Promising Hope (20 page)

Evan’s way may have been different from hers, but
they were working from the same motivation and they had the same
goal. Two years in captivity may have changed him, but he was still
the man she’d fallen in love with when she was sixteen years old,
still the man she’d married, still the man she wanted to start a
family with someday.

She took his hand and pulled him back to the castle
to give him, as he called it, a proper goodbye.

* * *

The next day, Adrian and his men gathered by the
stables to get their horses ready. Sierra stood nearby, watching
with her arms crossed. Evan had that determined look on his face:
his lips pursed, his brow furrowed.

She wouldn’t ask him to stay. Sierra already knew
what the answer would be, and it would upset him. But what if she
never saw him again?

Adrian, Evan, and Jeshro spoke in low tones a few
feet from the men. Sierra imagined they were going over tactics,
plans. What to do if they were caught. Who to run to if they were
hurt or needed something. How to kill Gregorio. Actually, no,
Sierra couldn’t see them theorizing how to kill him—they would kill
him by any means necessary. Somehow, the eight men here would end
his life. But Sierra wasn’t sure how many of them would make it out
alive.

Evan left Adrian and Jeshro and walked straight to
Sierra. He pulled her close, holding her tightly, and she wrapped
her arms around him. She closed her eyes and buried her face in his
neck. His scent filled her nostrils, and she breathed it in
deep.

“You’re really going to go,” she mumbled.

“I have to do this for us, Sierra,” Evan said. “Do
you remember what I said yesterday?”

She just nodded, holding onto his tunic.

“You need to be careful, too. I know you’re planning
on going back into Haltar.”

She’d spoken with Jeshro the night before about going
on his trip to find allies. “Maybe we’ll see each other then.” She
tried to keep her voice light.

He smiled, resting his forehead against hers. “I look
forward to it.”

She kissed him deeply, without a care for who else
was around. They faded from her mind as Evan embraced her. Someday
they’d have a life free from the Protectors. Someday they’d have a
home again.

He pulled away first, slowly. “I love you so
much.”

“I love you, too, Evan.”

He backed up towards the stables. His gaze didn’t
leave her until he turned around to check the saddle and reins of
his horse.

A hand touched Sierra’s shoulder, and Sierra turned
to look at Lina, Evan’s mother. Lina wrapped her arm around
Sierra’s shoulders, smiling with tears in her eyes. “I should have
known he wouldn’t be here long,” she said softly. “I suppose I had
these big dreams of us staying in Jolen while everyone else fought
the war.” She shook her head. “Evan wouldn’t do that. You wouldn’t,
either.”

Sierra half-smiled. “I’ve started to take up his
habits, haven’t I?”

Lina laughed, dropping her arm. “You’ve had the same
habits since you were children. You two were meant for each other.”
She squeezed Sierra’s hand then went to say goodbye to Evan.

Alastor and Natalia said goodbye to Evan next. Sierra
thought of the last time Evan had almost died: they’d left the
Belisha manor in a rush, no idea someone would betray the Nyad safe
house. No idea they’d lose so much. Now, they knew, and everyone
said goodbye to Evan as though it would be the last time. Except
for Alastor. He gave him a solemn handshake, a clap on the back.
Like he was sure he’d return. Sierra hoped he was right.

Nilee said a blessing over the men. Everything was
quiet as her frail voice asked for protection and safety from the
divine.

Matilda and Angela came and hid them with their Cosa
magic. Evan held Sierra’s eyes as he faded into invisibility.
Everyone gasped at the complete disappearance of the men and their
horses. The dirt around their feet was stirred as their horses
galloped away, and then a strange, still silence descended on the
group.

Sierra let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d
been holding. She glanced around at the group that had gathered:
the elders, families of the men who were leaving, Matilda and
Angela.

Wait, where’s Lisbeth?
Sierra thought. She
glanced around, looking for Lisbeth’s white hair. Her thoughts were
interrupted when Nilee came over to her and slid an arm around her
shoulders.

“Sierra,” she said quietly, “if you ever need
anything, please let me know. Don’t hesitate to ask anything, all
right?” Her eyes fixed on Sierra, full of pity. “You’re so
brave.”

