I can relate.

Animated conversations break out all around me, including between Kellan and Libby. Even before the attack on Mountain Haven, city folk considered the people of the fort savages. Aidia and I used to sneak out to pubs, hoping to hear stories about the only world we knew outside the city walls. We listened intently as tradesmen told tales of their huntsmen offering bloody rituals to Asher, the Divine of Endings, or wild sex rituals to Kennymyra, the Divine of Pleasure. We were sheltered and inexperienced and fascinated. Their world seemed so much more mysterious and feral, so very much in contrast to our structured, bustling city.

I catch Aidia’s gaze, and she lifts a brow as if to say she sees where our father’s speech is going. They’re going to marry off some poor young woman from one of the lower magical families to the Fallen Hold heir. If they survived this long out in the wild, the Havenwoods either have more powerful magic than our parents realized—or a more valuable secret. If there’s one thing they can’t resist, it’s the possibility of more power.

Aidia nods to several young, unmarried women at the far end of the table. They wring their hands and stare wide-eyed at the plates of untouched stuffed zucchini blossoms in front of them. A young woman from a lesser family is a small price to pay for whatever helped them survive.

I lean back in my chair. Thank Divine I’m a widow. I haven’t been this happy that Marc’s dead since the day I killed him. I served my time, and now my reward is largely being ignored.

My father smiles indulgently at the whispering crowd, as if we are all just a bunch of naive children. Finally, he holds up both hands and the room quiets.

“Liza and I are delighted to accept their request to come back into the fold after thinking they were lost to us for so long. They arrive tomorrow.” He looks at my mother, who rises and takes his hand, lifting her wine glass with the other. She nods, and my father continues. “We’d also like to offer a toast. After much misfortune, this is a moment of hope.”

The guilt placates everyone, and a wave of solemn nods goes through the crowd, all eyes shifting to me. I refuse to meet any of their gazes. It’s so hard to fake grief over my horrible, dead husband. I do my best impression of a weary widow.

My father clears his throat, indicating the end of his performance of solemnity. “We are certain that whatever has allowed them to thrive in such dire circumstances makes them a great asset to strengthening our resolve against the Drained. We are pleased to announce that we’ve agreed to a preliminary marriage contract between their son and our youngest daughter, Harlow.”

Kellan tenses beside me and Aidia’s jaw drops across the table, but it’s not until every gaze in the room shifts to me that I register that my father said my name.

I choke on my wine, sputtering into my napkin. I stare at my father, trying to master my expression. All the years of practice and gritting it out through pain fail me; I can only manage a tight smile.

There’s a challenge in his eye, as if he’s daring me to argue in front of everyone, knowing I would never break the first rule of the Carrenwell Family—present a united front in public and save dissent for behind closed doors.

I force a smile to my face and nod.

My father holds up his glass. “Now we’d like to offer a toast to our daughter for solidifying this alliance and ensuring a stronger future for all of Lunameade. To Harlow.”

The crowd repeats after him, and glasses clink. I knock back the stinging bubbles and enjoy the sharp burn that slides down my throat.

My parents want to trade me to some savage from beyond the walls, but I have every intention of getting something for my trouble.

OceanofPDF.com

2HARLOW

The new moon is my accomplice, blanketing the city in a velvet dark perfect for getting away with murder.

I cast a glance over my shoulder at my home. Night grants the mansion sharp teeth made of darkness. Few secrets are safe from their bite.

Fortunately, my sins are well hidden.

I turn back and tread the path I’ve walked down many times before. The twists and turns of the alleys in the southern half of the city are so familiar, I can walk them by muscle memory alone, which is good because I’m distracted by the announcement of my impending nuptials.

Of course my parents didn’t warn me ahead of time. If they’d told me without an audience, I could have objected. They trapped me into agreeing.

The more congratulatory well-wishes I received, the more my stomach churned, and the more pain pressed against the back of my eyes. I wasn’t willing to risk an episode, so I’d excused myself early and snuck out as soon as Gaven dropped me in my room.

The dark alleyway dumps me out into the center of the city. The glowing sunstones around the base of the Blood Well make it a beacon in the dark. Calling it a well is not entirely accurate. It’s more of an underground river. Though it’s been expanded to accommodate the growing size of the city and the need for so many children to be blessed every month, the large cavern in the center of the square marks the original location of the founding of Lunameade.

Two guards are posted at the sacred site, one at the entrance ramp that spirals down to the water and one where it spirals back up to the exit.

I pull my hood higher and skirt the edge of the square as quietly as possible. The last thing I need is to be spotted by someone who knows who I am.

One of the guards takes notice, forcing me to improvise. I pause at the altar of candles in front of the founding mural. The colorful painting takes up the entire side of a bar at the edge of the square, portraying the story of the discovery of the well.

I take a long match from the cup on the right of the altar, strike it, and light one of the votives in its ornate glass jar. Then, I hold up my hands like I’m praising the Divine, and gaze at the face of my ancestor, Alistair Carren, spilling his blood in the well. I’ve heard the story so many times I could probably act it out by now.

Centuries ago, Alistair was the leader of the nomadic clan. He was the one person in the clan who was born with magic. Small as his gift seemed, his ability to see magic in the world allowed him to steer the clan clear of magical traps set by rival tribes throughout their travels. His Divine-blessed sight kept his people safe and earned him the place as their leader.

When the territory his people traveled was ravaged by wildfires, they were forced to move beyond the land they knew. They stumbled upon the Drained Wood, where they were beset by monsters and scattered through the forest. Alistair prayed to the Seven Divine, the deities the clan had worshipped for years.

That night, while his people were fast asleep, Harvain, the Divine of Fortune, answered. Alistair was woken from a dream by a golden glowing orb. He heard Harvain’s voice tell him to follow it and he would be blessed with a way to protect his people by Vardek, the Divine of Protection.

Alistair followed the glowing light through the woods until he stumbled upon a spring that pulsed with a strange blue aura.

Harvain’s voice returned and told him to cut his hand and spill his blood into the stream and then submerge himself in it. With no better option, and afraid fear was driving him out of his mind, Alistair did as the Divine asked. As he submerged himself in the water, he felt a new power rush through him.

When he rose, a monster was waiting at the woods’ edge, and Alistair shot his magic out at the beast. Blue fire sparked from his hands, lighting the beast and turning it to ash in seconds. That holy fire allowed Alastair’s people to build a settlement and protected them while they worked.