Lachlan moves his head just right to block out the sun. All I see is him. His beautiful face wreathed in a halo of golden light.
“Ye fainted.” His voice sounds broken. “Why didn’t ye say you were nearing burnout?”
“I wasn’t.”
His face crumples up into confusion. “Well, ye fainted for some reason. Ye can only use so much magic before it’s gone. Ye must’ve used too much earlier. ”
Freya hovers beside Lachlan, squished beside Mina and Mathilda.
And Luna, of all people, is on my other side. Her sharp eyes study my face.
“She didn’t faint. She went somewhere.”
Blood drains from my face. My hands tremble and I squeeze them into fists, my fingernails press into my flesh.
“I saw mist, or fog. And a black stone wall.”
Freya’s face tightens, and she glances at Odr before turning back to me. “You saw Toraigh.”
“How could I see another realm without leaving this one?”
Her head shakes, a frown creasing her brow. “The gods must be leading you.”
Lachlan grabs my hand, pulling me to my feet. His familiar callouses scraping against mine ease my fear. I fluff my wings out and the movement is jerky as I try to clear some of the dirtfrom my silver feathers. Tilting my neck awkwardly to the side, I feel the bones crack and relief eases the tension.
“Let’s call it a day and regroup tomorrow,” I breathe, needing a moment to catch my bearings.
Something is happening, changing even, and I can’t quite keep up.
Alone in our room,the silence hangs heavy like a cloud leaden with rain. I feel my heart pump blood through my veins. The muscles of my back twitch, holding my wings aloft, and the grime of dirt still clings to the back of my neck and hands.
Lachlan studies my face, his own, not giving a hint of what he’s thinking. But then his brows crease and his mouth opens.
“Are we going to talk about it?”
I grimace. “Talk about what?”
He crosses his arms and gives me a look that says I know exactly what he’s referring to. Averting my eyes, I toy with a braid and shrug my shoulders.
“Key, ye went somewhere without ever leaving this plane. That’s huge. Not to mention ye went to an enemy stronghold.”
I continue toying with the ends of my hair. I feel like I’m about to enter an interrogation about what I saw. My heart beats faster and my palms prickle. I didn’t really see anything, not anything useful anyway and I’m worried that if I tell him that—he’ll be disappointed.
His palms scrape lightly against my bare shoulders before he grabs my chin, tilting my head up to meet my gaze.
“Are ye alright?” He asks, his eyes searching my face for even a hint of discomfort.
A breath works its way out of my chest.
He’s not disappointed, or even gearing up a full-scale interrogation.
Of course—he’s worried.
I bury my face into his chest and inhale his rain-kissed scent. His arms wrap around me.
“I was worried you’d be disappointed,” I murmur into his chest.
He pulls back, holding me at arm’s length. “Disappointed?”
