Page 100 of The Truth-Teller's Bargain
She only knew they’d left the city behind when she was suddenly free to look back at the dwindling metropolis as grief threatened to swallow her whole. Tears welled in her eyes as she thought of her time with Nakir and his friends. She thought of those heavy brows, the broad shoulders that seemed to carry the weight of the world. Of the way he’d watched her at the Revel, as if she were more important to him than every single star in the sky.
She would never see him again.
Worse than that, in two days, she would be face-to-face with Queen Zenobia Onasis.
She imagined herself sitting across from her mother at her desk, a goblet between them, the same position so many of her mother’s adversaries had found themselves in before her, while Nakir and the others waged war on a distant battlefield.
Alethea had no choice but to spend the day in silence, the hard reality of her situation pressing heavily upon her. Alone with her thoughts, she found herself trapped in a cycle of self-blame, replaying every misstep she’d taken, every mistake she had made, and every way she’d failed. Each memory sharpened to painful clarity as she ruminated on that failure, her thoughts shoving her deeper and deeper into a spiral of doubt and regret as every hour took her another league in the wrong direction.
Nakir wasn’t coming. No one was coming. She had ruined that too.
Nelson checked on them after several hours, rapping on the window to let them know the roads were clear enough for a brief stop. Alethea was at least given a semblance of privacy to take care of her needs, but with Baumann’s hold on her, she had no hope for escape. She barely knew how his magic worked, let alone how to break the enchantment—or if such a thing was even possible.
The rest of the day went like this, riding in total silence, as he refused to let her utter even a single word. There was no way to console herself by speaking aloud that she would be all right; no way to prophesize her way out of this; no way of knowing what her future had in store.
The next time they stopped to allow her to relieve herself, Baumann followed her, as he had done so each time. The sun was low in the sky, kissing the horizon and leaving behind a world colored in the stunning shades of late autumn. Her breath fogged in front of her as she watched it continue on its path, oblivious to her shattering heart.
She was so far away from Aegea now—away from her friends.
As she walked to a place of relative privacy off the road, Alethea thought of Balthasar; of the way he’d held so much space for her, no matter the situation. How he’d been the first person in so long to treat her like aperson, not an untouchable princess or an Oracle. He’d shown her empathy at a time when she felt undeserving of it.
She thought of Emi—of her warm, kind eyes and her brilliantsmile. Of the way she’d adopted Alethea so quickly, standing up for her without knowing a single thing about her, without any cause at all. Emi had loved her from the moment she set eyes on her, and fiercely every moment after.
Tears welled in her eyes as she took step after step, autumn leaves crunching underfoot. Baumann hadn’t given her any explicit instructions this time—perhaps because they’d both accepted the inevitable.
As the sun continued to set, she finally halted, staring through the trees into the pool of molten amber on the horizon.
It was possible the others would be able to convince the Great Lord of Edysos to join even without her. They could still overthrow her mother, but Alethea knew the Crimson Queen would use her powers to defend herself to the very last moment.
Her plans with Nakir had always included leaving. In all those tender moments when she’d looked at the Aeshlien with hope for a better world, she’d always wondered how she was supposed to say goodbye to him; how she was supposed to justleavewhen it was all over; how she was supposed to walk away when every moment she spent with him, he claimed another piece of her heart.
“Promise me, Thea...”
Now she knew, staring at that sunset when he was miles away. Now, when it was too late for a long, tearful farewell. She hadn’t even been able to say goodbye. They would think she’d just walked away. Now she knew what it felt like to have him ripped from her. It was as if someone had reached inside her chest and carved out the parts of her heart that belonged to him—and the dreams they’d shared.
“Promise that you will never be a pawn in someone else’s game—that you will fiercely protect your freedom and agency.”
All that time, he thought she’d been sent to help him take back his throne. The truth became clearer with every passing minute that she had never been sent to save Nakir.
“Promise me you will never surrender your fate to the whims of others.”
He’d been brought to her so she could find the strength to save herself.
“I need to know you will always fight for yourself, no matter the odds or the challenges you face.”
Alethea swallowed the lump forming in her throat, steeling herself as she turned back to the Enchanter.
“Swear that you will seize control of your own destiny, that you will fight tooth and nail to free yourself from anyone who tries to exploit your powers.”
His face shifted into surprise, and his lips parted to speak—but before he could utter another word, she grabbed him by his elbow. All she needed was one moment of contact, and as soon as she had it, she closed her eyes and dove into her dwindling well of power.
In that single moment of connection, she let the Enchanter see a future for himself—a future of her own imagining, an imminent one, revealing his agonizing demise.If you do not release me, she told him in his mind,it will be your undoing. Alethea revealed to him a vision of Nakir Hasan swirling in darkness, running his blade through the Enchanter’s chest while lighting and fire and pain surrounded him and his men. She tried to flood him with her powers; to overwhelm him and force him to let go of his hold on her.
“Promise me.”
She didn’t care what it cost her.
“Promise me.”
