Chapter 45
Vanya
I was running like hell.
Vaulting over crates, dodging baskets, slipping through narrow gaps between vendors and carts, my feet barely touched the ground as I tore through the edge of the marketplace. People shouted as I bumped into them, nearly knocking over a fruit stand. “Sorry!” I yelled over my shoulder, not even slowing down. I didn’t have time to explain. I didn’t have time for anything.
All I had was one destination—and I was already late.
My braid whipped against my back as I sprinted across the plaza, my dress fluttering wildly around my legs. The witch’s magic had done its job. I looked like Vanya again. But what was the point if Kross wasn’t there to see it?
I reached the place we had agreed on—the big bronze clock tower near the edge of the public market
