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The queen’s final thought before her death had been that the one she’d loved the most of all had killed her. She’d told the man who’d tied her to a burning tree that she loved him, and yet he hadn’t even flinched.
Nava had asked Arkimedes before, and he’d been adamant that his father hadn’t been the culprit. “What if it was the emissary who killed her?”
Arkimedes froze and met her eyes. “My mother?”
“Yes. What if she was the first one to die in his quest for revenge?”
23
ORION
Orion followed Nava as she wove through the skeletal trees that remained after the fire. She glowed beneath the ash that streaked her skin, and the bees that always accompanied her seemed unfazed by the steady patter of rain. He’d grown used to the sight of them after they’d been in peril for so long, but that didn’t ease his anxiety.
Mist billowed out of his lips as he exhaled. They were definitely heading into fall now, and with it came much shorter, colder days and the changing leaves of a new season.
“Stay near me,” he said and turned to check on Aristaeus, who was too far away for his comfort. He had been using his Beekeeper magic to bring back some life to a large tree specimen. It had taken him an entire hour thus far, and he had still not moved away.
“It’s cold out here.” Nava blew some warm air into her hands and rubbed them together.
“Our coats have seen better days. It doesn’t help.” He poked at a hole in the fabric left behind by the fire and peered up at the husks of the trees. There was little left to shelter them from the weather, and lightning crawled across the dark, stormy sky, followed by loud thunder.
The weather was getting worse, and they were far from town.
Now that they’d left the sacred ground Aristaeus had built his home on, Orion couldn’t wait to get back to Leela’s house. He needed to make sure Devon wasn’t dying. He’d barely slept during the past couple of nights, sick with worry.
Even though Aristaeus’s home had offered them a semblance of safety away from his father’s guards, the Crows, and the Zorren, they couldn’t stay here another day.
“We must return to the city before nightfall and strategize about how to obtain the artifact. That’s one thing we can’t find in the forest.”
Nava sniffed and shuffled close to him, seeking shelter under his wing. She cast a knowing look at him. “Do you know where we can start?” At least she didn’t mention Devon again.
“No.”
“Seriously, that’s all you’re going to say?” She pursed her lips. They had turned a light shade of mauve from the cold. Orion had to get her out of there, even if she needed to heal the trees. They’d endured hours of relentless rain with no end in sight, and he was done.
“While I was working for the Society, they used to hunt for smugglers around the ports. People frequently come here to poach rare animals and sell them to other kingdoms. Sometimes they trade in magical weapons.” Orion wrapped an arm around Nava’s slim shoulders and extended his wing to shelter her further.
“Like a god’s artifact?”
“It’s unlikely, but they might tell us where we can find one, for a price.”
“So… our plan is to find a smuggler in the ports and hope that they’ll give us the information we need?” She huffed a laugh.
“I know how it sounds.” His face grew warm. “And no. They won’t exactly give it to us willingly…”
That sobered her up. She blinked rapidly to banish the raindrops that had accumulated on her lashes. “It’s just me and you, Ark. How are we going to fight anyone?”
“And Devon, too. If he is well.” A heavy knot formed in his throat, and it took everything he had not to grab her and rush back to his brother. “We can offer them money, and if—when—that fails, then…” He didn’t need to say the words.
Nava nodded, and her face set into a resolute expression that showed him how fucking brave she was.
Fighting pirates was less risky than going into the castle to take part in whatever game his father was playing. He couldn’t take the chance. Not when Nava’s and Aristaeus’s safety was at stake.
He studied the surrounding area, his heart drumming in his throat. His fingertips prickled as his power awakened. What if the emissary heard them discuss their plan? Was there a shadow lurking nearby? A portal?
Nava’s hand wrapped around his wrist, squeezing it gently. “We’re safe. The forest and the bees would alert us otherwise.”
He glanced down at her and the small smile that pulled at the corners of her pillowy lips. Then she pointedly glanced at her feet, where moss and grass were sprouting from beneath the ash.
