betrothed—dead. My brothers-in-arms—lost to my curse before I could even realize I was responsible for their deaths. My parents, gone. Died of broken hearts.
So much loneliness. Both before and after I’d been raised by Talmage. This place was heavy with it. Crushing despair settled deep in my bones. It was too much. I’d done too much. I didn’t deserve this possible cure. I needed to live with my crimes. I couldn’t endanger anyone else. I—
The groaning swing of a heavy door rushed over me, and Leena appeared in a shower of light. She smiled, and suddenly I could breathe again.
The Gyss floated by her feet. Twiddling the bronze key in her hands, Leena stood before me. “Last chance to back out.”
“Never.”
Her eyes bored into me as she delivered the key to my open hand. “You’ll need to name her.”
The Gyss moved toward me, expectant yellow eyes and wry smile already targeting the key. Cunning didn’t even begin to describe the glimmer in her expression. Leena must have noticed it, too. She tensed, hands shaking at her sides.
Crouching to the ground, I held out my hand to the Gyss. “I think I’ll call you Winnow.”
She peeled back her lips to reveal sharpened teeth. I like that name. Are you ready? She glided into my open palm and placed her hands on her hips.
Tell me the terms. I stood slowly so as not to disturb her, and Winnow glanced back and forth between Leena and me.
“No matter what she asks for, you can’t be mad at her.” Leena wrapped her fingers in the chain of her bestiary. “That’s just how it goes.”
My pulse quickened. “Of course.”
Can she hear you? I thought privately to Winnow.
Not unless I project my thoughts to her. She ran tiny fingers through her hair, wrapping it into a tight bun with a blade of grass. You want your curse lifted? I can see it. Floating down my arm, she pressed her finger to my chest just above my heart. It’s deep. Dark. Nasty.
Leena watched with wide eyes, and I did my best to focus on Winnow. I know. Can you do it?
Winnow laughed, a high-pitched tinkling of bells, and Leena winced. I can see you’ve tried in the past to no avail, but I can promise you: I’m much more skilled. A wish is a wish, a payment is a payment. Nasty retribution for nasty people who use their wishes foolishly.
How do you determine payment? My mind raced. Leena said Gyss were cunning, but there wasn’t much I wouldn’t give to lift this curse. Leena. My brothers. Those were my limits. Beyond that… My gaze shifted to the Charmer I’d grown to care for, to the worry lines framing her eyes and the erratic rise and fall of her chest.
The gods determine payment. I’m simply a conduit. Winnow placed both hands on my chest, the tiniest pokes of pressure.
Then why does Leena care? It doesn’t sound malicious.
Winnow looked up at me, pointed teeth on display, and tilted her head to the side. Gyss have a special relationship with the gods. We can make a case for a less severe request, though the gods don’t always listen. I also enjoy watching bad people endure deserved pain. Are you one of those people?
My answer was swift. Yes.
She nodded, a satisfied look in her eyes. Honesty will go a long way with me. To remove this curse… She pressed her fingers deeper, testing, searching, for what felt like a very long time. My pulse was racing. You must be willing to lose what you’ve worked so hard to achieve.
Worked so hard to achieve? I paused, riffling through potential answers to that riddle. Only one stood out: Cruor. Unease coiled tight in me. The guild relied on me. I was responsible for protecting them, giving them a place to call home. What would they do without me? Could I really walk away? Talmage had given me a new purpose in life. I would die for them again and again without question.
My eyes slanted to Leena’s worried face. My shoulders relaxed. For her, for my brothers, I could say goodbye. Cruor had existed long before I’d come along and would continue to survive without me. But…who would lead? I bristled. Not Darrien. If I had a say, Kost. But would I have a chance to appoint him as the next guild master? Or would the payment simply be taken and a new leader chosen at random?
“Noc, don’t rush into this. Please. Think about