Until the Last Drop of My Blood (The Legends Saga #1)

Chapter 5

"Now we are done playing pretend. I wonder how you could be so unprepared as to forget that my little brother is allergic to butter."

Jorge drew a sharp breath and staggered backward from where he was sitting.

The child recovered from his shock immediately. He smirked at me as I released my arrow, waiting for it to strike his body.

The arrow then landed on what I suspected was just a decoy of my brother. His form dissolved into a set of black feathers, dancing in the air before assembling into a crow that flew to the window for escape.

I stood frozen, as did Jorge, who now looked at me as if he had seen a ghost.

My heart pounded wildly against my chest, still processing what had just happened.

We had been deceived.

I turned to Jorge, and we stared at each other as we realized something terrible. "That... is not Luke," I almost choked.

He cleared his throat. "Definitely not him."

"Wherever he is, he's in danger." I ran my fingers through my hair while pacing back and forth, trying to think of what to do next. "I have to... I have to—"

He cut me off. "There is this swamp in the Gloom Mountain. They say the spirit in the lake drowns lost travelers who get too close, but my grandmother once said that the spirit at the bottom can see through the eyes of the lost. Maybe the spirit can help you."

I thought about the offer Talin and his companion had made. They were offering help, but that would be my last resort. If what Jorge was saying was true, then I had to try it. It might be dangerous, but they were more dangerous.

I licked my lips. "So what will I offer in exchange for the information the spirit will give me? Nothing is free in this realm."

"That... I don't know, but I'm certain it will be perilous. I think the better option would be to wait for your brother, so—"

"Time is running out. We have been set up. If the doppelganger has been with us since we arrived, then Luke has been in the hands of the abductor for days. I cannot afford to waste time," I said, slinging my bow over my back. "If Kalid comes here, please tell him that Luke is lost and that I am finding a way to get him back. He can wait here until I return." Jorge nodded.

"I hope luck is on my side now," I bid him goodbye.

I walked through the darkness alone, my flowing midnight dress blending into the night.

A lump formed in my throat as I realized it was my fault that Luke was lost. If anything happened to him, I could never forgive myself. I should have realized it was a trick to delay me from finding him.

Whatever dangers awaited me at my destination, I was prepared to face them. I had spells up my sleeve for both battle and escape. I just hoped they would work. I couldn't keep myself from feeling nervous. The uncertainty was terrifying. Diving into the unknown, especially with death lurking around, was mortifying. But it wasn't death that scared me most. What scared me more was the thought of not being able to do something when I knew I could.

I thought of the three hooded figures I had seen in the woods when our house burned. I should have known it was a sign. Those three were the Heralds, a sign that something unlucky was about to happen. Rumors had spread recently about how they would knock on the doors of the descendants at midnight to warn them of impending doom.

Somehow, I quickly arrived at the kingdom proper. Despite it being midnight, descendants lurked in the streets. I checked my hood to ensure it covered my face.