Lilac Child Chapter 21

It was bitterly cold inside the cell, the thick stone keeping the sun at bay. A seagull cawed as it scratched just outside the narrow window, the bars cutting the blue sky in four. Never, in all her visits, had Zini felt so alone. The palace gaol was a quiet place, unlike the one at the bottom of the hill, where the high tide crept up through the stones, flooding the cells. At least she was free from drowning, Zini thought with a self-pitying sigh.

A sickening dread gnawed at her as she considered her future. She’d done what she could, but she doubted it was enough. At any moment, they’d drag her from the cell and throw her from the cliff. Her life ended before it really begun. This couldn’t be her destiny. Mother Olo had chosen her for a reason, freed her from enslavement, and entrusted her with a purpose. If she died in the cell, then Mother Olo would be wrong and Zini knew full how the old woman would react to that. Gathering her resolve, Zini pushed herself away from the rough stone wall, rolling off the meagre cot and rising to her feet. Her skin bore a tapestry of bruises, harsh reminders of the city guards’ ruthless grip as they tore her from her father. She’d fought back as best she could, her knuckles raw from striking their breastplates, and filled their ears with her best curses, but it had all been in vain. The thought of the children escaping was all that brought her comfort. The Morrow was too fast for anyone to catch.

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