War Maiden

Chapter 1

1

Slowly, things were returning to normal.

As normal as they could be after all that had happened the past few weeks.

Letting out a long sigh, I glanced up at the three-story house in front of me. I racked my mind, trying to think of something else I could be doing instead of going inside—there was plenty to be done—but I couldn’t delay it anymore.

I climbed up the three steps to the front door, and Rick and Joel stepped aside.

“Any changes?”

“No,” Joel said. “They have been quiet in there.”

“Good,” I muttered, reaching for the knob.

The door opened with a click, and dreading the next few minutes, I pushed inside.

“There you are!” Darcy exclaimed, rushing toward me with wide eyes. Her long white hair was loose and knotty, her clothes seemed rumpled, and her cheeks were hollow. Hadn’t she been eating? Or sleeping? “I’ve been calling for you for days now.” She grabbed my arm with both her hands.

“I know.” I pulled my arm from her grip and took a step back. “What the hell do you want?”

Darcy frowned. “Is that the way to talk to your elders, heart maiden?”

“To the crazy one who tried to kill her own granddaughter, yes, it is.”

Darcy flinched.

Two weeks ago, Darcy had lost it, along with the rest of the elder council members. They had attacked me, accusing me of being mad—which wasn’t entirely false. But when I refused to let them take me, to kill me, she retaliated. Darcy attacked her own people, the tziganes she had seen grow up in the Lovell enclave, and even Ryane, her granddaughter. My instinct had been to kill her and the others, but unlike them, I liked to think I was a considerate and mostly a sane person. I didn’t kill so easily.

So, after a couple of nights in jail—because they deserved to feel like criminals—I had moved the elder council members to this house at the edge of the enclave. It had been empty for a while, and since it was a big place with many rooms, it would serve as a comfortable prison. My grandmother, Sheila, my mother, Marisa, my father, Dolan, and a few other powerful tziganes had helped me with its magical protection. The windows and doors didn’t open for the people locked inside, no matter what they tried—magic or brute force. Only a handful of people had the power to open the doors and windows, but only one of them came daily to check on them and bring food.

Ryane. Despite having her puri daj take her by the throat, the young woman hadn’t given up on her family. She hoped her grandmother and her father, Oscar, would apologize and become the elders they were meant to be.

I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want to see Ryane sad, but even her brother, Artan, knew Darcy and Oscar wouldn’t repent. Not that easily.

Moreover, I wouldn’t forgive them. Or trust them. As the temporary leader of the enclave, I had to think of the safety of the majority, and the former elder council members were a threat to all of us.

Darcy reached for me again and I noticed her hands shaking. “Mirella,” she started. I took another step back, keeping out of her reach. She lowered her hands. “Listen to me. You have to let us out.”

I snorted. “Really? You called me here to ask me to release you? After what you did?”

“You don’t understand. We have to get out of here. Everyone.”

I frowned. “What do you mean?”

She pressed a hand to her chest. “I can feel it. Something big is coming. Damara is planning something awful and all of us need to run.”

“What are you now? Some kind of oracle?”

Darcy clutched her hands in a plea. “I beg you. Let us go. We’ll leave and never look back.”

Did she really think I would buy this act? “Stop, Darcy. I don’t have time for your nonsense.”

I turned to the door, but she grabbed my hands again. “Mirella, you—”

“Let me go.” I jerked my hand free, ready to call my fire if I had to defend myself.

But instead of attacking me, Darcy fell to her knees. “Please, Mirella.”

I stared at the old hag, confused. This was so unlike her. In the nine months I had been the heart maiden, I had never seen her like this.

“Mother.” Oscar appeared from the living room and rushed to the old hag. He grabbed her shoulders and helped her up. “She has been babbling nonsense for the last few days.”

Darcy leaned on her son’s shoulders. “Tell her, Oscar. Tell her what I’ve been feeling.”

Oscar shook his head. “I honestly don’t know what she’s talking about. I’m sorry, Mirella.” He carried her back, whispering soothing words to her.

The hair on my arms stood on end as a chill rolled down my spine. I glanced around and found the other elder council members watching me—from the archway leading to the dining room, from the kitchen in the back, and from the second floor’s landing.

What? Had they gone mad too, or were they shocked by Darcy’s behavior?

Feeling uncomfortable, I dashed from the house.

“Everything okay?” Rick asked, eyes narrowed.

I took in a long, calming breath and nodded. “Yes, everything is okay.”

Before he could say anything else, I walked away. Away from that cursed house and Darcy and her craziness.

Who was I to talk? If it weren’t for Kane, I would be the one being assaulted by visions and acting like a mad woman.

Kane …

My heart sank.

Two weeks ago, Artan’s wife died from ingesting poison intended for me. Instantly, Artan fell into despair. I went to see him, to help him, to try and soothe him, but instead, he kissed me.

And I ended up kissing him back.

