Promising Light (11 page)

Lisbeth and Adrian exchanged
glances. “We are Avialies,” Lisbeth said, “and all that have our
blood have the power to change shape. Those with purer blood have
stronger powers, but that’s beside the point. There is a group of
men and women who regard us as dangerous. Although our family has
always had enemies, this group formally came to be known as the
Protectors forty years ago. Ten years ago, they used the magic of
the Thieran family to curse the Avialies. We cannot have
children.”

She paused for just a moment, and
Grace asked, “You’re infertile?”

“That would be too kind,” Lisbeth
said. “Woman can get pregnant, but no pregnancy passes three
months. The fight occasionally takes the life of the mother as
well.” She half-glanced at Adrian, who had his gaze on Grace
intently. “The Avialies haven’t had children for ten
years.”

Grace swallowed. That would explain
Amina’s sad look and the lack of children around the
camp.

“It affects even women who are not
Avialies but who have mated with one,” Lisbeth said.

Dar’s insistence to remain chaste
and his reluctance to a relationship with her now made sense. But
could this be true? A curse? Well, why not? She’d just seen an
invisible campground grow visible and horses change into
people.

“Why are you telling me this?”
Grace asked.

“Three years ago, I had a vision,”
Lisbeth said. “The gift of prophecy occasionally comes to Avialies
late in life. I saw a woman, one who wasn’t an Avialie, breaking
the curse.” She stood and put her hands on Grace’s shoulders.
“You’re that woman.”

Grace stared at her, her mouth
falling open. She stepped away, Lisbeth’s hands falling at her
side. She shook her head. “No… why would you think
that?”

“I know about you and Dar,”
Lisbeth said, stepping closer. Grace backed away until her back hit
the canvas of the tent, and Lisbeth took her hand. Grace fought not
to rip her hand away from the old woman, fought not to run from the
tent screaming. “I know the things he said to you in the vineyard.
When I saw the two of you, I knew.”

Grace then did tear her hand away
from Lisbeth, clenching her teeth. “Did you tell the prince of it,
too?”

Lisbeth stared at her.
“What?”

“The prince sent someone to me to
warn me about Dar. Somehow he knew, too.” Grace glanced at Myra and
Adrian, her hands clenched into fists. “One of you saw us at the
masquerade ball and told him.”

Lisbeth’s face darkened. “It was
not one of us.”

“We were completely alone!” Grace
exclaimed. She wondered if they’d ever been truly alone. To think
of someone else watching them and sharing in their intimate moments
made her sick. She narrowed her eyes at Lisbeth. “But we thought we
were alone at the vineyard, too.”

Lisbeth turned away, taking a deep
breath. “Lady Grace, you do not yet understand. You are the hope
we’ve been waiting for for ten years.”

Grace heard a small sob; Myra was
crying on the cot. When she saw Grace’s eyes on her, she stood up
and took her hands. “Lady Grace, we need you. Our family is going
to die out unless you help us.”

“How do you know?” Grace gently
took her hands from Myra and turned to Lisbeth. “How do you know
it’s me?”

Lisbeth took a deep breath. “It’s
the birthmark on your stomach. I saw that sign in my
vision.”

Grace touched her stomach, the
patches of darkened skin next to her navel. The largest one was
shaped like an oval, and there were three smaller ones around it.
She didn’t want to ask when Lisbeth had seen it. “And if it’s me,
how am I supposed to break the curse?”

There was a moment of silence.
Lisbeth’s gaze hovered on Grace’s stomach. “You’re to have an
Avialie baby.”

“What
?” Grace said, raising her
voice.

“Yours will be the first to
survive in ten years,” Lisbeth said.

Grace put her hands on her
forehead. She couldn’t believe this. She should have listened to
Dar. She shouldn’t have kissed him last night. Or would they still
have come for her even if she hadn’t? Why had they waited two weeks
after Dar left?

“You’re just going to hope that my
baby is the one to survive?” Grace demanded.

