowing even as I did that it wouldn’t be enough.
It wouldn’t be anywhere near enough.
Cassius glanced over his shoulder, and from his expression, I knew Conall was only heartbeats away. ‘I wish we could have more time,’ he whispered against my lips. ‘I wish you could have learnt to trust me.’
I do trust you , I wanted to say, only I couldn’t. Couldn’t release any of that precious, life-saving air.
Perhaps Cassius saw that answer in my face, because he smiled. His smile was the last thing I saw as something heavy hit the cage–
And sent me toppling backwards as I hit the water.
The cold slammed into me like a blow, threatening to steal the air I had so carefully trapped. But I kept my mouth clamped shut, even as the weight of the cage dragged me under at such a rate that it felt as if I was still falling, sending my body tilting and my brain screaming with panic.
I ignored every single survival instinct as my ears popped and the distant light of the surface shrank, growing smaller and smaller until it was little more than a pinprick high above.
Impossibly out of reach.
The cage hit the bottom with a thud that shook my bones. The pressure was so great that moving was an effort, and I knew the smartest thing would be to lie back against the cage and surrender. To calm my mind, as Sionnach had instructed, and embrace the possibility of death.
I righted myself instead and wrapped my hands around the bars. Clinging to the illusion of control, even as I fought to separate myself from my thoughts and fears.
Relax. I had to relax.
But already, the urge to breathe was clawing at my chest. The water had initially been so cold that it burned, and there had been some comfort in that. Now the cold was relentless as it tunnelled into my bones, making me shake and shiver, and my limbs–
I couldn’t feel them. Could barely even feel the sliminess of the rusted bars.
I pushed against the bars, testing their strength. All I had to do was make it to the surface and I would be clan leader. What did it matter if the Sorceress saved me or I saved myself?
A few bubbles left my mouth as I slammed my shoulder against the bars. Rusted meant weakened, but there was no give in them. I hurled my entire body this time, throwing every ounce of my remaining energy into breaking through.
I started convulsing. This time, I couldn’t stop the air from leaving my lungs. Couldn’t stop myself from inhaling–
Water flooded into my mouth and down my throat in a surging, relentless torrent. I was choking on it, gasping and clawing for breath that wouldn’t come.
Drowning. I was drowning.
But I’m not ready to die –
I was further away from the bars now. Drifting in the faint current, my body weightless and curiously untethered.
For a moment, I could see myself as if from the perspective of an outsider: my black hair floating behind me like a halo, my eyes open but unseeing, my lips blue and parted, letting more water in. But there was no pain. No fear.
And then I felt it.
That familiar, inexplicable pull .
The same pull that allowed me to shoot arrows with uncanny accuracy or pick the correct card out of dozens of identical options. Just as I had all those years ago at the circus.
As my vision blurred, a memory of the Sorceress’s card formed before my eyes. The red and gold outline, the elegant lettering–
The way she had winked at me.
It was that version of the Sorceress I trusted. Not the cold and unfeeling statue in the Temple that had never answered my prayers, but the woman I had seen on that card, with her beguiling, impish smile–
The water warmed against my skin, glowing with an aquamarine light that enveloped me like an embrace.
Bright, so bright. Blinding –
And then it faded.
And I was staring up at the sun.