ZURI

I forced down the last crumb of cake and licked the sweetness off my fingers.

The potion burned my throat on the way down in a bitter and heavy line, but soon enough, a strange warmth spread through me, loosening my muscles, giving me strength where there had been none. My chest rose with a deeper breath than I had managed in days.

I pressed my palm over the mark on my arm. It pulsed faintly under my skin, alive in a way that terrified me.

“Tyr,” I whispered, closing my eyes. ...