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I smiled up at him. “Yeah. I’m good.”
I did feel slightly better about it all. I needed the time to think and clear my head, and Nikan had given that to me.
We left the next morning just as the sun began to crest over the horizon. I spoke to Odarum about training with my magic and shifting, and he agreed that we should start after we find Malina and decide where we were going next. Neither of us brought up the last couple of days. It was done and over with, and time to move on.
Trotting through a small patch of woods, a voice echoed through the trees.
“I never thought I’d be so happy to see someone that I thought was dead.”
I stopped my horse. “Doesn’t sound like you had a lot of confidence in me.”
I searched the dense canopy above me—the leaves were turning from green to red and orange and yellow. Malina was known for keeping to the treetops, using the illusion of the sunlight peeking through the leaves to conceal her. She would get the attention of her victims before blinding them. It gave her the advantage of the high-ground to spy and fight as well as remaining obscured from below. But instead, she stepped out from around the trunk of a tree next to the path.
Malina’s hair was twisted into a bun on top of her head. She was dressed in her Roav leathers. Her pack was hanging over one shoulder, and she was twirling one of her daggers between her fingers.
“A mistake on my part.” She gave a smirk. “Who would have thought that a Roav could be Worthy.”
I hopped off my horse and hugged her firmly. Nikan jumped down and stood next to us before hugging her as well after I let go.
She glanced behind me at Odarum. “Well, it looks like it wasn’t quite so unfortunate that I lost my horse. You seem to have an extra. And it’s got wings!” She clapped her hands.
“She will not mount me,”Odarum huffed.
“I don’t know about that. She’s never turned down a suitor before.”I giggled when he snorted and his skin twitched.
“That’s Odarum. He doesn’t like to be touched. What happened to your horse?” I asked my sister.
“Ah, damn thing bolted a few days ago. One of those saber-tooths was in the area.”
“Did you find what you were looking for?” Nikan asked.
She looked at him and nodded. “Yep. And it’s fucking heavy to be lugging around on foot, too. I left this morning to head back to Morah.”
She dropped her pack and sat against the base of the tree with her knees bent and her forearms resting on them.
“But enough about me and some old tome. Kya, tell meeverything.”
“We really should keep moving—”
“We have time, Nik,” I interrupted as I sat down next to Malina with my legs crossed underneath me.
I told her all that had happened from the beginning of the Trial—leaving out the little details. I told her of each of the Tests, the creatures, being chosen by Kleio and her command for me to find the truth about the Glaev, Odarum, the book being stolen, finding the dead seller, then coming here.
“You have yet to mention your mate to those closest to you. Interesting,”Odarum said.
“Watch it. That is none of your concern,”I snapped.
Malina took a few moments to take everything in, mulling it over.
“And you didn’t discover anything about who stole this book from Morah?” she asked.
“No,” Nikan and I responded in unison.
“No other clues about how this Moury male came into possession of it?” She tilted her head to the side and chewed on her lip.
“No,” Nikan said.
“Yes,” I answered at the same time. He gaped at me as I continued. “I met with one of my contacts and learned that Moury found the book on a beach at the northern end of Dusan.”
