Wanted dead or alive by three warring Goddesses, Oriana must journey into the heart of the Thornwood to seek the aid of a legendary phoenix and right the wrongs of her bloody past.
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My rescue mission was short lived. The moment I slipped through the beaded curtain an enormous hand darted out to bite my wrist, crushing it in a python's grip.
Rana's lessons flowed through me. When one branch snaps, another lashes out to avenge it.
I reached for a weapon that wasn't there. All I'd practiced with were wooden sticks; despite Rana's cajoling, Sebastian never did end up trusting me with one of his knives. Like Gretchen, he'd urged me to spend my time focusing solely on magic, learning to control the fire burning a hole in my heart.
I reached for it now, flames sparking at my fingertips where once there only shone light. The anger came so easily in this place; it felt like I was brimming with heat and light, fit to burst from it all. The floor beneath my bare feet started to glow, much to my consternation; it was basically broadcasting my position to the temple guards.
"Easy, girl," my assailant said. "It's just me."
I yanked on the reins of my power, holding back the fiery blast I'd summoned to scorch his face. "Sol?"
"The one and only," he said, flashing me a wide, easy grin. "Not a morning person, I take it?"
My heart plummeted. "I was out for a whole night?"
"Yes. That's generally how sleeping works."
A burning word dropped from my tongue, sizzling like a coal. Sol flinched from the sound, his thick brows drawing together. "What language was that?"
"Does it matter?" All curses were designed to express frustration; they only deviated in crudeness, and that was always dependent on the listener's propriety. "Sol, listen to me. You have to take me to Rana. She's the High Priestess's daughter. She can help me get Sebastian out —"
He chuckled. "Slow down, little one."
I scowled. "Stop that."
"Stop what?"
"Infantilising me," I snapped. "I'm a grown woman, Sol."
His eyelashes sank, that tawny gaze scraping along my nerves from head to toe. "I'm well aware."
I shuddered. For the first time I felt something off about the man I'd come to consider a friend. It was a harsh truth to confront, but what did I know of such things? My friendships were all rushed affairs and forged in the heart of danger, though I'd had the luxury of learning about the others through our travels. Gretchen, for instance, took care to relocate any bugs she found in her vegetables when preparing them, as opposed to boiling them alive. Rana planted every acorn she found, and Sebastian held back every branch that might dare to cross my path. And when he did kill, he killed quickly and cleanly, sparing his prey whatever pain he could.
