Prologue
The sound of water droplets hitting the sink filled the bathroom, the water swirling in shades of red before vanishing down the drain. Inara wrung the cloth between her hands until it ran dry.
Thunder clapped overhead. Loud and inconsistent.
“Come off,” She whispered, though the words scarcely left her lips.
Behind her, the younger girl’s voice trembled- soft and uncertain.
. “Inara…He’s coming.”
Footsteps echoed down the corridor, heavy but slow. She froze, hiding behind the closed door, the scent of metal lingering in the air.
“Come on, Abilene…come out, come out wherever you are…” The man’s voice carried through the door, drenched in amusement.
“Inara, please,” the girl begged, a tear escaping from her eyes.
“Just a little more,” Inara murmured, setting the cloth hanging off the side of the sink.
The candlelight flickered overhead as the sisters locked eyes, the older girl gesturing toward a chunk of broken mirror lying in the corner of the room.
“What am I to do with that?” Abilene whispered, her voice rising by an octave.
“You are to throw it.”
The young girl raked her hands through her hair, sucking in a quick breath.
“I need you to get ready to aim- and fast,” Inara whispered sternly.
Abilene sighed before picking up the piece of glass, running her finger along the edge of it.
Down the hall, they could hear metal scraping against the stone walls of the palace.
“Inara.” The girl warned.
Both of them watched as the doorknob jiggled, followed by the sound of a fist banging on wood.
“Abilene,” she whispered, “now.”
The door swung open- a tall figure stood in the threshold, his coat covered in hay. His eyes landed on Abilene, a small smirk plastered on his face.
“What is this?” His tone was low, dangerous. “You think you can hide from me?”
Abilene tightly closed her eyes, begging the gods to help her- then she launched the piece of glass as hard as she could, it landing right above his heart. The man staggered, more from surprise than pain, and Inara grabbed her sister’s wrist. “Run!” she screamed.
They fled quickly down the corridor, their skirts flowing behind them.
Rain lashed against the walls as they fled, the echo of their steps swallowed by the storm. The corridor stretched long and narrow, lined with portraits whose painted eyes seemed to follow their every move.
Inara’s breath came sharp, though her expression remained composed.
“This way,” she said, guiding Abilene toward the servant’s passage.
Behind them, the man’s voice rose- no longer calm. “You cannot hide from what is owed!”
She tried to fight instinct, but Abilene looked back toward the man anyway, stumbling over a small stone in the process, causing her to fall, the cold of the stone floor seeping into her gown.
“He will find us,” she whispered.
“Then let him,” Inara replied, her voice soft and firm, as she took her sister’s small arm, carefully pulling her off the ground. “I would rather face him than the life he intends for you to have.”
The girls quickly smiled at one another, bursting into the courtyard, their clothes heavy with rain. The scent of the Earth, strong. The lamps flickered under the wind’s assault, and somewhere beyond the gate, the girls could hear a horse’s low chuff- their only chance at freedom.
Inara turned once, glancing back toward the palace. Through the window, she could see the faint glow of people dancing, unaware of what was happening just a few feet away.
She took Abilene’s hand, squeezing it quickly three times. “No more,” she said quietly. “Tonight, we choose ourselves.”
And together, they ran to the carriage, toward the storm.
