Witch Song by Amber Argyle

Author:Amber Argyle
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub, azw3
Tags: Speculative Fiction
ISBN: 9781936850167
Publisher: Rhemalda Publishing
Published: 2011-01-01T08:00:00+00:00

Senna didn’t complain as Joshen carried her toward his cabin. Parknel started calling out orders. “Sharpshooters on all sides. Sailors, man the sails and get us out of here. You, take over the wheel for me until Lery or I relieve you. And speaking of Lery, where is he?”

Joshen eased her onto the bed. “Bruke.” He patted the bed next to Senna. The dog obliged and Joshen covered them both with a blanket and sat down beside her. He vigorously rubbed her hand between his. “Are you warm yet?”

Senna’s whole body felt as though it were made of lead. She felt too weak to even lift her head off the pillow. She managed a frail smile. “I’m not sure I ever will be.”

“Why Senna? Why did you do it?”

Senna heard the hurt in his voice and didn’t understand. “I couldn’t bear just sitting back while others risked their lives—died—to protect me. I might have risked my life, but no more than any other man on this ship!”

Joshen rubbed his temples between his fingers and thumb. “You still don’t understand. You still don’t think you’re worth it.” He seemed to be concentrating on keeping his breathing even. “You can’t keep taking risks like this! If you die, it’s over! Can’t you see that?”

Senna swallowed and looked away. Didn’t Joshen understand that if he died, it would all be over for her? She couldn’t allow that, at any cost. She lifted tear-rimmed eyes. “And when she defeats me, what then? Will you go back to your horses?”

Joshen slowly stood. “For over a year, I waited for you and now you question my loyalty?”

Senna shut her eyes. Tears traced her temples before disappearing into her damp hair. “Not your loyalty.”

“What then?” he said in exasperation.

“I can’t, I can’t … lose you. And I’m going to. Just like I lost my mother, father and sister. Everyone I ever care about is taken from me. Everyone.”

She looked outside, reveling in the heat pouring in from the window.

“I didn’t know you had a sister,” Joshen fumbled.

Senna’s jaw tightened. She remembered the vague drawing of a beautiful girl with brown curls in the arms of her father. “She died before I was born.”

Joshen strode to the window and looked at the sunshine. Without turning, he said, “I can promise you this—I’ll never willingly leave you, Senna.”

“None of them willingly leave,” she said. “But they leave all the same.”

He turned back to her. “You have to stop worrying about all of this and focus on what you have to do.”

Her voice barely broke a whisper, “What do I have to do, Joshen?”

He kneeled beside her bed and took her hand in his own. “You have to stop her.”

A knock at the door sounded. Joshen didn’t let go of her hand. “Enter.”

Parknel came in. He was soaked in blood from his fingertips to his knees. In his hands, he had her pots, all of the plants stripped of their leaves. “We need more.”

“She can’t, Captain,” Joshen said.

She pushed herself up.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.