Page 8 of The Fractured Prophecy

After a moment, a huff escaped my lips. I’d been crying nonstop since Rune had locked me away in her mind, but in the last few minutes, those tears had become uncomfortable, like I’d given up when I needed to fight. All this while, Torvo remained patient, intently watching and waiting for my reply. I could feel it like a palpable energy even though I avoided peeking at him. If I did, the torrent of grief might overtake all thought.

“I don’t know,” I finally whispered. “I’m having trouble believing the truth. I still feel like…me.”

“You are very different from your sister.” Torvo grunted.

“I suppose I had the freedom she never did. The abuse she’s suffered—” my voice broke, and my mind fractured. The anger and resentment I’d been fighting all this time physically hurt as it warred with my belief that Rune had always been something wounded and delicate that had to be protected at all costs. I clasped my head in my hands, trying to shield myself from the thoughts, but they poured through anyway.

“I understand why you love her,” Torvo said, startling me enough to make me look back, open-mouthed. “Though she’s suffered, she remains gentle and full of almost childlike hope. She is truly…unique.”

“Or maybe she’s dealt with her situation through avoidance,” I snapped. “Maybe what looks sweet and fragile is a refusal to face reality and do what she should—what she’s always had the power to do.”

“I can’t blame you for being angry,” Torvo answered when my words hung in the air too long. “And I won’t lie and say things aren’t bad. But with the right encouragement, I believe I might break through her fear⁠—”

I stood. The leaves on the forest trees all around us rustled with sudden wind. Even the still surface of the lake rippled with energy. “I doubt you came here to discuss my sister. You came here because something’s happening out there, isn’t it? I need to know what it is.” What could be worse than the images my mind had already conjured?

Torvo rose and circled slowly, watching as my windstorm’s intensity increased, brow furrowed.

“What?” I demanded, hair whipping around in my maelstrom.

“You shouldn’t be able to use your magic in here, Nyah,” he said calmly, the deep timbre of his voice reaching me through the chaos as though he’d spoken directly in my ear.

My shoulders slumped, and the air around us stilled, returning the illusion to one of tranquility. Above, a cloud passed in front of the sun briefly, sending the world into shadow before re-emerging once again.

“It’s Rune’s mind,” I said. “She said I could make this space any way I wanted. Like that would somehow make up for trapping me here. For creating me in the first place.”

“Yes, you created a masterful copy of my home. But, Nyah, that wind? The clouds?” He looked up then back at me. “That’s air magic.”

“Yes, she has that. It’s not me. She has all of it, and I don’t know how or why. That’s how I was able to wield it in the Imrati.”

“No. You still have it.” Torvo grasped my upper arms like he wanted to shake me. “I don’t think this magic belongs to your sister. I don’t think you’re the same person at all. I think this storm is yours.”

“What?” I laughed not knowing how else to react. “That makes no sense. I’m part of her fucking mind.”

“It is confusing. I don’t know enough about this magic she used to create you. But I do know dreams and people’s subconscious. And that,” he nodded toward the treetops as he released me, “is something different.”

Hope bloomed like a desperate seedling in my chest, but I buried it in darkness. Hope would only hurt. There was no way out of here. I was not a person. Why couldn’t I accept that? It would hurt so much less.

I shook my head. “Believe me, I wish I could be free again even if it’s for a short time, and I die fighting my father. But I can’t. I tried. I fought so hard when she brought me here.”

Torvo’s head drooped. “I am sorry, Nyah. I know this has to be difficult.”

“Difficult?” I laughed again. “It’s like being trapped under a mountain of Cravenbeasts. I’d rather be dead than stuck alone with my thoughts.”

“You are not alone. Not anymore.” Torvo stepped forward, his huge form eating up the view of our surroundings.

“You can’t stay. You said it was dangerous.”

“I will return now that I know where you are. Your sister is well occupied at the moment.”

“Occupied how?” I tilted my head and narrowed my eyes, trying to read through his vague statements.

Torvo cleared his throat, averting his gaze. I could almost swear his already dark cheeks grew darker. “She is busy with a dream. I chose to search for you rather than spy.”

I doubted that he hadn’t done so for at least a bit, but I chose not to push the subject. Though I did wonder what my sister dreamed about. Since she put me here, I’d been wondering how much of her I didn’t know.

“What’s happening out there, Torvo?” My voice was small, but my face begged for truth. Maybe I was crazy. It wasn’t like there was anything I could do about it.

He sighed, his huge shoulders falling as he met my gaze. “It’s bad. Your father has included me in court politics only a small amount under the pretense of drawing me into the family. He has Serano and his guard traveling back and forth between Centos and Astridon. He’s slowly turning our once shining country into a second kingdom of darkness, both literally and figuratively. There are reports of earthquakes and storms the likes of which we’ve never seen.”