Sophie

I don’t think I slept at all last night. I was barely able to close my eyes without the horrors of my mother dying at the hands of the Emperor stealing any sort of rest from me.

It’s incomprehensible to think in a few short days, those nightmares could truly become reality.

But what can I do? I have no power here. No way to sway the soldier from taking her when he clearly has had his sights on her for a while. He journeyed far away from the capital to come here. That’s no easy feat.

My fingers tap against the kitchen table, my leg rattling under it.

In the living area, the soft snores from the soldier are all that break up the deafening silence that rings in my ears. The sun has barely begun to rise over the forest line, giving me plenty of time to come up with some way to get us out of this mess.

The problem is, I’m drawing a blank.

Hundreds upon hundreds of texts litter the shelves and floor of this cottage, and not one of them will help me in this situation.

“You’re up early.”

Lifting my head, I spot my mother shuffling into the kitchen. Her thick robe is tied loosely around her waist. Her long, silver hair is braided at the side of her head, wisps of baby hairs framing her face. She’s stiff as she walks, which isn’t a surprise considering how cool it got to be once the sun set last night.

I already have a kettle on the stove out of habit, the fire under it having gone out a half an hour ago.

Standing, I ask, “Hungry?”

She smiles at me. “I could go for something light. Don’t want to be too weighed down on the journey today.”

My stomach sinks.

Why is she so eager to leave? Not just our home, but me, behind? She’s heard the rumors of mages and witches dying just as much as I have. Surely her memory can’t be that bad?

“Mother, you can’t go.”

Her eyes flit to me, a small laugh escaping her. “Whyever not?”

Clasping my hands over hers, I squeeze them tight between mine. “They’ll kill you.”

“Not if the princess is healed.”

An impossible task.

One that no one in this empire, let alone the entire realm, will ever be able to accomplish. The Emperor is fighting a losing battle and we all know it. It’s just that no one in his circle is willing to tell him, most likely in order to avoid the hangman’s noose.

Anyone who refuses to help has been labeled a traitor and dealt with swiftly, so there aren’t many around these days that are open with their opinions on such matters concerning the crown. Here and there, a whisper will come winding down the grapevine, but by the time it gets any sort of traction, it’s quickly stomped out for fear of a passing imperial soldier overhearing.

“Mother, please,” I beg. “Please don’t go. You won’t survive the journey, let alone the politics that riddle that palace. And that will all be before you’re tasked with healing the princess. It can’t be done. You know this. We all do.”

She shakes her head at me with a soft ‘tsk’. “Sophie, you have such little faith. We are witches. We’re meant to protect people and help them when asked. We can’t sit by and let a poor girl suffer just because it may seem like a difficult task.”

I’m stunned.

My words have clearly gone in one ear and out the other. Or rather, she’s choosing to remain ignorant to them. Whatever it is, I’m frustrated. How can she sit there and scold me about our duties as hedge witches? Taking the vow before following in my mother’s footsteps was a serious matter, one that I’ve lived by since, even though I’m abysmal at spell casting.

This isn’t some simple cold the Emperor is trying to cure. It is a deep and old magic that seems to be stealing the life from his sister, with no cause as to how it happened or who placed the curse on her to begin with.

Magic isn’t something that can be pulled out of thin air. It needs to be crafted with a purpose, and no such thing exists with a curse such as the one rumored to be afflicting the princess.

Even if my mother were in her prime, how would she solve something like that? The truth is that she wouldn’t. She would still fail and the Emperor would still punish her for disappointing him.

“Mother. . . please.” I don’t know what more I can say.

At this rate, I might as well knock her out and hide her in a closet, playing ignorant when the Emperor’s soldier wakes up.

As if he senses my thoughts turning to him, I hear a rustling from the living area and sigh. Even with him telling me to wake up early to spend time with her before leaving, I doubt he’ll be patient enough to wait like he told me he would.

This man strikes me as the type to be in constant motion, terrified of what will come once he finally settles and is forced to be alone with his own thoughts.

When the man appears in the doorway moments later, his cheek is slightly red from the way he was sleeping. His hair is tousled, some of the strands falling over his tired eyes. A sliver of satisfaction rolls through my body as I realize he didn’t get much sleep either.

“Ah.” My mother pulls away from me, shooting him a smile. “Shall I put on some breakfast?”

Predictably, he shakes his head. “Actually, we should get going. The clouds look gray. Rain is on the horizon.”

“All the more reason to stay another day,” I mutter.

And allow me to figure out how to get rid of you.

His eyes dart over to me, narrowing for a split second before focusing back on my mother. “Have you packed?”

“Yes. But I’ll need some help gathering my things. If you don’t mind.” She smiles again.

To his credit, the soldier doesn’t let out a sigh or bat an eye at her request. He merely pushes himself away from the archway leading into the kitchen, and turns to head to our bedrooms. My heart slams in my chest. I can’t let this happen. She’ll never make it. I can’t send her to her death.

The words come tumbling out of my mouth. “Actually, I’m going.”

The soldier stops dead in his tracks, pivoting slowly on his feet. “What?”

I grit the words through my teeth. “I said. I’m going. She’s staying.”

He stares me down—a shakedown tactic, no doubt. But I’m no weak-kneed maiden. The likes of him doesn’t scare me. I have far too much to lose to bow out now.

“Wonderful.” My mother’s hands come down on my shoulders, unfazed by my sudden declaration. “My daughter is quite the talented witch. Quick as a whip too. Your princess will be in good hands.”

Leave it to my mother to talk me up like I’m a prodigy turned master. Maybe in an ideal world, where my magic isn’t completely useless, and she’d been able to instill in me the teachings she’s passed down to every student of hers.

The reality is that I’m stuck with simple kitchen tricks and problem solving my way through with jarred ingredients. My wealth of knowledge won’t help me, when the best I can conjure is a fallen leaf from the ground.

“Is that so?” the man drawls, clearly not at all believing her.

I have to give him credit. At least it seems he isn’t easily swindled.

“Yes. The divine energy from the gods showed me her true capabilities. She has the power to heal the royal line.”

I slowly turn my eyes to her with a look of barely contained bewilderment on my face. What is she talking about? What divine energy? And healing the royal line? That’s too far-fetched for any of us to believe.

I’m tempted to reach across the way and put my hand to her forehead to check her temperature.

“I see.” The soldier’s face grows serious. “Then we must be hasty.”

My jaw practically drops to the floor. No way he’s actually falling for my mother’s lies. And above that, not at all questioning them to check for their validity.

Does he think my mother has been hiding me away from society to keep my true abilities a secret? Or has this convinced him that I’m the one he was supposed to be looking for, and not my mother at all?

Oh, gods.

“I’ll make you both some provisions for the road,” my mother says, her eyes gleaming with happiness.

He nods to both of us, heading back for the living area. “Be sure to hurry. We don’t have time to spare.”

As soon as he disappears past the threshold, I spin around to face my mother. “You can’t be—”

“Shhh.” She wraps her around me, pulling me into a tight hug. “I’m proud of you. You’re going to do amazing things at that palace. I just know it.”

This is all I can take. My eyes water.

How can she say that when we both know I’m essentially marching to my own death? This will be the last time I see her unless I’m able to make some grand escape from the Emperor’s guard. And even then, they’ll hunt me down, either to drag me back to finish the job, or to execute me.

Either way, my decision to go is solidifying my new life’s path. A short detour sure to end in blood.

But at least my mother will get to live.

I squeeze her tight. “I love you.”

She kisses the top of my head. “I love you too. Now, be good for the Emperor, you hear me?”

No promises. . .