Wincing, I dug my heel into the dirt. I hadn’t, and she knew it. Why must she always know the truth?
Desires and fears swarmed in my head. I couldn’t trust my own thoughts. They had convinced me it was smart to cut my hand with a goddess’s blade. How would they tempt me next?
A horn blew from near Perun’s Oak, and my heart sunk. I wasn’t ready to face the crowds. They had seen me shout at Mikołaj. They knew I would never have his strength, his prestige, or his looks. On the day I’d dreamt of love, all I had instead was dread and an infinite number of questions. My hopes seemed petty when I was choking to death, yet they were all that warmed my heart as I pondered my return.
Mom took my hands one last time. “You must go, but be careful. If Marzanna is scheming on the eve of her banishme
