ALTHEA
We moved forward as a unit, and behind us, the nightmare that wore Wren's voice began to wail. A horrible, keening sound that followed us all the way to the water's edge.
And I kept my eyes forward, my jaw clenched, repeating the words over and over in my mind like a prayer.
It's not her. It's not her. It's not her.
But a small, terrible part of me couldn't help wondering—what if it was? And beyond that, what if it had not been her and I had almost been a liability to the retinue for the second time.
First, with my nightmares keeping me from sleeping, making me weak and unfocused. And now almost breaking formation to fall prey to another type of nightmare. I was proving Thorne right.
He was right to not want me to come.
I was just as useless as my mother always said.
"Stop," Zyra said sharply in my head. "I can feel your thoughts spiraling. Don't you dare."