Sierra cleared her throat and gave her a half-smile
in return. She stepped back, shrugging Nilee’s arm off of her
shoulders. “Um, thank you,” she said. Just being in Nilee’s
presence made guilt twist her stomach into knots. Mort was dead
because of Sierra’s idea, even though no one but Adrian had been
bold enough to say it. “I’m going to go find Amina.”

Nilee nodded, and Sierra left quickly. When she
reached the castle doors and glanced back, Nilee was still gazing
at her. The elder raised a hand and waved, and Sierra couldn’t help
waving back. She may be stifling at times, but the woman had good
intentions.

She ducked inside the castle and jogged towards Vin
and Amina’s room. She was about to knock when the door opened. She
stepped back, and Lisbeth’s eyes widened when she saw Sierra.
“Sierra,” she said with a nod of her head. “Have the men left?”

Sierra’s eyes narrowed. What was Lisbeth doing in
here? “Yes, just a few moments ago.”

“Is that you, Sierra?” Amina’s voice came from behind
Lisbeth. She opened the door, pushed past Lisbeth, and threw her
arms around Sierra. She burst into tears. “Oh, Sierra!”

Sierra patted Amina on the back, unsure what to do.
She looked at Lisbeth with confusion, and the elder avoided her
eyes. Sierra’s mouth dropped open as she realized what Lisbeth had
done.

Amina pulled away. “Oh, Sierra, I don’t think I can
do this. I’ve been a prisoner for weeks, and we can’t go home, and
Vin and I—” She broke off into sobs, burying her face in her
hands.

Vin stepped into the corridor and took Amina into his
arms. “It’s okay, Amina.”

Sierra glared at Lisbeth, clenching her teeth. “I
told you not to tell her.”

Lisbeth raised her chin. “She had a right to know,
Sierra.”

“Why?” Sierra rose her voice as Vin and Amina looked
at them in confusion. “It would have happened eventually! But you
want to push and push and force this to happen, and look what’s
happened because of it!”

“Wait…” Amina said as she sniffled and wiped her
face. “You didn’t want to tell me?”

Sierra shook her head. “Everything else in her vision
has come true, and I know you’ll have a child, but I didn’t want
you to feel pressured. I didn’t want that burden on you.”

“She’ll be fine,” Lisbeth said, rolling her eyes.

“Two years ago, you didn’t want to tell her. Why
now?”

“Two years?” Vin repeated, his voice faint.

Lisbeth took a step forward, inches from Sierra’s
face. “It was my decision as an elder. You may have helped us once,
but that does not give you any kind of authority over our
decisions.”

Sierra bit her lip, and she knew she shouldn’t say
it, but it spilled from her mouth. “So, this decision to tell Vin
and Amina came from the fact that I asked you not to.”

“Of course not,” Lisbeth snapped. “But it’s
fascinating how self-centered you are.” She swept down the
corridor, and Sierra barely refrained from calling after her.

She looked at Vin and Amina. “I’m sorry. I asked her
not to tell you so that you could worry about recovering, not
getting pregnant.”

Vin took Amina’s hand and motioned to the door.
“Let’s go back into our room.”

Amina pulled Sierra into the room, and as soon as Vin
had shut the door, she let go of Sierra’s arm and began pacing
around the room. Her words came out in a jumble. “I don’t think I
can do it. I know what you said, Sierra, but I’m scared. I saw my
aunt die when they cast the curse. She was eight months pregnant,
and I was only sixteen, and she was bleeding everywhere, and my
uncle—”

“Amina,” Sierra said. She put her hands on her
shoulders. “You don’t have to worry about this right now. Lisbeth’s
vision had no indication of time. This could happen in years. It’ll
happen when you’re ready, okay?”

“But… well, I suppose…” Amina flopped down on the
couch next to Vin. She leaned into him, and he wrapped an arm
around her. “How did you do it?”

Sierra raised her eyebrows. “How did I get
pregnant?”

Amina half-smiled. “No, I mean… how did you get over
that fear of what would happen?”

“I didn’t,” Sierra said. She bent down in front of
them and took each of their hands. “Listen. Until Grace and I were
in that cave, I was completely normal. Not a magic bone in my body.
But we did something. We broke the curse. I felt it all around the
Avialies… it was dark and evil… but our magic, it was different. It
was the opposite. And it didn’t just fight it. It got rid of it
completely. I can assure you that it’s gone. If you get pregnant,
that child will not die of the curse. You understand?”

Amina nodded, squeezing her hand. “Yes.”

