Glimmers of Thorns by Emma Savant

Author:Emma Savant [Savant, Emma]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Savant Press
Published: 2016-11-10T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nineteen

Isabelle knelt on the damp lawn in front of Haidar’s mansion. In front of her sat a rose bush. Like everything else on Haidar’s property, the plant was blooming out of season. Enormous red roses hung heavy from their stems, nodding their heads as Isabelle listened and relayed the news.

“She’s using spells and curses and sprites and whatever else she can to get people to leave the city. She’s trying to force the Hums out entirely. It’s not working as fast as she’d like, but it is working. People are leaving; some of them don’t even know why.”

She scowled in concentration and leaned in until one of her ears was nearly touching a blossom. A light rain had been fading in and out all day; now, a single drop landed on her cheek and rolled down it like a tear.

“The Oracle has sent a few sprites to get the same things going in Vancouver, but she’s still got most of her attention on Portland. She wants to turn it into a Glimmering stronghold. It will eventually serve as the base for a war designed to take over the Pacific northwest, and from there she’ll spread out.”

It was what we had assumed, but hearing our fears confirmed chilled me.

“The Glims are starting to wake up to the truth,” she said. “She’s not being as discreet as she was and her sprites are openly roaming the streets in their corporeal forms. The activists who were ‘petitioning’ her are calling it a victory. Proof that she listens to her people or some crap like that. Everyone else is getting nervous. This being the work of some small disgruntled groups is one thing, but they’re realizing it’s coming from the Oracle, and that scares them.”

“Which only makes her stronger,” Haidar said. He turned toward Lucas, as though what he said next was for his benefit, but I knew better. The words were for me. “Belief is a powerful energy. The leaders of our world feed on it to survive. Someone like the Oracle requires a lot of belief to stay powerful, and fear is just another way of believing.”

“The more people get nervous about her, the stronger she’ll be,” Lucas said.

His jaw was clenched. Whatever was going on inside his head, he seemed to have decided to deal with it. His body was strung tight with anxiety, but his eyes and mind were sharp and ready to take in everything.

“She’s going to need a lot of fear to get what she wants,” I said.

“She’ll need to get the belief of a powerful faerie on her side,” Haidar said.

He didn’t look at me. He didn’t have to.

“That, or she’ll kill any Glims strong enough to dismiss her,” he said. “Anyone who keeps or strengthens an allegiance to Queen Amani will be especially dangerous to her.”

Isabelle rolled her eyes but didn’t contradict him.

I’d be on Kelda’s chopping block, and doubly so. I wasn’t going to support her, and I wasn’t going to let my fear of her leak out.

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