The sobs tumbling from my lips wouldn’t be appeased.
“Hey.” Kost pulled back a fraction, giving me a glimpse of his face. “It’s okay.”
“But it’s not. Noc is gone. The Azad is gone. Felicks was almost—”
“But he’s not.” Kost nodded to his beast, who wiggled in my arms. Turning to place his paws against my chest, Felicks aimed his face at my wound and began licking. Kost’s smile was brilliant. The likes of which I’d never seen. “We’ll find Noc. It’s not too late.”
Oz joined us, visibly torn between relief and worry. “What about the Azad?”
Weakly, I sighed. “If we can’t find and force the Charmer responsible to release Noc, we’ll have to come back. We don’t have any more fruit, and it could take weeks, maybe months, for me to find one without a lure.”
Kost released me, and his expression went dark. “Understood. Let’s go after Noc first.”
Settling my nerves with a steady breath, I gave him a sharp nod. We were already short on time. Now, we didn’t have the ruska fruit or the Azad. But more than that, we didn’t have Noc. And none of this mattered if we didn’t have him by our side. Turning toward the cliff where Raven’s Fabric Spinner had been, I sent out a silent prayer that he’d keep fighting until we got to him. Because wewouldget to him.
And then Raven would be sorry she’d ever laid a hand on myanam-cara.
Twenty-Four
Leena
We only made it a handful of steps away from Glacial Springs when our plan to track the Fabric Spinner went to hell. Just as we approached the ridge where the beast had been, a heavy thud ricocheted through the mountain pass. As one, we froze. Had the Nix Ikari returned? Several more thuds crashed in the distance. Closer. The snowfall had thickened, making it difficult to see anything. I couldn’tsensea beast, but that hardly meant anything when it came to the legendary feline. She could appear without warning.
Panicked, I forced out a whisper. “What was that?”
Silver flashed momentarily several yards away and then disappeared.
Kost’s eyes narrowed. Then widened. He snatched my wrist and yanked me the opposite direction. “Sentinels.”
Oz cursed, calling forth his own weapons. “We need to move. Now!”
We never got the chance. Columns of blinding light erupted around us, and Wilheim’s prized soldiers manifested with their swords unsheathed. Our run-in with the Nix Ikari must have alerted them to our presence. My breathing turned shallow.
My gaze bounced from Sentinel to Sentinel. Fifteen. I had beasts, but sending them against a brigade of soldiers? At least one would surely die. Not to mention, asking them to attack a human? It was too reminiscent of the First War. My gut churned as I thought of Celeste’s watchful gaze. What would she do?
But Kost and Oz’s shadows wouldn’t work against these warriors of light. We’d nearly had our defenses burned to ash on a chance encounter with one after we’d outmaneuvered Darrien’s assassins. Only Kost’s wits had us escaping unscathed. But fifteen?
Out. We had to getout.
I tossed a quick glance at Kost and Oz. Their jaws were tight, fingers twitching. They leaned into their heels and were waiting, calculating. The last of the Sentinels had just fully emerged from his beam of light and raised the tip of his sword in our direction.
Kost whispered under his breath, “Leena, we’ll hold them off. You need to run.”
No.My heart jumped into my throat.I wouldn’t let them sacrifice themselves for me. My mind raced for an option, tearing through the pages of my bestiary. Maybe I could create a diversion.
And I had just the beast to do it.
“Sorry, Kost. Not gonna happen.” Thrusting my hand outward, I forced power into my symbol and opened the beast realm door. The groaning hinges howled like the winter wind, and Kost and Oz showed only the barest hints of recognition. I called on Iky, giving him the silent command to stay invisible. I felt rather than saw him appear beside me, his watery scent a welcome relief. His two-hour timetable clicked into place in my mind, and I gave the slimmest of nods.
It was all he needed.
He slipped through the night, footprints obscured by the ever-falling snow, and snuck behind the first Sentinel.
The solider glowered our direction. “Stand down. You’re to return with us at once to the capital.”
“For what reason? Visiting Glacial Springs isn’t illegal.” Kost held his ground, giving Iky time to slip into place.
The Sentinel grunted. “You’re charged with treason. King Varek will—”
