Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 91891 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 459(@200wpm)___ 368(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91891 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 459(@200wpm)___ 368(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
Furious trappers flooded into the tent, weapons drawn. Okay, so, no forest.
Driven by an instinct I didn’t understand, I darted over, grabbing Jasher’s hand along the way. I kicked over the pitcher.
The men advanced on us, all rage and hunger.
“Follow me,” I whispered to my Tinman. Then I stepped into the water…
I awoke with a start, the perfect whiff of damp dirt and blooming jasmine lingering in my nostrils. Heart drumming, I scanned my new surroundings. Wisps of fog danced over a pond, swirling with tiny orbs of light that quickly dissolved.
Confusion set in. I was half in, half out of the water. Before me, soft morning light bathed towering trees with ageless trunks wrapped in violet moss. Twisted roots wove through the earth, veins pulsing with life. Nearby, a scraggly chicken pecked at the ground.
A continuous slash of water accompanied the call of birds.
Why—memory returned in a rush. My return to Hakeldama. The trappers. Cluck Cluck. Betrayal. Jasher. Battle. Water.
Escape.
The teeniest, tiniest bit of triumph sparked through my horror. I’d carried us through the water, escaping Gerald without running. The question of how already had an answer, and I ground my molars. Elowen. Her serum hadn’t just opened floodgates to the past; it had changed me.
No doubt she would demand another “donation” for the antidote. A concern for tomorrow.
Thankfully, I spied no shimmery veils indicating hidden trapper territories… noticed no flesh-eating poppies, toxic sand pits, or singing sirenes. As safe as we’re gonna get.
Except—Jasher. The backpack. The serpens-rosa. Frantic, I searched for all three, patting my neck for the vial while scanning the land…yes! Vial still in place. The pack lay beyond arm’s reach, in a bed of wildflowers, and Jasher, well, he was clawing his way from the pond, weighed down by his wings.
I scrambled out first, snatching the too-heavy pack before he could claim it. Cluck Cluck never stopped pecking.
Jasher straightened with predatory grace and patient determination, a villain straight from a romantasy novel. He took a step forward, stomping on a cluster of silver-blue lilies that bloomed along the shore.
He was gorgeous but lethal, with water soaking the tattered remains of a shirt that clung to every hard-cut rope of muscle. I dried in seconds, just as I’d done during my last trip to Hakeldama. But this time, the moisture absorbed into my pores, as the water droplet had done in Gerald’s hut, and it was weird.
Guess that water hadn’t come from a magic well, after all.
Jasher and I squared off, an instant showdown. The forest itself seemed to suck in a breath. Wondering what came next?
Aggression rippled through his wings, a sign he prepared to take flight.
“Don’t you dare fly off,” I commanded.
He blew me a kiss full of venom. “How much do you love your newfound power, hmm?”
My cheeks flushed. “Have you remembered anything about me?” Please.
“Some,” he admitted, drawing out the “s,” turning the word into another hiss. “I’ve remembered you have killed me again and again and again.”
What! “I’ve never killed you.”
“Haven’t you?”
I opened my mouth to deny it a second time. Then I remembered he’d drunk a mysterious tonic, just like me. For all I knew, I had killed him in past incarnations. He could’ve been among the nameless, faceless hordes of monstra, and I’d slain him at the first opportunity.
I pressed a hand to my heart, saying, “I want you well, Jasher, not dead.”
“You will change your mind, but that isn’t my biggest problem.” His gaze raked over me slooowly. “Despite your heinous actions in other lives—and this one—I’ve begun to…not enjoy the thought of your death. As you can imagine, it’s quite distressing for me.”
Finally. A ray of hope. “You should probably lean into the feeling. The only way to overcome your challenges is to face them, amirite?”
“Hmm.” He made the non-committal, non-revealing noise while examining our surroundings. “The other side of Lawless Forest.” A dark shadow rose several inches from his skin, forming an outline before reabsorbing into his body.
Gasp. “You’re the one skulking about as a shadow, spying on me!”
“How interesting.” He tilted his head with eerie precision and grinned at me. It wasn’t a pleasant grin. “I didn’t hear affront in your voice but intrigue. Do you like being spied on, princess?”
Not an admission, but not a denial, either. I had no desire to admit I was intrigued. So, moving on. “We might as well set up camp here.” I could read the journal. I didn’t want to face anyone else until I’d read what my father had to say. Chin high, I told Jasher, “Do what you want, but remain where I can see you.”
He didn’t react, only cast me an assessing look. “Did I tell you how good you look in your new skin?”
New skin? Please tell me the serum hadn’t changed my appearance, too.