“It will be,” Lisbeth
said.

“I started a courtship with the
prince yesterday. He’s the one who sent the man to warn me about
Dar. He’s going to come look for me and he won’t let you do this.”
Grace fell silent, staring at Lisbeth.

She didn’t respond. She glanced at
Myra, who was crying quietly again. “You started a courtship with
the prince?” Lisbeth finally asked.

Grace nodded.

“Don’t you care for
Dar?”

She let out an exasperated sigh. Of
course she did; how could she not? “Dar left me weeks ago… and now
I realize it’s because he knew this would happen. He won’t let you
do this, either.”

“We saw Dar with the prince, but
we didn’t think you’d have started a courtship.” Lisbeth’s voice
was accusing, as if Grace had done it deliberately to spite
them.

“You weren’t spying on me then?”
She paused. “Wait, Dar’s with the prince?”

“Trying to help him find you,”
Lisbeth said. “Fortunately, there are enough of us to keep you
hidden. We travel at nightfall, so you should get some
rest.”

“You can rest with Amina and Vin,”
Adrian said. His voice startled Grace; she’d forgotten he was even
in the tent.

Myra led her across the camp to
Amina and Vin’s tent. Amina looked at her coolly.

“Can Lady Grace stay with you
until we start traveling?” Myra asked.

“Of course,” Vin said.

“If you don’t try to escape
again,” Amina added.

“I’ve realized there’s no point,”
Grace said. She was trapped for now, and there was nothing she
could do. She’d have to wait for another opportunity to
escape.

* * *

Chapter Seven

Grace lay on one of the beds in Vin
and Amina’s tent, trying to sort out everything. The curse. The
vision. Magic.

Outside the tent, pots and pans
banged together, footsteps shuffled on the ground, and quiet
conversations took place. The smell of their dinners, the same
spiced meats, floated through the tent. Where were they going to
take her? If Dar was helping the prince, would he be able to find
them? What about the enchantment that kept them
invisible?

Rubbing her face in frustration,
she found a small cut on her cheek and traced the raised skin with
her fingertip. She must have hit something when she fell or while
she was running from Amina. She combed her fingers through her
blonde hair and pulled it into a braid.

Grace wasn’t sure how much time
passed. But when Amina came into the tent, Grace could see how dark
it was outside.

“Are you awake?” Amina
asked.

“Yes,” Grace said, sitting up.
She’d been in that strange world that lay between sleeping and
waking, where real thoughts were like dreams. Maybe she’d been
there since last night; maybe she’d never gotten out of bed, never
kissed Dar, never been kidnapped. Maybe she still had a chance at a
normal trip with William.

She touched the cut on her cheek
again. No, this was too real.

Amina began to pack up her and
Vin’s things. A small trunk sat in the corner, into which she put
the folded blankets and clothes. “I would have caught you if they
didn’t,” Amina said, motioning for Grace to move off the
bed.

Grace moved to a blank area of the
tent. “I know. You would have changed into a horse or
something.”

“I would have done what I had
to.”

“They can’t keep me
forever.”

Amina folded a blanket silently.
She tucked it into the trunk and looked at Grace. “Vin tried to
talk them into approaching you a different way. But your father…
he’s one of them. A Protector.”

Grace’s eyes widened. Perhaps that
was why he disliked Dar’s father. But how could her father be
associated with men who could curse a family in such a
way?

“It wouldn’t have been safe,”
Amina said.

“I was with Dar for six months and
he didn’t notice,” Grace said quietly.

“Lisbeth didn’t want to take the
risk. I don’t have much say around here… they all think I’m
dim-witted… but I agree with Vin. We should have tried something
different. Now you’re just going to hate us.” She frowned as she
bundled up her dishes.

“I don’t hate you.” Grace paused,
tilting her head. “I’m scared. They tied me up and dragged me here.
And if I don’t agree to sleeping with someone so I can get
pregnant, what then?”

