And then it came to her: betrayed.
Had this been his plan all along, to leave her stranded, alone without anyone to help her?
Though she had lain beside him all night, she had eked barely enough energy from him to combat the hornets’ venom for a few short hours. As she wound slowly down the mountain, she could feel it pumping through her blood. Hot and thick, poisoning her slowly, making it hard to breathe, taking away her strength. Her arms and legs felt like lead, and she stumbled, fell, cursing when sharp rocks tore into her palms.
She kept trying, but she could pull no energy from this dry and desiccated world. She drove her fingers into the rocky ground, hoping to pull something, anything, but this world had very little life to give. It trickled out in tiny drops, accompanied by a pain so sharp and deep it took her breath away.
She broke the connection, trembling. There was hopelessness here, as if the very earth under her fingers had stopped trying to live.
If she didn’t find Luc soon, she would die.
She thought of the vial Rhys had given her—thankfully, it was still in her possession—but she resisted the urge to drink it. As long as she could move, she didn’t dare use it. Not yet. Who knew how far she had to go, how long it would take her to find him?
The suns beat down with their oppressive heat and a sudden wave of dizziness made the rocks lurch from left to right. She stumbled, then righted herself. Movement flickered along the edges of her vision, almost like people creeping through the rocks next to her, but when she turned her head, she saw only towering arrangements of stone.
She had to find Lucas. She had to get to the flower before he did.
Then, when she was strong again, she had to kill him. It was fate.
She’d allowed herself to trust Luc—a weakness far worse than the one caused by the venom in her veins. Perhaps living in Humana had caused her emotions to grow chaotic. She was becoming too much like humans, questioning things that she must just accept.
What would happen to the balance, to the order, if people starting choosing for themselves?
Corinthe’s breath rasped in her throat, and her chest felt as if it were on fire. She thought of Pyralis, of sweet relief, a place without pain. Soon. She’d be home soon.
The path flattened out as she reached the lower foothills. With the decreased altitude it was easier to breathe now, although the tightness in her chest remained. She could see only red sand and towering, gray trees, arms twisted as though in lament. Had she somehow gotten lost? Rhys had said the river was a day’s journey inland over the pass, so where was it?
Her neck was hot and sticky with sweat. She felt as if she’d been running for hours. She sat down hard on a large rock, gasping for air. There was no life under her fingers; there was no pulse left in this world.
Her vision spun in and out of focus. A wavering white form, like a mirage, moved along the path toward her, and Corinthe didn’t have the will left to even stand. She reached for her knife, remembering too late that Luc had taken that, too.
The figure stopped directly in front of her, shifting so its features became suddenly visible. Corinthe cried out. Miranda.
Miranda would save her.
“How did you find me?” Corinthe asked.
Miranda didn’t answer. “Why is the boy still alive?” she asked.
Fingers dug into Corinthe’s arms and lifted her to her feet.
As soon as Miranda touched her, Corinthe’s body reacted. It latched on to the energy pulsing from her Guardian and pulled. Corinthe drank. She couldn’t stop. Strength flowed through her limbs; her vision cleared immediately.
She’d never felt anything like it before in her life. The energy was thick and powerful and wild, and Corinthe wanted more. Instinct took over. She opened her mind. She pushed for a stronger connection and stitched in more.
Then she was flying through the air.
She slammed into a rock wall and breath whooshed from her lungs. Miranda stalked toward her, eyes blazing.
“Never do that again,” Miranda spat out.
Corinthe pushed easily to her feet. She felt better than she had since leaving Humana—stronger, even, than she did after feasting in the garden. A wild anger flowed through her veins. She’d never felt so out of control before. Explosive. Miranda’s energy writhed under Corinthe’s skin like a wild animal, fighting to get free.
“Why are you here?” Corinthe demanded. “Are you watching me?”
“You’ve lost the locket,” Miranda said. Her hair flowed around her head, as though charged with its own electricity. “How could you let this happen?”
Corinthe clenched her hands tightly into fists. Rage unlike anything she’d ever experienced made her body shake. Never had she wanted to strike out at someone so badly. “I’m dying. And all you care about is a stupid piece of jewelry?”
“It’s not just any piece of jewelry and you know it. You allowed that human boy to steal it from you,” Miranda said. “Maybe you don’t want to go home after all?”
There it was: the terrible look in her eyes that Corinthe had never seen before. The anger inside fell away so quickly, Corinthe felt as if the world had been pulled from beneath her feet.
Miranda was right. She had let her guard down and allowed Luc the opportunity to take the locket. It was her own fault. She did want to become a Fate again, more than anything.
“I’ll get it back,” Corinthe said desperately. “But I don’t know where he went.”
“He’s found his way to Kinesthesia already.” Miranda inhaled deeply, and for a minute, they stood in silence. “I’m sorry for getting angry,” Miranda said at last. “There are too many things at stake, and I only want for you to get home. Here. Take this.” Miranda tossed something at Corinthe’s feet.
Corinthe leaned down and picked up the heavy key. It was looped on a thick chain, as if meant to be worn like a necklace. She turned it over in her hands and made out the faint image of a spiral, tarnished by the years.
“What does it open?”
“I can’t help you any more, Corinthe. I’ve done too much already. This has to fall to you. This is your task to complete. Go now, quickly, before he figures his way out of Kinesthesia. Do not allow him to use the locket.” Miranda’s voice grew soft as she closed the distance between them. “You must kill the boy. You know that, right?”
A new resolve filled Corinthe. She had started to feel too much. She had allowed herself to grow weak. She was simply the Executor of the marble, as she had been hundreds of other times. “I know,” she said. “I won’t fail again.”
“You are so close.” Miranda gently tucked a stray lock of hair behind Corinthe’s ear. Corinthe was ashamed, now, for having been frightened of her Guardian, even momentarily. Miranda was the only one who had ever cared for Corinthe, cared enough to try to ensure that she return home. “Go now, before he gets too far ahead of you.”
Miranda took several steps away from Corinthe, and the suns glinted off a new ring on her finger. The glare made Corinthe shield her eyes. There was a brief, blinding flash of light, and then Miranda was gone.
The energy Corinthe had taken from Miranda had restored her somewhat, and she began to run. In no time at all, she had reached the black river. The current rippled in several directions at once, an illusion that made her head dizzy.
Corinthe didn’t hesitate. She took a deep breath, and she dove.
Icy water swirled over her head, knocking away her breath. She fought for the surface, but the current caught her, pulled her deeper, into the darkness and the black.