“And Lisbeth is the only one who cares about you
getting pregnant. The rest of us… we just want you to be healthy
again. We need to get through the war first.”

“Who else knows? About us being in the prophecy?” Vin
asked.

“Evan, Myra, Jeshro, Sashe.”

“Sashe?” Amina said. “But what if she tells the
Protectors about it?”

Sierra stared at her. “She wouldn’t do that.”

Vin and Amina exchanged glances. Sierra dropped their
hands and stood.

“Sierra,” Vin said slowly. “Sashe lives in the
castle. She sleeps with the king, she…” He let out a breath, and
his face hardened. “She must be working for the Protectors.”

“She’s not!” Sierra exclaimed. The Protectors killed
Seth—Sashe would
never
. “How could you even think that?”

“She’s been there for nearly a year and a half,
Sierra,” Vin said, his voice hard.

“When Evan and I were at the castle, she helped us.
She didn’t turn us in when she knew we were searching for the
ancient texts. She gave us horses and clothes and paid for Thieran
and Cosa magic. She’s not with them!”

“She didn’t speak to us once when we were there,”
Amina said, staring at her lap.

“She could be a spy,” Vin said. “She’s in a perfect
position.”

“You know she’s pregnant,” Sierra replied. “She does
what she has to to protect her child.”

Vin scoffed. “What about before she was
pregnant?”

“What about it?” Sierra snapped.

“Why wasn’t she helping us then?”

Sierra wondered just how many people thought this
about her sister. She pointed at the door and hardly refrained from
yelling. “That woman who just left is the reason Seth is dead.
She’s the reason Evan was tortured for two years.”

“You two were the ones who got pregnant!” Vin said,
standing up.

“Of course we were, but we never would have done such
a stupid thing if Lisbeth hadn’t lied to us about her vision!”

“She lied?” Amina whispered.

Sierra shook her head, clenching her hands into
fists. Her face grew warm in anger as she thought back to it. “She
told us she saw Sashe pregnant when Sashe wasn’t even in the
vision. She promised we’d be fine, and then she stood by her lies
when we found out.”

“How do we know she’s not lying about us?” Amina
asked.

“She showed me her vision when we first came here.
Angela’s half-Cosa, half-Mahri, and she showed me what Lisbeth saw
three years ago. Grace saw it, too.”

Amina’s eyes widened. “D-do you think she’d show
us?”

“You’d have to ask her. I should go.” She walked to
the door, avoiding Vin’s eyes.

“Thank you, Sierra,” Amina said.

“For what?”

Amina smiled. “For everything.”

Sierra gazed at her for a moment. Of all the thank
yous and accolades and praise she’d received, Amina’s was the first
that truly touched her. If not for Sierra and Grace, she never
would have the child from Lisbeth’s vision. She nodded and left the
room.

* * *

Chapter Fourteen

William strode down the steps, taking his riding
gloves off. He entered the first door on the left of the corridor
without knocking. A group of men were gathered in the room around a
cauldron of bubbling liquid. They looked at him, their conversation
stilling.

“Your Highness,” one of the men said with a deep bow.
He had a large mustache. William vaguely recognized him. He was one
of Tisha’s underlings; he arrived a couple weeks ago when Tisha set
up permanent residence at the castle. “H-how can you help you?”

William looked around the room. It smelled odd in
here. Like something was burning. “I’m looking for Tisha.”

“Oh, your Highness, he just left,” the man said.

William knew that. He’d been arriving as Tisha was
leaving, and as soon as he realized Tisha would be gone, he planned
on visiting his friends and figuring out what exactly was going on.
He didn’t like how many secrets Tisha had.

He paced around the room, examining the strange jars
on the shelves along the wall. Cloudy liquids, leaves, objects that
looked like eyeballs. “What are you doing down here?”

“Well, I—uh, your Highness, this is where we brew
Mahri potions,” the man said, his voice shaking. The other two men
stared at the first like he’d grown an extra head.

William examined the three men. He’d never seen them
before. “You’re Mahris?”

The mustached man bowed again. “At your service, your
Highness.”

William pursed his lips. That’s not what he’d
expected. If he’d known Tisha was employing magic folk in the
castle… then again, he didn’t seem to know a lot of what Tisha and
Kilar were doing. His father never asked, and he blindly trusted
them, though he wasn’t sure why.