Dear E.,
I write this to you in the dark, with only a sliver of moonlight on my desk. I haven’t eaten in a while, and yet the shadows and my hunger are good. They sharpen me; they make me feel my own limitations. I’m not immortal, even if I once thought I could be. Most of all, they make me desperate and so I must ask one thing of you:
After you read this letter, I need you to burn it.
What I’m about to relay to you is time sensitive, and dangerous—for you and for me and this connection we have forged—if it falls into the wrong hands. I’ve asked myself multiple times why I’m surrendering this to you, as I sense you are fighting for Enva’s cause while I am not, and it comes down to two simple truths:
- A loss of life and freedom is imminent, and I cannot bear to stand aside and let it happen.
- I care about you. The last thing I would ever want is for you to find yourself caught up in what is about to occur.
But to answer your previous query about the strange clinks and rumbles in the earth. Dacre is restoring the pathways of his realm that have fallen into disarray over the past few centuries. He plans to reach Oath below ground before he arrives above. I imagine the sounds you hear are his workers, clearing the rubble from the ley lines.
As to the most pressing matter at hand … he is preparing to take Hawk Shire. In three days’ time, he will storm the town, attacking from within by utilizing his magical doorways while his remaining forces surround the town. If you are in Hawk Shire, I beg you to retreat. Get out while you can; head south or north. Anywhere but Oath, where he plans to attack after Hawk Shire falls.
Please don’t reply to this letter. I won’t be able to respond for a span of days and I don’t know where I’ll be after Hawk Shire. Burn my words. Keep yourself safe. If fate will have it, I’ll write to you again soon.
Yours,
R.
I can’t burn this.
Iris stared at Roman’s letter. It was midmorning, and she had overslept, waking to a blissful stream of sunshine on her face and to Roman’s words on the floor. She didn’t know what she had been expecting, but it wasn’t what he gave her. Repairing the ley lines. She felt chilled at the thought of Dacre’s workers somewhere beneath her, cutting through rubble. The idea of Hawk Shire being attacked made her stomach clench.
She stood in the silence of her bedroom and read it again. Again and again, until she felt both icy and hot, until the air cut her lungs and she strode from the chamber, seeking Attie.
She found her outside on the curb, helping Tobias clean the roadster. They were laughing together as the last of the mud was washed away from the tires, and Iris almost stopped herself. She didn’t want to ruin this moment for them, and she slowed on the brick path, hiding Roman’s letter behind her back.
Burn my words. Keep yourself safe.
“Miss Winnow?” Tobias stood with a rag in his hands, the brightness in his eyes dimming when he saw how pale she was. “Is everything all right?”
“You can call me Iris. And if I asked you to drive me to Hawk Shire … would you do it, Tobias?”
Attie dropped the bristle brush she had been wielding and rose, brow furrowed with concern.
Tobias was silent for a beat. But when he spoke, his voice was firm. “Ms. Hammond gave me strict orders not to drive you beyond Winthrop.”
“Then do you know how far Hawk Shire is from Winthrop?” Iris asked. “If it’s not too much distance, I can walk there or hitch another ride. But I need you to take me to Winthrop today. It’s very urgent.”
“What’s happened?” Attie closed the distance between them.
Iris bit her lip before surrendering Roman’s letter. She watched as Attie read it, her brown eyes going wide in shock before meeting her gaze.
“Marisol said Keegan is in Hawk Shire, didn’t she?” Attie whispered.
Iris only nodded. It felt like a splinter was in her throat. Her eyes were burning and she rubbed them for a moment, a stray eyelash clinging to her fingertip.
“Why do you need to go to Hawk Shire?” Tobias asked, stepping closer.
Attie only stared at Iris. When Iris tilted her chin, acquiescing, Attie handed the letter to him.
And this was what Roman meant, Iris thought. His letter had been intended for her eyes only, but to prevent the devastation planned for Hawk Shire, she would have to show it to others. She would have to then reveal how she had received the letter. Those secrets she had been holding like jewels in her hand would be exposed, and it made her feel vulnerable.
Tobias exhaled, slow and deep, as he finished reading the letter. “How did you get this? Who is R.?”
“It’s a long story,” Iris said, a blush creeping over her.
Tobias was pensive, his expression almost stern. But he handed the letter back to her. “Then you’ll have plenty of time to tell me on the ride there. Go pack your bags. I’ll drive you to Hawk Shire.”
