An, “Oof,” escaped her as she tried to right herself. What the gods?
Fordham walked away from her across the gazebo, his hand fisted in his hair. Kerrigan came swiftly back to her feet. Her heart still thudded a quick staccato from their intimate kiss, but now, he was gone… and she had no idea what had just happened.
“Ford?” she whispered, a faint, delicate thing that betrayed her hurt.
“I can’t do this, Kerrigan.”
She swallowed and took a step backward. “Right. Of course not,” she bit out.
“You don’t understand.”
“No, I think I do.” Mounting anger lashed at her. “It’s because I’m half-Fae, isn’t it?”
He turned back to face her. “It’s not that.”
She laughed without mirth. “Real convincing, princeling.”
“Don’t.”
“Don’t what? You kissed me first. And even if you hadn’t, this was building. You can’t deny it.”
“I know,” he said, his voice barely above a breath. “I wanted to, but I can’t.” He shook his head in distress. “I’m cursed.”
She rolled her eyes. “Convenient thing to have never mentioned.”
“I did mention it to you,” he said. “When we first met, I told you that I was cursed.”
“That was a joke!”
“It wasn’t. I actually am cursed.”
Kerrigan tilted her head in confusion. “What does that even mean? An actual curse?”
“Yes. There is dark magic in the House of Shadows. One of my father’s enemies sent a woman to my crib after I was born and cursed me. She said I was cursed to wander perpetually and to hurt all those I care for.”
“You’re serious.”
He nodded and looked away again. “So, I have never cared for anyone. But I cannot deny how I feel for you, and the last thing I want is to hurt you.”
“To live is to take that chance.”
“It’s not a chance,” he insisted. “It is a necessity. I will hurt you. It’s a promise.”
She shivered at his words. It sounded like a promise. It rang with truth. And yet, she couldn’t bring herself to care. Not when this felt so right. They were so similar in so many ways. He just didn’t know the whole of it. If he was going to give her his biggest secret, then she would confess hers.
“You are not the only one who is cursed.”
He blinked in surprise. “What do you mean?”
“I am also cursed… with visions.”
“Visions?” Fordham asked.
“I can… sort of see the future. It’s not exactly clear, usually just flashes of images that don’t even make sense until it happens. It started five years ago. I saw Cyrene’s world in jeopardy. Then a year ago, it happened again. I saw that Laments church at the Square—you remember it?”
He nodded gravely.
“I saw it burning… before it ever happened. And then a few weeks ago, I saw a man materializing out of black smoke in the center of the arena.”
He reared back. “You saw me?”
“And I haven’t stopped seeing you, Fordham. The visions keep pushing us together. That’s how I knew what element you should use that day. It’s how I knew you were going to fall in the second task.”
“And the raven medallion?” he guessed.
She nodded. “I don’t know what it means, honestly, but if it’s in my vision, it’s important.” She wrung her hands. “I’m not supposed to tell anyone about it. Only Helly and Gelryn know the truth of it…” She bit her lip. “And Dozan.”
“Dozan? Why would you tell him?”
“He was there… that first night when it happened. I was assaulted in the streets, and in the middle of it, I had my first vision. Dozan nursed me back to health, and when I woke up, I thought he’d taken care of the people who had hurt me, but when I had that energy explosion with you, I realized that I was the one who had killed all those people.”
Fordham sank back down onto the stone seat. “That’s a lot to take in.”
“I know. The last person who knew was Lyam… and then he turned up dead,” she whispered. “And Basem was there the night I had my vision of you. I’m not sure if it’s all connected… if he knows.”
“Gods, that’s another motive that you didn’t mention.”
She chewed on her bottom lip. “I know, but I’ve never told anyone else about my visions, and the one person who found out was just murdered. I don’t want that to happen to you too.”
Fordham stood and put his hands on her shoulders, gentle this time. “That’s not going to happen to me. I’m glad you told me.”
“It’s good to have it off my chest actually.”
“Likewise,” he admitted. “Everyone back home knows about my curse. It’s common knowledge, but here, I finally feel…”
“Free?”
“Precisely.”
“Me too.”
He brushed a lock of her hair behind her ear. “I don’t know what to do about this.”
“I don’t either.”
She stared up into his eyes, knowing that was a lie. All she wanted was to kiss him again, to feel his perfect lips on hers. Yet she could see that he was being honest. That he believed he would hurt her if they continued forward. She didn’t know what to do about that. Her heart ached, just thinking about it.
“We’ll figure it out,” she told him.
He nodded.
“What a touching moment,” a voice said from the other side of the gazebo.
Kerrigan and Fordham wrenched away from each other and turned to face the woman. She was dressed in head to toe black with her shock of white hair visible but her face hidden by a black mask.
“You!” Kerrigan yelled at the assassin.
She drew her magic to her and shifted into a defensive stance. She could sense Fordham do so next to her.
“Now, now,” the woman said, holding up her hand. “I’m not here to fight. Would I have announced myself if I were?”
“What do you want?” Fordham snarled.
“I’m here to deliver a message.”
“From whom? Basem?” Kerrigan asked.
“As a matter of fact,” the woman said with a sinister smile. “Basem would like you to meet him in Row Park by Irena Fountain in a half hour, or your little friends will die.”
All the color drained
