Broken by C.K. Bryant

happened to Serena, the weaver’s daughter. Even to this day, she is not the same. She was at the castle one night—”
    “Wait.” Kira’s stomach gave a little twist and she suddenly felt like throwing up. “What did you say?”
    “I said it happened to the weaver’s daughter. Kira, are you all right? The color just drained from your face.” Ussay slid off the bed and reached for the basin her mother used the night before to burn the bandages. She held it out for Kira to take. She pushed it away.
    “I’m fine. I’m not sure I heard you right, though. Who is the weaver’s daughter?”
    “Serena. Do you know her?”
    “No, but I’ve heard Lydia speak about a Serena. Did she go to the ball . . . the night the queen was killed?” Kira’s stomach rose into her throat. She didn’t want to hear this.
    “Yes. Octavion was her escort.”
    Kira’s heart leapt in her chest and a sharp pain shot down into her stomach. “No,” she managed, before reaching around Ussay for the basin and heaving what little was in her stomach into the bowl.
    “How can you be sick? You have not eaten.” Ussay ran to the cupboard and brought back a towel.
    “I don’t know.” How can she be alive? Did Lydia and Octavion lie to me? Or were they deceived by their father? And what about the Crystor? If Serena isn’t dead, how was the bracelet removed from her wrist without her and Lydia dying? And then another question popped into her head—if Lydia was dead, why hadn’t the Crystor fallen off? Of course, maybe that had more to do with still being bound to Altaria. Kira held her head in her hands while confusion stuffed it full of questions.
    Kira wiped her face and handed the basin to Ussay. “Sorry. I don’t know what came over me. Maybe I need to eat something.”
    “I am so sorry. I keep promising you food and then forgetting.” Ussay went to a box on the mantle and pulled out a small chunk of bread. She put it on a plate from the cupboard and handed it to Kira. “My mother spends the day with my aunt and I am always at the castle. I am afraid we do not keep much food here. I will be right back.”
    As soon as the door closed behind Ussay, Kira put the plate of bread on the table next to the bed, laid her head on the pillow and curled into a ball. Serena was alive. The thought terrified her. If his father lied to him, Octavion would be furious. She didn’t want to think about what it would mean for her if Octavion discovered the girl he once loved and meant to marry was still alive.
    As Kira lay there, staring at the empty fireplace, an image came to her mind. It was of the first time she’d seen Toran, her back against the boulder near Octavion’s lair on the mountain. A huge white tiger advanced toward her, growling and snarling. She felt the warmth of his breath on her face and closed her eyes.
    In the distance she heard Octavion call her name. She opened her eyes but now she saw herself in the village, her back pressed to the rock wall of a cottage. In Toran’s place stood Octavion, fully transformed, his sharp teeth visible through his vicious snarl. He looked at her with hunger in his eyes and then leaned toward her, his breath rushing down her neck. A deep rumbling sound escaped his chest.
    “I know you can’t hurt me. It’s not in you.” Her shaky voice formed the words in a whisper.
    A confused look crossed his beastly face when he looked into her eyes, then he simply disappeared.
    When Ussay came through the door with a bowl of fruit and a loaf of bread, Kira’s sense of survival and determination had been renewed. She didn’t care what Ussay said. She knew in her heart Octavion would never hurt her. She’d seen it with her own eyes—felt it in her heart. And as far as Serena was concerned—well, she’d jump off that bridge when she got to it.
    Kira swung her feet over the edge of the bed and stood. The pressure on her foot caused a little pain, but as she rolled her foot to the outside edge, it