The Order of the Cursed by Morrow Lisa

Author:Morrow, Lisa
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-08-05T16:00:00+00:00

32

Rose

* * *

Blair reached her hand out, gliding it slowly through the air. “Antona, Antona, Antona.”

Blair spoke the name of the Goddess of the Lost, softly, as if she was whispering a secret to a dear friend. I listened to the way she spoke the words, and a tingle spread across my skin. This was the true name of the goddess, a powerful name to remember.

The tingling vanished as quickly as it’d begun, and she turned to me, her expression unreadable. “Sirena still lives.”

Relief flooded through me. I hadn’t killed my best friend. There was still time to find her and to save her. No matter what it cost me to do so.

But then, I looked down at the dead flower in my hands, and my relief faded. I’d still killed countless others.

“You can no longer count every life as important, or the deaths of the few will outweigh the triumphs of protecting many more lives. Do you understand?”

The urge to scream no built in my chest, but I pushed the feeling down. I couldn’t argue with this heartless creature. I couldn’t tell her that every life had value. But I could always remember this moment. I might be led to do some terrible things in the days to come, but I couldn’t lose my sense of right and wrong.

“I understand.”

Blair regarded me for a long minute, and I kept my eyes focused on the ground, concealing my contradictory thoughts.

“Then, it’s time for the next step in your training.”

She turned, but my next words stopped her. “I’ll do what you ask, but I need something in exchange.”

“In exchange?” She faced me. “You’re a Protector now. Why would you need something to do your job… your responsibility to your kingdom? Or did you forget what you just vowed to me?”

I stood, still holding the dead flower gently. “I need to know there’s a way I can get Sirena and Yara back.”

Her jaw clenched. “No one can save Yara now. Her mind is gone. She belongs to us, in just the way this castle does. Whatever made her human is now gone.”

Outrage clung to my words, even as I tried to force them down. “Even the wizards could give people back their minds once they enslaved them.”

Instead of anger, she responded with a level tone. “I’m glad you noticed. No matter what people tell you, anyone is capable of evil, not just wizards.”

“You don’t need to tell me that.”

One shapely brow rose. “I will tell you this, with absolute certainty, there is no one capable of freeing Yara now. Without the commands of The Protectors, her greatest achievement would be breathing in and out.”

I regarded her carefully. “I believe you.”

Relief shone in her eyes.

“But what about Sirena?”

Her jaw clenched again. “I’m the only one capable of changing a girl from a flower back into a girl again. But it’s rarely done.”

I pulled my shoulders back and tried to speak with absolute confidence. “I don’t care. I want her back.”

She looked away from me and began pacing.

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