ling as she walked down

oken signal that it was time to turn bac

other idea f

the end of the path, I stopped in fro

ht," I announced. "I just n

idea. It's getting dark. Y

h time left. Soon, I won't have these walks anymor

nst the gravel as she stepped for

ring in her hair. I felt the tremor in her shoulders, and I knew sh

ver-even if she didn't know my true intentions. She would never receive my lett

. "Everything will be fine. I'll write to you and tell

tasted

ob. I wiped the tears rolling down her cheeks

tters," she promised. "So

s impo

my books. I'll tell you about Felippo,

ur wedding with Felippo," I t

e an i

ending our farewell with a li

ou tom

e several times. I stayed rooted to the spot until

ground, right into the dull, dry brush. I didn't bother gath

company were the evening breeze, the lapping water, and the rustle of the tree

wasn't proper for young ladies to come here, much less linger alon

y my stockings. I felt the cold earth beneath

hiver racked my body, bringing an instant, biting

like hundreds of icy needles stabbing into my flesh. But as painful as it

ving forward until the water rose past my chest. My teeth chattered uncontrollably. I couldn't feel my toes anym

ain of sand slipping through an hou

cold began to blur even my thoughts. Small clouds of va

ng to move them at all. I remained perfectly still, l

he shock of being completely swallowed by the freezing water was brutal

around my face, my arms and legs entirely stripped of the strength needed

d, the pressure so intense I could have swor

rily, desperate for air, bu

vision blurred, the dead weight of my body dra

illness of the water. No matter how hard I tri

to survive fought back fiercely. I had to remi

me, flashing the faint outline of a fa

o blacken, curling inward lik

ve. You have

through the water,

o live. You

accompanied by the sudden, eerie sensati

cowardice dis

ose words made

ed my senses, burning li

ve of shame w

ouldn't do this to my p

he Crimson Auction because of me. I couldn't condemn

ight against the crushing weight

I willed it, my bod

pid

n. Water rushed down my throat, flooding

s my vision, wrapping around

an endless, suffocating black.

closer, looming larger a

to, my cheek was pressed against the muddy

ll floated in the shallows, and

perately dragging what was left of

When I looked down, my finger

had darkened completely, the pa

ow, every ragged gasp tearing a s

s to my mouth to breath

commands, and my bare feet shared

the treetops, carrying

t your

ng for the source of the voice, but only the

lly broke me. My shoulders shook as I b

elfish-a terrible daughter

ings to my grim fate, and my e

trying to stem the tide of tears, but they

there shivering in the mud be

s pounded against the dirt, growing lo

ed me. Instinctively, my numb hands reached up t