Page 183 of The Last Guardian

It was not a threat.

No.

A vow.

A promise.

Leave, the voice said again, break free. Join me.

I glanced at Zaid, but nothing confirmed that it was him speaking to me in my mind. No, it wasn’t him.

I shook my head vigorously in answer. To make them understand that I wouldn’t abandon Zaid here. Even if I wanted to escape, I couldn’t go far. Haedeon would call for my blood, ordering it to stay.

Zaid hissed in pain again, and I felt the burn too. On instinct, our gazes met, and I almost crumbled. The fear that crossed his face. The fear on my own face. The fear of losing him.

A wild, untamed instinct compelled me to annihilate everything that had ever harmed him, to reduce the world to ashes if anyone took him from me.

“Any final words for your princess, Assassin, before you die?” Haedeon idly played with one of the ropes.

“Don’t fucking touch him,” I snarled at the High Mage, my own dark voice surprising me.

Haedeon’s head turned to me, giving me a disgusting grin. “Have you finally discovered what you’ve been seeking all these years, Highness?” Haedeon cautioned, his eyes burning my irises. “It must be so discouraging for you, after all this time, to still be searching for answers. Have you found out how she died at last?”

The world stilled.

Blood ropes bound my wrists, keeping me in place, turning, squeezing around my skin, burning me in the process. I hissed in pain.

“Do you know why she died?” Haedeon’s arm encircled my neck, his breath tickling my skin. Hells, he reeked like death. “By whose hands? For whose benefit?” The heat of his breath warmed my cheeks.

I shook my head. Tears escaped my eyes.

My mother…

No. I needed to help us escape now. I couldn’t…

“Answer me!” Haedeon shouted, making my blood boil in response.

“No!” I sobbed, letting my tears flow, allowing them to stream freely down my cheeks.

Zaid shouted my name; his voice echoed in my mind, my only hope in a world full of darkness and chaos. He shouted again and again, trying to keep me here, with him, to not let the sorrow, the sadness, and the dark images take my mind.

Haedeon’s smile grew on his face, and he raised a finger to my forehead. Haedeon whispered in a low, dark voice, “Let me show you.”

ACROSS THE VERDANT valley, the carriage rolled along the dirt track; the golden rays of the setting sun transformed into a warm glow.

Fields of roses, lilies, and tulips dotting every corner of the county.

In the book I borrowed from Lyra about the must-see sights in Roservald, I had learned a lot about this place. Each neighborhood was painted in a distinct hue.

The blue district teeming with museums and libraries.

The pink district bursting with life from the flower market and florists.

The verdant green district buzzing with activity from coffee shops, restaurants, and the produce market.

In stark contrast, Lorath was lifeless. The inhabitants were as gray as their ruler.

And here, in this city, everyone was full of life. Full of color.