you think I should trust him?”
“I could not say.” Nettle tied the bandage in place. “He will always put his own concerns first, whatever that may mean. You must be careful with him. But he is honest, too. He does not act cruelly, or without reason. He is not a bad choice for an ally.” She held Aurora’s hand. “Test your feet,” she said. “It should be easier to walk now.”
Aurora winced as she put weight on her bandaged feet, but although they still ached, they were far sturdier than they had been before. She took a tentative step forward. “It’s good,” she said. “Thank you.” She crossed the cave, each step careful, and rested a hand against the wall.
Nettle nodded and bent down to tidy her pack, hiding her expression from view.
“Nettle,” Aurora said softly. “If you were watching the rebels in Petrichor . . . do you know what happened to them?”
Nettle shook her head as she folded her torn dress. “Not since I left. Their plans were always weak. But that only made them more dangerous, I thought. Their actions had consequences they did not intend. If you are thinking of asking for their help—”
“No,” Aurora said. She sat and pressed her chin onto her knees. “I’m not.” Even if she could find one of them, she could not trust them or their plans, not after what she had seen. A raid on the dungeons that left many prisoners dead. A foolish display that almost caused a riot and cost a guard his life. They had no strategy, no morals, no discipline. She could not work with them.
But she had one other option, a thought that had plagued her more and more as the days passed. Celestine. Every day, she felt as though the witch were watching her, like she would turn around and see her blue eyes burning through the darkness. Celestine had asked Aurora to join her the last time she had seen her, as Aurora ran from her wedding. She had hinted that Aurora would regret turning her away, that she would beg to join her in the end. And she had hinted that Aurora’s mother had made a bargain with her. A bargain the queen failed to keep. A bargain that led to Aurora’s curse.
Had she cursed Aurora with this, too? With magic she could not control, that burned and burned until it destroyed everything around her?
Celestine had answers. But Aurora could not face her. Everyone who bargained with her suffered for their naïveté. But the idea whispered to Aurora. Celestine would have all the answers she needed, if only she was willing to ask for them.
“You should rest,” Nettle said. “You do not need to decide what to do yet.”
“Is it safe?” Aurora asked. “To sleep?”
“It is safer than not sleeping. Go on. I will not betray you.”
It was strangely soothing to hear Nettle state her fear so bluntly. Aurora wrapped herself in one of the blankets and rested her head against the wall. Nettle settled against the opposite side, her cheek pressed against the stone. And although Aurora still felt tense, although it was too soon to assume that she was safe, she was too exhausted to stay awake. The moment she closed her eyes, she was asleep.
When she awoke, it was dark outside. Nettle was gone, but her pack was still there. Aurora stretched her stiff back. She had slept better than she had for a week at least, and with the rest had come clarity.
She could not stay in Alyssinia, not when it meant hiding in the forest and doing nothing of use. But she could not abandon the kingdom entirely either. She had to help the people there, those like the baker, who supported her, who were relying on her to save them from the king’s fury. She had to stop the king. But she also had to stop herself, to get this unpredictable magic under control.
Finnegan was her only option. She did not trust him, but he seemed to know things. He had hinted at her magic, called her “little dragon.” And she had set a village alight. Was that not what dragons did?
He had helped her before, even if it had led to bloodshed. He might have an agenda of his own, but it seemed to match Aurora’s own goals, at least for now. He could help her to regroup, before John cornered her again.
And he wanted her support enough to ask Nettle to follow her,