Trial by Fire (Worldwalker 1)

Lily crawled out of the tent wondering if she could trust this woman. She looked like Juliet, but that didn’t mean that she was Juliet. Every instinct in Lily screamed that Juliet would always be on her side, no matter what universe they were in, but Lily didn’t know if she could trust herself anymore. After all, it had been another version of herself that had kidnapped her to begin with.

“I’m going to get you out of here,” Juliet said, her voice quavering with fear, but her delicate jaw set with determination. “You have no idea how dangerous these woods are, even in the middle of an armed camp like this. You’re not safe out here, Lily.” She clasped Lily’s hand in hers and crouched down, making a beeline for the trees.

“How did you know where to find me?” Lily asked, ducking down like her sister did.

“Seriously?” Juliet whispered, glancing back at Lily as though she didn’t believe what she’d been asked. “You were screaming for me to come and get you!”

“In my head, yeah, but…” Lily stopped talking as soon as she saw that look in Juliet’s eyes. It was the same I can’t believe you scared the crap out of me for no reason look that her sister had given her about a million times before, and it confused Lily even more. “Wait. How did you hear that?”

“Close blood relations like sisters can mindspeak without willstones,” Juliet answered automatically.

“But I’m not Lillian,” Lily replied. She didn’t understand willstones yet, but she did know one thing: Her whole life she’d felt as if she and her sister, and her mom sometimes, could read each other’s minds—without glowing magic necklaces. And now she knew that it was true.

“I guess even if you’re not exactly Lillian, you’re still my little sister. Not that I ever asked for two of you, but there it is.” Juliet nibbled on her lower lip and then nodded her head once, as if she was making a final decision. “I’m not leaving you out here in the Woven Woods. I can’t. You don’t know how important your being here is yet, but please believe me. You’re in terrible danger.”

“Where are we going?” Lily frowned suddenly. “You’re not taking me back to Lillian, are you?”

“Not if you don’t want me to.” Juliet’s brow furrowed. “But I have to hide you somehow. If people find out about you and what you could be capable of—Lily, I’m frightened for your life.”

Lily squeezed Juliet’s hand. “Okay. Let’s get out of here. I’ll follow you.”

“Stop, Juliet.”

Lily and Juliet spun around to face the deep voice that came out of the dark. Juliet thrust Lily behind her protectively, even though neither of them could see where the words had come from yet.

“Rowan,” Juliet scolded, her familiar tone making it obvious that the two of them had known each other a long time. “How could you endanger her like this? She’s not Lillian. She’s lost and she’s frightened.”

Rowan sighed. Apparently, Juliet was just as good at scolding in this universe as she was in Lily’s.

Lily tried to pinpoint where he was. She could see bushes and even a bit of the trail, but she couldn’t see him. Rowan seemed to be able to blend into the shadow and starlight.

“I don’t want to fight with you, Juliet,” he said, disarming Lily with his honest tone. “But I can’t let you take her.”

“She’s in shock and she’s terrified. You allowed her to get injured,” Juliet continued, as if the Rowan she knew would never allow something like that to happen.

“And I’ll kill her if I have to,” Rowan answered, finally stepping into view. He had his knife out.

Lily heard Juliet gasp, like she was fighting back tears. Feeling rather ridiculous, Lily tried to mindspeak again.

Hey, Jules. Can you hear me? Hello? But she didn’t see or hear any reaction from Juliet.

“What’s happened to you, Rowan?” Juliet asked, dismayed. “Has Alaric turned you into another one of his painted savages?”

“Careful, Juliet.” Rowan’s expressive mouth was pinched into a thin line of warning. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. You don’t know the man.”

“I know he’s little better than a wild animal.” Juliet pressed on with increasing heat. “Alaric has killed hundreds of guards—in all the Thirteen Cities—and he won’t even entertain the notion of peace. Rowan,” she said pleadingly, “I can understand you wanting to help your people, but how can you align yourself with him?”

“Because Lillian and the Covens have made peace impossible,” Rowan said. “Only when the Thirteen Cities grant Outlanders basic rights and stop killing the people who can give them a better future will peace ever be an option again.”

“Lillian says there’s a reason she’s taken this path,” Juliet said in a slightly more subdued tone. “That it’s for all our sakes.”

“What reason could she have for killing scientists, teachers, and doctors?” Rowan ran a hand through his thick hair. His face was sad and lost. “Come on, Juliet. How can you align yourself with her?”

Juliet looked down at her hands. She fidgeted with her fingers the same way Lily’s Juliet did when she was anxious. “She’s my sister.”

The argument was over. Rowan approached Lily and took her hand out of Juliet’s. Lily tried to fight him off, but Juliet stopped her.

“Don’t struggle, Lily. He really will kill you if he has to.” Juliet turned to Rowan. “And what about me?”