Total pages in book: 40
Estimated words: 37456 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 187(@200wpm)___ 150(@250wpm)___ 125(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 37456 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 187(@200wpm)___ 150(@250wpm)___ 125(@300wpm)
"Good girl! That's it!"
I pop my eyes open to find a little blade of Light wavering in my outstretched hand. It's tiny and half-formed, nowhere near as bright or powerful as the Light coming from his sword. But it's there. I did it.
"Look at you," Papa says, stroking his hand through my hair. "So strong already, solsken. Your mother would be so proud."
My mother…
"I want to see mama," I whisper.
"I know, solsken. And you will one day," he promises. "When it's safe. Remember what I told you?"
My shoulders droop. "She had to go away so the monsters wouldn't find me."
The scene spins wildly, everything twirling in a kaleidoscope. I lose track of Papa. Lose track of myself. The cabin fades away. So does the forest.
"Papa!" I cry, reaching for him, but it's no use. I can't hold on.
I'm sucked through the tunneling kaleidoscope…
And dropped heavily into another dream.
I spin around wildly, trying to make sense of where I am or what's happening. It's dark and loud. Everything is so loud.
Why? What's going on?
I stumble forward, trying to make sense of what's happening. Three men are attacking Papa. His sword spins through the air, pushing them back.
"Where is the Valkyrie witch, Fae?" one of them asks. "Tell us and we'll let you live."
"Farðu í rassgat," Papa spits.
"Papa?" I whisper.
He flicks his gaze in my direction. "Run, Marion!" he says, fear and pain burning in his eyes. "You have to run!"
One of the men attacking him turns to look at me.
I shrink back, screaming in terror. He isn't a man. His eyes…his nose…his face…it's all wrong. Everything about him is wrong.
"Papa!" I cry.
"Run!" he orders, command ringing in his voice.
I obey on instinct, my feet flying over the floorboards as I scurry for the door. Somehow, I get it open and rush out into the dark, sobbing. My heart pounds as I flee into the woods, sticks and branches gouging into my bare feet, thorns scraping my arms and legs.
I don't know how long or far I run, but the sounds coming from the house fade behind me. Everything is dark…silent. I'm lost, completely alone.
And then a branch snaps behind me.
"Papa?" I spin around, so scared my knees shake.
"Nei, little one," a woman says, her voice drifting from the dark. "Your papa sent me to help hide you."
I hesitate, not sure I should trust her. What if she's with the bad men? What if she wants to hurt me like they were trying to hurt Papa?
"It's all right, little one," she says gently. "Remember what your papa showed you?" A second later, a little ball of Light appears a few feet ahead.
I squint my eyes, trying to adjust…only to realize that she's holding the Light. Just like I can. She's like me and Papa. She even looks like me, with red hair and green eyes.
"See?" she says, holding out her other hand toward me. "He sent me to find you. He said we have to hide from the monsters."
"Ma…mama?"
"Yes, little one. I'm your mama."
I rush toward her, pressing my face against her leg.
"Sweet girl," she whispers, running her fingers through my tangled hair as her Light winks out. She bends, scooping me into her arms. She smells like the forest, like honey and earth.
"I'm scared," I whisper, resting my head against her shoulder as tears leak from the corners of my eyes. "I want Papa."
He always makes it better when I'm scared.
"I know, sweet girl," she croons, carrying me through the forest. "I know you do. But it's not safe for you anymore." Her shoulders shake, her voice cracking. I think she's crying too. "Now that they know about you, they'll never stop looking. We have to keep you hidden at all costs."
"Marion."
I jolt awake, crying out.
"Easy, ljúfr," Malachi whispers, running a hand down the side of my face as I scramble backward on the bed. "Easy. It's just me."
"Malachi," I gasp, clutching my chest. "I…"
"You were having a nightmare, ljúfr. You were crying." He strokes gentle fingers beneath my eyes. Only then do I realize my cheeks are damp with tears. He's right. I was crying. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"I…" I stare at him, not even sure what to say. I think…I think I saw my past. I've dreamed versions of it for years. Dark visions that haunted my sleep. I never understood what they meant or where they came from. For so long, I thought the faceless, evil men were just nightmares. And then the Forsaken opened a portal into my living room and I realized they were real. But even then, I didn't understand.
The night they kidnapped me wasn't the first time I saw them. They came when I was a little girl and destroyed my entire world. They're the reason I grew up in foster care…and my mother is the one who put me there. She hid me far away from her and my father so they wouldn't ever find me.