Theo passed Odette to me as we escaped through the trapdoor. He slipped through, then changed into an alicorn once we were outside. Emma pulled herself onto his back, and I placed Odette in front of her. Emma held on to Odette to keep her upright as Theo galloped at a dead run for the western university gate. I changed into a wolven to follow. I was faster on my paws than my feet.
“There they are!” I heard a soldier shout. “After them!”
There had to be a whole battalion giving chase. The sound of boots, hooves, and wingbeats filled the air behind us, and noxtie darts flew in the air. I ducked several of them, and they skimmed through my fur as the bullets embedded into trees.
I thought for a terrible moment we weren’t going to make it. I glanced behind, and saw that the soldiers pursuing us were dangerously close. I readied my wings to fly, just in case we had to take the skies out of here, but even so, I worried. We couldn’t outfly a dragon, and Gabby had whole hosts of them working for her.
The moment we hit the woods and were out of the city boundaries, Emma shot her hand forward to make a portal. Theo jumped through it, and I surged after him. I felt a bit of my tail hair be shaved off as the portal closed shut behind me, preventing any soldiers from following.
My paws landed on grass. The familiar smells of the Irish coastline filled my nose. My heart was still pounding as I turned in place, looking for signs of any soldiers. I saw none, but didn’t trust my eyes. They could be anywhere.
“I portaled us a few miles outside of the estate, just in case they ended up following,” Emma breathed. “We should wait to see if they figured out where we went.”
“No,” Theo said adamantly. “We get Odette to Miroslava immediately.”
Odette’s breathing was shallow, and Theo was so insistent that we didn’t argue. I volunteered to stay behind as Emma and the others went on ahead. I doubled back several times along my path, making sure a sorceress working for Gabby hadn’t been able to figure out the signature traces of Emma’s portal, which would betray our location.
Emma’s magic was strong, which meant it was difficult for most to decipher. That didn’t mean it was impossible, though, so I took extra precaution.
I didn’t return to the estate until the next morning, when I was certain I wasn’t being followed. Even then, I took the long way, diverting in several directions in order to confuse anyone who could’ve been on my trail.
As the sun came up over the horizon, I saw Emma sitting in a rocking chair on the porch, a blanket draped over her lap. There was a warm mug of coffee in her hands that she hadn’t bothered to sip.
I shifted back as I climbed the porch steps. “No followers,” I stated. “How are the girls?”
“Kiara and Odette will survive, but they need to rest, and recover. Both of them have been through a lot,” Emma said in a sad way. “The others made it back from Dolinska. Nobody was hurt, but there have been… complications.”
“What kind of complications?”
Emma took a short sigh. “There were photographs taken of us when we were fleeing campus. The pictures were leaked online before Gabby was able to suppress them. They know I’m alive, Ethan. Everyone does.”
A bolt of fear quivered through me. I had just gotten Emma back, and already, she was in danger once again… possibly in more danger than she ever had been. The fae world now knew that Emma had returned. Her reappearance would spark rebellion in the people, and fear in Gabby.
That meant Droga would be looking for her. And this time, he wouldn’t stop until he knew Emma was dead.
Chapter Eighteen
Emma
Iwasn’t sure that Odette would be strong enough to walk, but she found Ethan and I later that same day. Her steps were slow, but she moved with determination as she stood beside the table. Theo hurried after her, a concerned expression overtaken his features.
“I didn’t think you’d be up,” I said as I looked her up and down. Odette looked so terrible. Her face was so matted with bruises that it was hard to see her blue eyes.
I hated Droga’s soldiers for what they’d done to her, and was happier than ever that Igor had met his shitty fate at Theo’s hands. I wanted him to suffer in the Underworld, for what he’d done to my best friend.
Yet still, her eyes were narrowed, like she had her mind made up.
“We must get our hands on the silver crown, and if possible, we must do it today. At the very least, we need to locate it. There’s no other way to defeat Droga,” Odette said. “You need my help to find it.”
“My dear, you’ve just been through a terrible ordeal,” Theo argued.
“And there’s no time for it,” Odette said sharply. “I can heal once the dark god is back in his grave.”
“What did you have in mind, Odette?” I asked.
“Therusalkawere the guardians of the silver crown. They protected it for hundreds of years while they were waiting for Emma to show up. Maybe they have some sort of magical bond to it.” She shrugged. “They could know where it is now.”
“So do you think if you call upon therusalka, and ask them where the crown is, they’ll tell you?” I asked.