It had been for only a few seconds, but I had allowed him to kiss me. I felt guilt over his loss. But in the end, I pushed him away.

But Artan boasted about the kiss to Kane, saying I had been the one to kiss him first.

I tried to explain things to Kane, but I hadn’t known how. Trina, the one who left the poison for me, had broken Kane’s heart. They had been married and she cheated on him.

And I had kissed Artan, bringing that terrible feeling of betrayal he had so desperately tried to bury back to the surface.

I knew Kane was still in Lovell, since my madness, a side effect of the fire heart fever, was contained, but I had barely seen him. And every time we happened to cross paths, he marched away as fast as he could.

Despite my intention to make everything right—to help the new council, to defeat Damara, to avenge our friends, and to gain Kane’s trust back—fate wasn’t kind to me.

On my way from the prison-house to the main square, I spotted Kane crossing a perpendicular street.

I skidded to a stop as my heart tightened.

As usual, Kane wore all black with his twin swords strapped in an X on his back. His dark brown hair was longer now, and he had a short stubble over his chin and jaw—which only added to his fierce and manly image.

He was handsome, and it hurt to see him and not be able to touch him.

Fate decided to have a laugh and made Kane turn his head in my direction. His piercing hazel eyes met mine. A deep knot appeared between his brows before he sped up his steps and disappeared from my sight.

No matter how much he ran from me, there was no escape now. He was going to the same place I was.

But that didn’t mean I had to rush there too.

Slowing my steps, I glanced up at the beautiful darkening blue sky and inhaled deeply. Spring was in full effect, and the scent of wildflowers and pine trees filled my nostrils, calming me.

I was walking by the fountain in the main square when Lash, one of the warriors, approached me.

“This arrived a few minutes ago,” he said, handing me a folded paper.

“Thanks,” I said, taking it from him.

I already knew what it was. A note from Ramon. He sent those every couple of days, wanting to check on us and let us know he and his pack were okay. Because of me, their den had been destroyed by Damara, and they had to flee. Right now, they were camped at the foot of a mountain, but Ramon assured me they would soon clear out the den and move back.

I let out a sigh. So many people had been affected because of my fight with Damara. If only I could challenge her to a duel and be done with everything. But she would never agree to that. The older heart maiden was proud, and the madness had already taken her mind many, many years ago. She would stop at nothing now. She would destroy not only me, but everyone who stood with me.

Unless I stopped her first.

Despite my best effort, my heart raced anew once I entered the main building in the square and approached the council room. I paused at the half-open door and took another long breath.

Then I walked inside.

My family and friends were seated in the council chairs—Marisa, Dolan, Sheila, Theron, Ellie, Artan, Rye, Cora, and Kane.

My mother and my father occupied the center chairs, with Sheila right beside them. I narrowed my eyes, observing how my father turned to my mother, how he looked at her, as if she was the only woman in the world. They had been a little too close the past couple of weeks, and I wasn’t sure how to feel about it.

Theron and Ellie didn’t disguise they were dating. They sat side-by-side, hands entwined, and often smiled at each other.

Unlike Cora and Rye, who despite being practically together for almost four years, still hadn’t assumed their relationship. Cora sat beside Rye, but her body language was hard and cold, and she kept her back slightly turned to the warrior. Poor Rye.

Artan was sprawled in his chair, as far away as he could manage from Kane, his leg over the armrest, his head lolled back. His shirt was buttoned wrong, and his sash was falling around his hips. I didn’t have to get close to know he was drunk. Again.

Kane was the only one standing. I didn’t know if it was because he had just arrived too, or because he was tense knowing I would be here, but he seemed too worked up.

“Here she comes,” my mother said, spotting me. “I’m sure she can help us decide.”

I approached the chairs. “Help with what?”

“The enclave is mostly under order right now,” Dolan started. “And we need to decide our next move.”

“How and when are we going after Damara?” Sheila asked.

“We don’t even know where she is,” Theron said. As the leader of the warriors, he had been conducting stealth scouting through the forest, trying to locate Damara and her minions. “Until we actually find her, we can’t attack her.”

“We’re sitting ducks,” Cora said.

“Unfortunately, there isn’t much we can do about that,” Rye said. Cora shot him a glare, but he shrugged. “It’s true. All we can do is make sure our perimeter is strong so they can’t attack us here.”

“We’ve been checking the magic around the perimeter twice a day,” Sheila said. As her magic was incredible, she was the one overseeing that. “It’s as strong as can be.”

“Then we have nothing to worry about,” I said. Why didn’t I feel like it, though? If I could, I would hide them all. Take them far away. Disappear from this continent so Damara couldn’t find them.

Then I would come back for her.

The half-open door banged on the wall as Leander ran inside the room, out of breath. “Mirella, council,” he wheezed.

I frowned at him, afraid of what he would say. “What is it?”

“They are here,” he rasped. “The alchemists are here.”