“I will continue on, if only becauseIam committed to following orders.” She gave Raefe a sideways glance, and at least the fool had thedecency to look chagrined.
“Sephone, you cannot be seri?—”
The spiked cuff on her wrist jangled threateningly as she held up her hand. “Your presence is clearly antithetical to the nature of the accords, and our very purpose for being here. We are trailingan actual threatto Nyrundelle—to all of Arcanis. We do not have time for this sort of infighting.”
Raefe paused, a genuine flash of fear crossing his face. “You’re asking me to return to Coralith empty-handed?”
Sephone sighed. “No. Go back to Luminaria. Take up our post there again. Keep track of any new activity, any new trails that might be useful for M—for Lord Corlyn and the king to learn of. I’ll reconvene with you after I see where Dawnspire leads us.”
Raefe’s shoulders sagged, a defeated laugh breaking from him. With a toss of his hand, he extinguished the flames blazing in the firepit, his eyes narrowing first on Cedric, then Elyria. “Whatever it is the two of you think you’re playing at here, I hope you both know how foolish it is. Nobody will allow this.”
Elyria scoffed, turning on her heel.
“Least of all your father.”
32
FAMILY TIES
CEDRIC
Had Cedric swung Ashrender,he was sure he would have sliced the space between Elyria and Raefe in half. The air felt impossibly thick. Her back still turned, Elyria was so rigid she might as well have been carved from marble.
Raefe’s final dig had a dozen questions fluttering around inside Cedric’s mind. He wanted to ask what the bastard meant. Wanted to punch him again for being the reason for Elyria’s pain—past, present, future. Wanted to launch the hundred unintelligible words that were all simultaneously fighting for purchase on his tongue into the tangible silence.
Thankfully, Sephone beat him to it. “Fucking idiot. You didn’t need to bring that up.” Her voice was sharp as a razor as she gave Raefe a withering look.
Raefe straightened. “And I also didn’t need to haul my ass across the entire continent just to be sent away like a misbehaving child.”
Elyria whirled, menace in her jeweled eyes even as her mouth tipped up in a cruel smirk. “Yes, well, if the boot fits...”
Raefe threw his hands in the air, indignation reddening his face. “This is the absolute definition of gryphon shit. How many times can a man say he’s sorry”—Elyria and Cedric both snorted at the same time—“before we can all move on? You both got your hits in.” He grimaced. “Literally.”
The tension roiling off Elyria was a physical, visceral thing—the dirt around her boots vibrated, small pebbles rolling across the ground, as if drawn to her. Shadows spilled across her skin, that suit of shadow armor pulling together again, as she took several steps closer to Raefe.
The man, to his credit, seemed to know the smart thing was to take just as many steps back, maintaining the distance between them.
“Move on?Move on?” Elyria spat. “Tell that to the marks you left burned into my flesh. And all because, what, you were upset that I wouldn’t come with you like a good little girl? Because I gave you a bloody nose? The vanity of men never fails to disappoint, I swear.”
Raefe’s hardened expression flickered, some mix of fear and regret flashing over his face. But before Cedric could be entirely sure of what he’d seen, the man had donned a mask of indifference once more.
What Cedric was sure of, however, were the shadows coalescing in one of Elyria’s palms, forming something solid, something sharp. Cedric drew up behind her, placing his palm on the small of her back. She took a shuddering breath, and the shadows released.
Raefe’s exhale sounded like a sigh of relief. “Fine. At least now he”—he jutted his chin at Cedric, ice forming behind his gray eyes—“has a sense of exactly what it is he’s getting into. You all may call me an idiot, but I’m not the silly human playing at tying myself to the heir of Nyrundelle’s underworld.”
Sephone’s typically severe demeanor shifted, her eyes widening as though she was actually concerned for her...partner? Friend? Underling? Whatever they were to each other, it was clear that she did not approve of the path Raefe had chosen to walk here. “Noctis damn you to the fourth quarter, Raephael. You’remaking this worse.”
Cedric bit his tongue, trying very hard not to let the questions that had immediately sprung into his mind tumble from his mouth.
Raefe smiled, as if he knew exactly what those questions were anyway. “I’ll let the Revenant explain.” And with that, he launched himself into the air with a flap of his rust-colored wings, and shot off toward camp.
Sephone exhaled sharply, shaking her head and turning to face Elyria. “I’m sorry about him. I promise, this assignment has all been above board. Our presence and purpose is fully sanctioned by King Lachlandris. Raefe’s past actions and present behavior are not what?—”
“It’s fine,” Elyria replied through clenched teeth. “Just get him out of here.” Her hand flexed over her thigh, over her lingering scars, and heat spiked in the center of Cedric’s chest.
With a nod, Sephone stomped off, muttering under her breath. A glance at the camp told Cedric that Raefe was already pulling his things together, dumping them haphazardly on the ground next to where Jocelyn tended his horse. It was a little hard to tell from all the way over here, but he thought she was smirking as she buckled the saddle. Thought he heard some thoroughly unbothered laughter from Ollie and Tristan and Thraigg as they watched Raefe huff and puff his way through the campsite.
Cedric wanted to relish in Raefe’s imminent departure as much as the others, but the bastard’s parting words kept bouncing noisily off the sides of Cedric’s skull. He felt like he was trying to play catch up in a game that had started eons ago.
