Promising Light (59 page)

“I don’t think that’s a good
idea.”

Even in the dark, Sierra could see
Matilda glare at her. “Why not?”

“What if they just leave her
behind?” Sierra asked. “They have the ancient texts, we broke the
curse—”

Matilda shrugged, leaning back and
crossing her arms. “She’ll be fine. She was born into that
life.”

“You know what the Protectors were
going to do to her! They’re not going to trust her again because of
a love potion. Just because you’re jealous about her and
Dar—”

Matilda uncrossed her arms and
raised her voice. “Dar has nothing to do with this!”

“Then what?” Sierra asked. “What
makes you think she’ll be fine when she’s done nothing but help us
the last few weeks? You have no idea what she’s
sacrificed.”

“What
she’s
sacrificed?”
Matilda hissed. “Chad is dead because of her!”

Sierra clenched her hands into
fists. “I told Chad that was a stupid idea!”

“Don’t you dare—” Matilda began,
reaching out for her.

Evan grabbed Matilda’s arm, and she
wrenched away from him, glaring at the two of them. “Matilda,
please,” Evan said. “We’re all tired and scared.”

Sierra swallowed hard, biting back
angry words. “I’m sorry about Chad. He shouldn’t have died… but I’m
afraid that the Avialies won’t care about Grace… even though
they’re the reason she’s in this situation in the first
place.”

Matilda let out short, angry
breaths. “She chose to go back to Dar,” she whispered.

“You would have done the same
thing,” Sierra said. “For Dar or for Chad.” She would have made the
same choice for Evan or Grace. Maybe for Lee or Matilda, but she
wasn’t sure. Maybe that wasn’t very noble of her, but right now she
didn’t feel fond of Matilda at all.

“I agree with Sierra,” Evan said
quietly. “But if we have to, we should tell them.”

“But we’ll keep it secret for now,
right?” she asked Matilda.

“For now,” Matilda said. “We’ll
have to get Dar. If she managed to save his life, they’re not going
to let him go.”

Sierra reached for Evan’s hand in
the dark; she leaned her head on his shoulder. She was so glad
she’d found them in the jungle. What would she have done if she
hadn’t? She pushed those thoughts away and tried to think of the
future: rescuing Grace, Dar, Vin and Amina, and the growing war
between the Avialies and the Protectors.

* * *

Grace had never enjoyed a warm bath
so much. The water was soon discolored, and she scrubbed at
herself, even at the scratches she’d acquired over the last few
days. Her mind was a mess. One minute, she was remembering falling
into the quicksand; the next, she was replaying William’s goodnight
kiss to her on the cheek. One second, she was worrying about
Sierra; the next, worrying about what William thought about her.
Her headache was steadily getting worse, but she was looking
forward to the bed across the room.

The maid seemed disgusted with the
water, but dressed Grace in her nightgown silently. It’d been weeks
since she’d had the luxury of a handmaiden. Grace collapsed on the
bed, sighing.

Dar was still alive, though he was
now a prisoner. Part of her told her that it was important she
convinced William and the others to release him. Another part of
her only cared about William’s opinion of Dar and wondered if
William might be upset if she disagreed. She felt a mixture of
pleasure and anger when she thought of Dar. She couldn’t decide
whether to be angry at him for keeping her from William or to revel
in memories of him.

The maid dimmed the light and said
goodnight. Grace’s stomach growled, but her body was so relaxed, so
tired. She thought back to the cave with Sierra. The two of them
had broken the curse that had hurt the Avialies for a decade. She
thought of the ancient scrolls. Linking hands with Sierra. The
Thieran who’d cursed the Avialies. The last memory Grace had before
she fell asleep was the promising light that had flowed through her
to the Avialies.

* * *

Epilogue

Sierra gazed up at the stone
castle. Solid gray stone formed pillars, spires, and walls. Dawn
was just arriving, the sky still dark in spots. The wind whipped
past her, blowing her hair in her face as she stepped out of the
carriage. The sound of the sea filled the air: the ebb and flow of
endless waves. Sierra’s legs ached in pain, and she leaned against
Evan as she put weight on them.

