Page 83 of To Kill a King

As her weeping quieted, she studied her surroundings. Patches of purple flowers carpeted the glade. If life wasn’t so terrible right now, this patch of woods would be quite stunning.

Gods. Lindir probably thought she was an imbecile and a fool. Hopefully he wouldn’t come after her. She should’ve asked him to guide her back to the human lands. Of everyone here, he seemed like the one most inclined to actually help her.

Unlike Elessan.

It was too bad she didn’t have more time to study under Cressida. In just two days, she’d learned more about her magic than she had in the rest of her life.

Something rustled in the bushes behind her. She jumped, spinning toward it.

A squirrel raced to a tree and scrambled up the trunk, disappearing into the canopy above.

Wiping the last of the tears away, she glanced around, keeping the lessons Elessan-the-traitor had taught her in mind. Her footprints in the soft dirt were a dead giveaway. It wouldn’t take anyone, especially him, long to find her if she stayed here.

If she could change the color of grass, perhaps she could make her tracks look like something else.

If she only pulled the smallest amount of power for the task, in theory, she would be able to control it without Cressida’s safeguards. Her magic shouldn’t explode or set the whole area on fire.

Maybe she should let the woods burn, with Elessan and the sun-elf princess along with it. She held that rage close, savoring it for several heartbeats before setting it aside.

Burning the forest would destroy Cressida and Lindir’s home, too. She had no quarrel with them. Since Elessan’s life was tied with hers until she fulfilled her Irrevocable Vow, she could just refuse and take her revenge on him come the summer solstice…but she wanted to live to see many more seasons herself.

Taking a deep breath, she reached for the tiny kernel within.

Maybe… “Deer tracks,” she said aloud, pushing her magic into the dirt. A stag was big enough to disguise any branches she broke in her flight.

Her trail disappeared, replaced with dainty hoof prints. Nodding, she scooted back until tree bark pushed into her shoulders.

One problem fixed. Now, she needed a plan.

This clearing was as good a place as any to decide her next move. No way was she letting the elves use her as a hostage, which meant she couldn’t stay here. Her training with Lady Cressida would be cut short, but she remembered the exercises the older woman taught her. She would continue honing her control on her own.

And thanks to Elessan’s teaching, she was no longer incompetent in the woods. Hunting still made her cringe. But if she escaped and lost herself in the human lands, she could buy food. For a while, anyway.

She buried her face in her hands. Why did she sleep with him? How could she be so stupid?

Well, if she left, she’d never see him again. And would never breathe a word about their night together. It would be like the whole thing never happened.

Except it did.

“Ugh!” She tapped her forehead with the palm of her hand. “Think about something else, idiot.” She took a deep breath. If she wanted to retrieve her things, including her money, she needed to sneak back into town.

She could impersonate Elessan. Or Lindir, or Cressida. Aliya peered at her clothes and frowned. No, not Lady Brightleaf. The older elf was too elegant to be caught dead wearing something as plain as Aliya’s tunic.

Lindir enjoyed freedom to go where he pleased without raising suspicion. But if he saw her, it would be harder to explain to someone who didn’t realize she was a shapeshifter.

Elessan it was, then.

“Aliya?”

Was she so obsessed she was imagining his voice in her head now?

“Aliya?” It came from the other side of her tree.

Nope, not in her head.

She scrambled up and lurched several steps backward. Calling on the kernel of power, she pulled out as much as she could confidently control. A ball of flames lit up her palm. Would more be better? Pink glitter wouldn’t be too bad here…especially if it stuck to him. Permanently.

Knowing her luck, it’d be a lightning bolt, instead. She pared down her magic a little, to be safe.