The priest hopped towards her, a skittish smile spreading on his familiar face. “You seem scared.”  

I should run. Why can’t I run? I always run. Alondra’s legs felt numb. Why couldn’t her mind go numb as well? Surely then she could pretend everything was fine. She was fine. She was safe.

She pulled her knees to her chest. “I’m not scared.”

“Your eyes tell a different story, Princess.” The priest lowered his lips to her ear. “You were born to feed gods.”

“Wake up, miss.”

Panic ricocheted inside her chest. In the rush to reach for her dagger, the book she’d been sleeping on fell, plummeting to hit the floor with a crisp clap.

The sound slapped her into remembering where she was in the first place. She wasn’t rocking back and forth in a cell; she was at the library in Miel.

Alondra’s sleep-clouded gaze fixed onto the dagger in her hand and then rose to rest on a familiar bibliosoph’s kind face. Sherm Li, the keeper of the library, smiled at her apparently amusing antics. Little did he know, he’d been very close to getting stabbed.

She rubbed away the drool on her cheek. “Oh I’m so sorry for dozing, Sherm!”

“It’s no worry—knowledge is food. I’m sure your mind just had its fill and needed rest.”

“You should have stirred me sooner so you could lock up! How long was I asleep?”

“It’s morning, miss.”

Alondra scrambled to stand. Morning?! She’d left Ceres alone all night! Her stomach churned at the thought as her pulse pounded in her throat.

What if he’s hurt someone? You can’t just leave a warhorse by himself like that!

“Did you get much studying done?” the bibliosoph asked while Alondra silently panicked. She met the man only three weeks ago, but Sherm Li had quickly become a person her trust found safety in. Plus, Ceres liked him, and it was rare for Ceres to like anyone.

“Um, yes,” Alondra said as she sheathed her dagger and collected her things. “Zodia’s ancient fighting maneuvers are quite fascinating.”

“We haven’t much use for them anymore, but there are a few in the village that know the way of the ancients. They could teach you, if you should want me to seek them out.”

“That would be very interesting, I must admit. I’ll think about it.” To be able to fight like a Zodian would be exciting, but should she risk learning a skill that would only draw more unwanted attention?

Her eyes wandered around the library. What a beautiful sight it was. Not because it was unusually grand or expensive, though. The walls were built from river stone and red mud, the shelves could use dusting, and the wood floors needed a good polishing; it was simply made. The knowledge was what was so beautiful. The ornately carved bookcases and shelves held history and wondrous stories told by unique people. And it was all here for her enjoyment. Oh, the hours she’d spend just reading—her mind instead filling with knowledge rather than dwelling on the terrible memories that existed there. 

Finally, she stared up at the sky beyond the blurry, glass ceiling. It warned of rain.

She pulled her brown cloak over her shoulders, pinning it at her collarbone. “Thank you, Sherm.”

“Happy to be of service, miss.” Something about his squinted eyes made her return his smile. “Come back any time.”

She nodded and then walked through the front door and out into the street. The air weighed on her shoulders like guilt. Humidity made the cotton of her gray blouse cling to her skin.

Alondra had visited the library to study every day since she came to Miel, and she hadn’t allowed herself to do much else. But now she had to make a much-needed trip to the market.

And then I’m going straight to Ceres.

Almond-eyed Zodians went about their business as Alondra brisked past shopkeepers attending their front stands and children chasing one another in the street. Horses, cattle-drawn wagons, and pedestrians passed by on the old village’s dirt main street, and she couldn’t help but imagine what a muddy disaster it would be to walk through if it started raining. However basic and boring, stepped-in puddles would surely splash her treasured cloak.

The dawn-lit, dark clouds above threatened to turn that into reality.

The reality is that you’re a grump. If you don’t like mud, why darken the door of Zodia for so long?

Alondra wanted to roll her eyes at her outspoken conscience, but that would only make her feel like she had even less of a sound mind.

Miel was a quaint little village, a much more hospitable place than others Alondra knew of. Cloudy days were not a symbol or excuse for sadness here. Instead, days when moisture thickened the air and hid the sun from view were welcomed, seen as a blanket that made people feel secure.

Safe.

The vibrant scent of spices floated through the humid air of Zodia, adding a luster that no other country possessed. It may be the Quatern’s swampland, but the people that lived here were unique. They were generous. Happy. All the things Alondra couldn’t claim to be. Perhaps here, though, she could absorb those characteristics.

She’d escaped into the country a year ago, touring the villages ever since, so it was a surprise that no joy had found its way into her heart yet. But she still had all the time in the world. Or so it seemed.

Brushing past a woman beading a tapestry, she spotted a vendor that featured piles of spice. Striding over to stand as a potential customer, Alondra pinched a pile of yellow curry. The smell of it burned her sinuses, but it was good. She licked her fingers, and a smile spread onto her face. The flavor danced on her tongue like it had a mind of its own.

She placed a single yon onto the counter, buying a quarter-pound of the seasoning. Nothing like adding a bit of curry to liven up your miserable life.

“Delak,” she told the Zodian merchant in his native tongue.

He bobbed his head, saying a thank-you as well.

After Alondra stuck the pouch of spice into her satchel, she turned around. And then the humid air tightened.

Someone was watching her.

. . .to be continued. . .mwahahahaha!!

I hope you enjoyed this little snippet — I’m working relentlessly to get this book out into the world. I honestly did not expect publishing to be such a difficult process. I’m also an overthinker, so I question every decision I make, that makes it a long process too. I’m trying to keep to a kind budget (as far as maps, cover design, and formatting) so I don’t go broke, but things are tight. Here’s to hoping I can scrimp by. Pray for me.