A group of Avialies rushed out of
the castle to meet them. Nilee and Mort, the Avialie elders of
Jolen, led the group. Mort went to Lisbeth and Jeshro, but Nilee
came straight to Sierra. She grabbed her in a hug and started
sobbing into Sierra’s hair.

Sierra stood in shock, swallowing.
She patted the woman’s back slowly as she glanced at Evan with wide
eyes.

Lisbeth came over and gently pulled
Nilee away. “Please, Nilee,” she whispered. “Can you help the
wounded?”

Nilee nodded. She squeezed Sierra’s
shoulders before calling out orders to the Avialies who’d come out
of the castle with her. The weary group that had traveled from Nyad
moved forward, those who were wounded going first.

Evan’s hand found Sierra’s, and she
smiled at him. “We need to get your hand healed,” she told
him.

“Your arm looked worse off than my
hand.”

Inside, the castle had tall
ceilings and wide corridors. The two of them stood for a moment,
watching as people were ushered to and fro. Lee was asking Jeshro
about his mother; Matilda and others that were wounded were taken
to the stairs. Sierra fought back a yawn.

Nilee came over to them, and Sierra
tensed. She wasn’t ready for another hug. Nilee touched the bandage
on her arm. “You’re injured. Please follow me.” She led them to the
second floor and to a lavishly decorated room. “Our best room, for
the Protector of the Avialies.”

Sierra’s mouth went dry as she
glanced around the room. A canopy bed with rich red covers was
pushed up against the wall, the windows had a view of the sea, and
the furniture was dark oak. “Thank you.”

Nilee sniffled. “No, thank you.”
She reached out for Sierra, then faltered and dropped her hand.
“I’ll send a Thieran to tend to both of you and warm water for
baths.”

After she left, Sierra sat on the
edge of the bed. Evan stripped off his cloak and shoes, then
collapsed next to her. She lay down, her body aching. The mattress
was so soft. She’d had little rest over the last few days: riding
from Aron like the devil chased them, then trekking through Mumbar
Jungle. She knew much still had to be done: taking care of their
injuries, arranging for Grace and Dar’s rescue, keeping the ancient
texts safe, not to mention the Protectors and their
retaliation.

She thought of sitting up, but Evan
reached out and set his arm around her. Her body relaxed, and
worries fled from her mind. She fell asleep before the Thieran
arrived.

* * *

Grace stirred from her sleep, sun
in her eyes. She moaned, bringing up her hand to shield the
light.

A soft voice said, “Wake up, Lady
Grace. We need to get ready for your departure.”

Grace opened her eyes. The maid
from last night stood on the other side of the room, smoothing down
a dress that hung on the wall.

“Departure?” Grace
repeated.

The maid looked over her shoulder,
her wrinkles crinkling as she smiled. “Yes, you’re going back to
Renaul.”

Grace sat up, yawning. A tray of
food rested on the nightstand next to her. Fresh fruit and some
kind of porridge. Their aromas made her stomach growl with hunger.
She picked up an orange slice, then swung her legs over the bed. “I
want to see…” she trailed off. She was going to say Dar, but now an
overwhelming desire to see William pushed down on her. “William. I
want to see William.”

“As soon as you’re
dressed.”

Grace stood, eager to leave. The
maid dressed her, then brushed through her hair as Grace ate her
breakfast. A bruise was forming on Grace’s face from where Arlan
had hit her. The maid tried to cover it up with make-up, but Grace
brushed her off. “I’m fine, thank you.”

She left the room before the maid
could stop her. She walked down the hallway, trying to remember her
way around the manor. Where would William be?

She passed an open door and heard a
familiar voice that made her stop in her tracks. Inside, Kris was
pulling Dar to his feet. Dar had a manacle around his wrist. His
clothes were still torn and bloody, and his face was streaked with
dirt. She took a step toward him, and both Kris and Dar looked at
her. She stopped again, her breath catching in her
throat.

