Promising Hope Read Online Free PDF Page A

food floated through the
air. Preparations for the banquet, which would celebrate the end of
the curse and honor Sierra and Grace.
    The entire previous evening, Nilee’s daughter Ela had
covered Sierra, Evan, Matilda, and Lee in temporary dyes, marking
them with intricate Jolenian honor symbols. Sierra looked down at
her hands, amazed at the dark red lines snaking over her fingers:
flowers, dots, lines. She’d wrapped her hands, arms, and feet
overnight, but when she washed the crusty stuff off in the morning,
she marveled at the beautiful art on her skin. ß
    Sierra knew she’d have to go inside soon. She needed
to speak with Jeshro and see what they could do about rescuing
Grace, Dar, Vin, and Amina. They’d been a low priority while
everyone was recovering and sorting through the ancient texts, but
now they had to make a plan. Sierra wouldn’t leave them behind.
    She pulled her hair into a braid again and watched
the waves crash against the rocks below her. Further down the
coast, she could see Nilee and Mort’s personal boat for fishing.
The castle was miles from the nearby villages. Carriages and horses
had left to get things for the banquet as soon as Angela was done
sharing Sierra’s memories with the last elder.
    “Sierra?”
    Evan’s head craned out of the window, and he gave her
a small smile. “I thought I might find you here.”
    She smiled at him and patted the spot next to her.
“Why don’t you come join me?”
    Evan’s smile faded. “Jeshro’s called a meeting.”
    Sierra sighed. She knew the moment wouldn’t last
long, but she’d hoped it would be longer. With one last look at the
view, she left the roof and moved to the window. Evan took her hand
to helped her inside. He pulled her close and kissed her. She
wrapped her arms around him, relaxing into his embrace.
    When they pulled away, he smiled and kissed her
forehead. “Yesterday… was long overdue.”
    “I know,” Sierra whispered. “I’ve missed you.”
    “I’ve missed you, too,” Evan said, brushing a strand
of hair from her face. “It’s been a long two years.”
    She thought of Matt from the circus and her short
relationship with him. He was so unlike Evan. Though he’d cared for
her, most of her time with Matt had been flighty, fun, frivolous.
She ran a finger over the thin stubble forming on Evan’s chin. “It
has.”
    “I guess we’re lucky we did it before they put that
gunk on us.” They’d died Evan’s hands, too, though the designs were
smaller, as well as more geometrical and less feminine. He took the
hand on his chin and looked at her hands. “Though it looks
beautiful on you.”
    She smiled. “I’ll tell Ela you said so. I like it on
you, too.”
    He kissed the tips of her fingers. “You know how many
times I fantasized about seeing you again? I dreamt about you all
the time.”
    “Really?” She tried to make eye contact, but his gaze
was fixed on the designs on her palms. They hadn’t talked about
their time apart much; they’d focused on traveling, on the curse,
on surviving.
    “If you ever died, I’d…”
    “Let’s not think about that. We’re together now.”
    Evan stepped away from her and squeezed her hand.
“Yes.”
    They walked through the castle to the north wing,
where the meetings had been taking place. The castle furnishings
were colorful and bright. Though most of the decor was saved for
the rooms, the various corridors walls had murals painted on the
stone walls. The one they walked through to the meeting was covered
in a mural of Jolenian history: battle scenes, kings and queens in
throne rooms.
    When they entered the meeting room, Sierra saw most
of the elders sat at the table, save Nilee and Bea. An assortment
of other Avialies were present, as well, including Adrian and
Caleb.
    “Thank you for joining us, Sierra,” Jeshro said. “I
thought you might want to be involved in this. At the very least,
you should know about it.”
    “About what?” Sierra asked. She took her