Page 105 of The Iron Hex

Lady Maeve Heathecote looked up into Rhona’s eyes, her amber eyes pools of molten metal in the firelight of her room. Rhona had trusted Maeve, had let her cast her magic, had let herself grow close to the lady. But... this didn’t feel right. Why was she asking for this now, after whatever vision she had seen?

“What did you see? I will not kiss you until you tell me,” Rhona said, admitting out loud, and to herself, that it wouldn’t take much to embrace Maeve a second time.

“You will kiss me,” Maeve said knowingly. “And then I will tell you what we need to do next.”

That was all Rhona needed. Her walls crumbled and she cupped her hand under Maeve’s dainty and soft chin, so different from hers and perfect in every way, and lowered her lips to the lady’s, stopping just before they could touch. Rhona could feel Maeve’s hot breath hitch before she closed the gap and let their lips touch. This time, Rhona didn’t pull away.

Rhona had never kissed a man; few had ever wanted her, and she had never wanted them. But Maeve? Kissing her felt like a missing puzzle piece falling into place. Rhona had never thought she’d be able to enjoy physical affection, but here she was, with someone she trusted. They broke apart moments later, a smile on both of their faces.

But Maeve’s was juxtaposed with eyes brimming with tears. “I need you to go to your barracks and pack a bag, and quickly.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Whatever you did tonight changed my visions about you... I—” Maeve said, choking up.

“Maeve, what did you see?” Rhona asked.

“My visions... they had us working together. My dream it, it showed me that something had changed. Your visions now, they... Rhona. I don’t have visions for you. Just like Saoirse.”

Rhona’s gut plummeted. “What are you saying?” Rhona asked.

“Whatever happened to Saoirse is going to happen to you. I saw flashes of the knights taking you, then I saw the archway, then nothing. But if you go pack a bag and get out of here, my visions will change again. If you leave now, I can cast for a new vision while you change the pathways, and I’ll guide you to where you need to go,” Maeve said, becoming more frantic.

It barely made sense; the future was the future. But if... if Rhona did something not in the vision, the visions would change. This was how seers used their power—they could warn you of danger and tell you where you needed to go next once you had avoided a gruesome fate. The march of war itself could be changed with the right vision, lives saved that would otherwise be lost.

She could understand why Lord General Kerrigan had them all killed. It was more power than anyone should have. And yet, Rhona was grateful for it. She hated herself for being thankful for Maeve’s warning, and yet, she was grateful anyways.

“Will you come with me?” Rhona asked. She couldn’t leave Maeve here, not after that kiss, not knowing she was in danger as a witch here. Rhona could protect Maeve if they went together.

“We need to stop talking. Pack and come back here as fast as you can. Only then can we figure everything else out,” Maeve said, pushing Rhona to the door.

“I—” Rhona started, concerned that Maeve hadn’t agreed to come with her as Maeve lifted onto her toes and kissed Rhona again.

“Go!” she urged frantically.

“Be ready when I come back,” Rhona said, slipping out the door and running to her barracks.

52

Eira

Willow walked the three of them through a long hallway ending in a staircase that spiraled upward. Hugo grabbed Eira’s hand as they walked, and Eira grabbed Evangeline’s waist with her other hand, silently supporting her.

Evangeline looked at her, a silent thank-you in her eyes.

As they ascended the staircase, Eira’s heart started beating frantically. This was the moment. She’d either get her memories back and reckon with everything she’d lost returning to her... or she’d get confirmation that her memories could never come back. There was so much she wanted to remember, and so much she almost wished she could keep behind the closed door.

Eira followed Willow through the door at the top of the stairs, into what Eira could only describe as a witch’s den. She hadn’t seen anything like it since she’d last been in the Potions Patisserie, and a pang of sadness tore through her again. She could never go back there now, no matter what.

A bed sat beside the tall window at the back of the room, but Eira’s eye was drawn to the potions corner. As she walked toward it she let go of her friends, overtaken by excitement.

“You pretended to do potions to hide from the Iron Empire too?” Willow said as she began to braid her white hair in a crown around her head. Eira looked to see Hugo guiding Evangeline to a settee in the corner near a roaring fire.

Hugo kept stealing glances at Eira, something not unlike fear behind each look. He was worried about something, and it concerned her. Her heart had warmed when he’d told her he loved her, and she... she was there too—but without her memories, she felt like she didn’t truly know all of Hugo. Maybe this version of him was the version he truly was, but some part of her told her that he was hiding something from her still.

“I did,” Eira answered Willow. She didn’t need to go into every detail aboutallof her capabilities right this moment, not when so much was about to change for her.

“You should have found a memory witch to put the spell on you,” Willow chided gently. “Self-inflicted memory magic almost always goes awry.”