Kris nodded to her. “Lady Grace.”
He pulled Dar to the doorway.

She stayed in her spot, even though
she was in their way, and studied Dar’s face. He avoided her eyes,
his gaze on the ground. She longed to reach out and touch him, but
she feared William might see. William. She shook her head suddenly
and backed away. “What will they do with him?”

“We’ll decide at the palace, my
lady.” William’s voice made her heart leap, and she turned toward
him with a smile. He walked to her side. “I suppose he’ll be
convicted for his crimes and held as prisoner for the rest of his
life.”

Grace’s smile faded quickly. “What
crimes?”

William’s jaw clenched. “He
assisted in Sierra and Evan’s escape from Rahuda. There’s also
reason to believe he killed one of your father’s
soldiers.”

Grace bit the inside of her lip,
glancing at Dar again. His gaze met hers for just a moment, and she
swallowed. She would have to vie for his release. She loved William
now, yes, but she couldn’t leave him to Tisha and Kilar. Dar
wouldn’t have left her, and they had shared so much love and
devotion.

Not anymore, though. She had to
give that devotion to William. Clearing her throat, she took
William’s elbow. Later, she would speak on Dar’s behalf. “When are
we leaving?” she asked William.

“Soon. Come, let’s speak with your
father before we leave.”

She nodded and let him lead her
down the hallway. She resisted the desire to glance back at Dar.
She had sacrificed so much for the Avialies. As she spoke with
William and her father, part of her couldn’t remember why. Another
part of her, though, deeply hidden, understood it
perfectly.

* * *

Read on for the first chapter of
Promising Hope, the sequel to Promising Light.

Chapter One

The last time Grace had made this
journey, she’d been kidnapped. Sitting in the prince’s carriage,
she watched the trees pass them. The foliage was changing, becoming
less green. The air was less humid with each day.

Grace thought back to when she and
the prince had first traveled to Nyad more than five weeks ago.
Before the shape changers told her she could break the curse on
their family. Before she decided to help them. Before she killed a
man who was trying to take her back home. Before she traveled into
Mumbar Jungle, found the ancient texts, and broke the curse that
had killed Avialie children in the womb for ten years.

She hated to think of any of that.
Instead, she dwelled on the smiles and quiet conversations she and
William exchanged. She remembered when he first told her to call
him William instead of ‘Your Highness.’ She remembered when he
asked for her courtship.

Despite her best efforts, thoughts
of Dar colored her memories. She couldn’t believe she’d felt so
strongly for him, and she couldn’t tell if she still did. Whenever
they stopped on the road for a break, she watched the guards pull
Dar off of his horse. He wore Mahri chains and the same bloody
clothes from when they’d left the jungle four days ago. She
couldn’t help watching him for a few moments. She felt so drawn to
him, but then thoughts of William would encompass her mind, and she
would turn away to find the prince.

On the third day of their travels,
they set out from Ridgefield, due to arrive in Renaul that night.
It’d been weeks since Grace had been home. Her stomach lurched just
thinking about it. She’d have to deal with rumors about her
supposed kidnapping. She’d have to part from William to go to her
family’s manor. She shuddered.

At a midday break, William joined
her in the carriage, and her father left to ride with another. She
smiled at William warmly. His dark blonde hair fell around his
forehead. She briefly wondered what their children might look like.
Fair-haired, to be sure, but would they have his blue eyes or her
brown ones?

“How are you
feeling?” William asked.

“Good, now that
you’re here.” She paused. “Although… I’m a bit nervous about going
home.”

“Are you? Why?”

Grace played with a ribbon on her
dress. “I don’t want to face the gossip. I also…” She stared at her
lap. “I don’t want to go my family’s manor. I want to stay with
you.” She ventured to look at him, trying to keep her face clear of
unease.