“Such a thing is possible?” I wondered aloud.
“As if she was a ghost?” Zaela asked from where she stood, leaning against the windowsill.
“Precisely,” Veli answered. “Which means that she does not necessarily know where we are. If a portal had transported her there physically, the witch who cast the spell would have had to, at one point, physically be in the location that she opened it to. Now, it's impossible to say if they have ever stepped foot on this particular soil over the centuries, but given the circumstances of Idina appearing directly in your bedroom, it’s safe to assume that is not the case.”
“What does it entail to project one's consciousness before another? Are there rules or guidelines like the portals?” Jace asked.
“All it would take is for the person to have met the individual they wish to present themselves to. Once the spell is cast, it only takes merely a whisper and picturing them in their minds. Seconds later, they will appear wherever the person is located.”
“That may be the most terrifying form of dark magic I’ve heard of to date,” Landon said softly.
“It’s not even classified as dark,” the witch answered. “Though, since shadows were present, I’m assuming they were acting as an extra barrier of protection for the queen.”
“That’s even more terrifying,” Finn echoed.
“So the good news is that she can’t travel here by portal and she likely doesn’t know that we lay hidden beyond the mountains. The bad news is that she may appear before us whenever she wishes, and depending on where we are at that time, she may discover our whereabouts.”
I rubbed my temples as a migraine brewed from everything she was unloading on us. “Mother’s tits, this is a gods-damn nightmare.”
“That it is,” Veli huffed.
“We need to move our armies, and we need to move them soon. Much sooner than we planned,” I stated.
“How soon?” Gage asked, every bit the calculating second-in-command, and no longer the joking, half-drunk best friend.
Nyra trotted up to me and sat on my feet, tilting her head to the side as she looked up at me. I reached down and scratched her ears as I blew out a breath.
“I want us marching by the end of the week,” I stated. “Can we make that happen?”
Gage’s eyes darted to Zaela and then over my shoulder to Jace. “It won’t be a simple task, but we can talk to Leon too, and get a better idea.”
“Excellent. I want the ships prepared, too,” I stated.
He gave me a curt nod. “We will do everything we can.”
I aimed for the stairs set back from the living area. “I’ll come with you to speak with him. Let me just change out of this first.”
The sound of footsteps filled the room as everyone dispersed, following me up the stairs to prepare for the demanding day that awaited us.
Chapter fifty-two
Elianna
My gaze lingered onmy wedding gown sprawled across our bed as I pulled my fighting leathers up my thighs, wishing more than anything that I had time for a hot bath before the day ahead.
Jace approached me and placed a gentle kiss on my forehead as he finished buttoning his shirt. “You still feel guilty for what you said to Avery,” he guessed.
“I don’t know what came over me,” I whispered before placing my hands on my hips.
“Lia, you have the weight of the realm on your shoulders and our wedding night was bombarded by the queen. You’re angry and scared andhurt. You have every right to be each of those things and more. Nobody blames you for feeling this way. To be honest, they’re probably shocked you’ve held it together this long.”
“I have never lashed out at her before. Ever.”
He shrugged as he took my chin between his fingers. “We often lash out at those closest to us. The gods know that I have too many times to count on both Gage and Zae before we met.”
“You? Lash out in anger?”
The corners of his lips lifted. “There she is.”
