Dark Tides (Kingdom of Bones #2)

Original Edition: ◇ Chapter 6 ◇ Heart Bloom ◇

CSILLA

Baltessa

Early Rainrise

The cliffs in Macaya would always be Csilla's most favorite place in the entire world. It was where she and Rhoda had played when they were children, and it was the same place they returned to when visiting their mother between trainings. The day in Csilla's dream was just as beautiful as most others with the sun shining, birds singing, the waterfall pluming clouds of mist into the air. But just like every dream that Csilla had of Rhoda, the scene changed in an instant.

The grass at her feet and the leaves in the trees curled in, turning black. The waterfall ran crimson with blood. Silence had never been so achingly loud. Then she'd glanced back at Rhoda who was no longer smiling. Her eyes were replaced by gaping holes. Rhoda took a step toward her, her jaw unhinging as a gurgling croak escaped her throat. Csilla took a step back, but when she blinked, Rhoda was right in front of her.

Rhoda grabbed her by the shoulders.

"You did this," she said. "I'm dead because of you."

"No," Csilla told the dream Rhoda. She shook her head. "No!"

"You did this," she repeated as teeth started falling from her mouth one-by-one. "You did this! YOU DID THIS!" Then Rhoda started to wither away, her flesh decaying, her dry bones falling into a pile at Csilla's feet.

Csilla bolted upright in her bed, her scream continuing from her dream. Sweat dripped from her temple and drenched the back of her shirt, damp hair sticking to her neck. She rolled her shoulders, trying to erase the feeling of Rhoda's fingernails digging into her skin as she melted away. Csilla's chest heaved up and down as she struggled to catch a breath that wouldn't come.

The dreams, she thought. They're getting worse.

Csilla remembered what the man from court had told her—the dreamwraith he swore he saw. Her skin pricked, a sudden chill sweeping over her at the thought. What if?

Her gaze traveled over her chambers, searching the shadows between plush chairs, marbled tables and dressers decorating the vast space. The room was the largest she'd ever called her own, yet the walls felt like they were pushing in on her. Moonlight streamed in through the open windows, the scarlet curtains ruffling in the sea breeze. Through the silence, her heartbeat clomped in her ears, her quick breaths splitting the quiet.

Unable to let the remnants of her dream swallow her any longer, she tossed the sheet from her legs and crawled out of bed. The hem of her tunic tickled the bare skin of her thighs as she rounded the foot of the bed and pulled on the crimson overcoat draped over one of the chairs next to the unlit fireplace. She slipped on her boots without bothering to lace them and went to the door, opening it to the hallway beyond.

She had no inkling as to where she was heading in the middle of the night. Anywhere else was a welcome distraction though.

The halls and stairways were just as quiet as her quarters, but out here there were guards posted on corners, statuesque in their duty. Her flight led her through the royal wing and the guests' quarters, down the west staircase, past the courtyard and into the rose garden. The stars scattered in the cloudless sky above her, the moon full and brilliant, illuminating the garden and sparkling against the pebbled path.

She stepped onto the grass and went to the nearest hedge of roses, her fingers reaching to touch one of the soft red petals. She reached into one of the hidden pockets of her overcoat and pulled out the small switch-knife the twins had crafted for her. When she placed the blade against the stem of the rose, a throat cleared from behind her.