Amina shook her head and touched
Grace’s knee. “I’m sure they wouldn’t do anything against your
will.”

“Besides kidnapping me and keeping
me here. I’m sorry for whatever happened to you, but it can’t be… I
can’t be the one to break the curse.”

“Why not?”

“Why would I be? Because Lisbeth
said so?”

“I know it’s strange, Grace. But I
just know that if it is true… we’ll be able to have children
again.” One of her hands touched her stomach, then she seemed to
catch herself and sighed. “We’re getting ready to go.”

“Go where?”

“To Lisbeth and Jeshro’s manor in
Belisha.” Amina dug around in the trunk and pulled out riding
clothes. “Change into these; they’ll be more comfortable.” She left
the tent for Grace to change. She’d grown used to riding horses in
her dresses, so putting on pants seemed unnecessary. They weren’t
comfortable, no matter what Amina said.

It was dark outside, and the warmth
of the day was gone. The breeze was now cold instead of refreshing.
Grace took a deep breath of fresh air and shivered.

“Let me find you a coat, too,”
Amina said. She went back into the tent and came out with the
trunk. She dug around for a moment as Vin took down the tent. A
moment later, she brought out a soft coat made of fur.
“Here.”

Grace pulled the coat on. Angry as
she was about the kidnapping, she knew they didn’t have to offer
her water, food, or new clothes. They chose to, even if they didn’t
realize how twisted the situation was. Grace offered Amina a
begrudging thanks.

She looked over the camp. It was
nearly empty. Fire pits were the only evidence of their stay. The
forest floor even looked a bit wild again, covered with leaves,
twigs, and vines. The Avialies were trailing out of the clearing
with their trunks. When Grace turned around, Vin was putting the
remnants of the tent away.

Myra approached them. “Did you get
some rest?”

“Some.” Grace paused, glancing
over her shoulder at the Avialies. “Won’t the prince catch up to
all of them?”

“We don’t stay in our human forms
for long when traveling,” Myra said. “Come.”

She led them into the forest. Amina
walked next to Grace. Vin followed behind them with their trunk, a
bag hanging from his back. Their paces were quick; Grace struggled
to keep up. After half an hour, they emerged on a road. Grateful
for the moonlight, Grace glanced around. She didn’t recognize the
road or the field ahead of them. Then again, why should she? She’d
never been out of Haltar.

A carriage with two horses waited,
an old man at the rider’s seat. Two women Grace had seen at the
camp placed their trunks in the carriage. They shared a few, quiet
words with Myra, then turned into birds and disappeared into the
air. Grace watched them fade into the darkness, her mouth open in
awe.

“Lady Grace,” Myra said, touching
her arm.

Grace turned to her. Myra motioned
to where Amina had been standing; now a bay horse stood there. Vin
was putting a saddle on her. “Vin will ride her,” Myra said, “and
I’ll turn for you.”

Grace nodded.

“Lady Grace,” Myra repeated,
touching her arm again. “Please don’t try to escape. I know you’re
frightened, and you have every reason to be.” She paused, licking
her lips. “Lisbeth, Adrian… they’re desperate. Since Dar returned
to Shyra, they’ve tried to approach you, but this was their only
opportunity. It probably wasn’t the best way, but… you’re here now,
and you can help us.”

Grace pursed her lips and nodded
again. “I understand.”

Myra turned into a sleek, black
horse. The transformation amazed Grace: the limbs shaping into
something else, the body transfiguring, the end adjustment. It was
terrifying and yet fascinating.

Vin placed a saddle from the
carriage on Myra and motioned for Grace to mount. He gave her a
blanket to use if she got cold. “There aren’t any reins, but she
knows the way,” he said.

“What if I lose balance?” Grace
asked.

“Just hold onto the saddle,” Vin
said as he got on Amina.

Grace swallowed. She’d never ridden
a horse without reins. To think, this horse could change back to
Myra within seconds.