The Prophet's Gambit by Ellie Evaris

Author:Ellie Evaris [Ellie Evaris]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Hidden Grove Books
Published: 2023-07-29T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 19

The Twisted Juniper. Aris read the sign again. It was carved above the door of a tiny New Age shop. Beside it was the image of a tree with its branches curled over and its trunk twisted around itself. Probably just a coincidence. Aris turned away and her subconscious practically screamed in her ear.

Lochlen was watching her. He had his hands shoved in his pockets, looking between her and the sign as if piecing together a puzzle. Strangely, he didn’t seem as sharp as usual, and for once, Aris couldn’t feel him rooting around inside her head. She peered up at the sign again, almost wishing he would. Maybe if he knew what she was thinking, he’d be able to tell her whether she was reading too much into things.

Nothing’s a coincidence.

Everything’s a coincidence.

She heard both phrases in his voice and Aris rocked on her heels, trying to decide which version sounded most like him.

Coming to the shop had been his idea, and yet Lochlen didn’t seem all that excited about being here. In fact, he looked almost nervous, standing on the edge of the curb, touching his fingers together.

What did he have to be nervous about? After all, it was her parents they were here to learn about, not his. So far, all they’d uncovered was an album devoid of memories and a box full of lies, neither of which did much in the way of helping them find Krysidia. And that was the goal, wasn’t it? Learn what they knew and use it to find Krysidia. It’s what she thought she wanted, why she’d spent hours scavenging through public records. But now, everything felt heavier: her arms, her eyelids, even her lungs. They were like two sacks of potatoes tethered to a pulley, and every time she wanted a breath, she had to hoist them into the air.

She felt as if the weight of Krysidia lay on her shoulders, that everyone was relying on her mother to know something. But if Krysidia really was this grand haven, if her mother had actually known where it was, wouldn’t she still be alive? Aris had voiced this concern to Alek on the car ride over and his answer struck a nerve. “Maybe she didn’t want to leave her family,” he’d said, and Aris’s thoughts had gone straight to Evie. But thinking about her sister only racked her with guilt, so instead, Aris changed tack, hoping to land on a slightly less paralyzing thought; and that was how she ended up thinking about death.

When had her mother realized she was going to die? Was it the moment she turned around? When they plunged into the river? When the car first swerved? The strange thing about death was that, even when you thought you were going to die, you didn’t actually think you were going to die. After all, every other time you thought you were going to die, you didn’t, so why should this time be any different?

Aris glanced down

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