His brows waggled. “I have some ideas.”
A laugh bubbled up from deep inside me. “You’re incorrigible.”
“Yeah.” His grin wavered, and he chanced a quick look behind him before we hit the stairs to the foyer. By the time we made it through the front door of Cruor, Kost was already waiting for us at the bottom of the porch. Early morning sun bathed the lawns in weak light. Bleached by winter air and frost, the normally plush green grass had turned a golden brown. Even the Kitska Forest clambering against the property’s iron fencing a short walk away was dusted in crystallized flakes.
The first frost of the season.
My heart plummeted to my feet. Winters didn’t last long in Lendria, and as such, Charmers celebrated the first frost with fervor. A feast would be orchestrated, candies and small tokens of love passed to family members and friends. Nights would be spent beneath the stars to chart out constellations and seek guidance from Celeste. Yet another thing I wouldn’t get to share with Noc.
Don’t forget Hireath.If Yazmin really was behind the attack, this day of beauty would now forever be tainted in the eyes of my people. Once-mesmerizing, glistening frost stained a sickly red. We had to save them.
Gaige and Raven stilled beside me, each one of their gazes locked on the ground. With a hard-set grimace, Gaige thrust his hand outward and opened the door to the beast realm. His Telesávra appeared by his feet. Without prompting, the beast unhinged its jaw, and a sparking, swirling portal appeared.
“Only Charmers and beasts can safely pass through the Telesávra’s portal.” He glanced at Oz and Kost, then extended his hand in invitation. “The only way for non-Charmers to do so is to be touching one of our kind or a beast.”
Never in my life had Kost moved to my side so quickly. “Understood.”
Gaige stiffened. Calem rolled his eyes before taking his hand, leaving Oz to pair up with Raven.
“Let’s go,” Kost said, looping his arm through mine.
In pairs, we stepped through the portal. Like most Charmers, Gaige had set his Telesávra’s hearth point to Hireath. Meaning, we manifested on the outskirts of the Beast City in a matter of seconds. The portal was a one-way ride, but I couldn’t have been more thankful for the quick transportation. Yet again another reminder that I needed to tame one for myself to make travel easier between Cruor and Hireath now that I was on the Council.
When we appeared beside the twin sentry towers marking the entrance to Hireath, Dreagles leaped from the stone platforms to inspect us. Oval eyes peered at us until they spied Gaige, Raven, and me. Once they did, they abandoned their pursuit and returned to their stations, folding their wings and ignoring us entirely. No need for their sharp bugle warning call when Charmers returned to Hireath.
“It’s quiet,” Gaige murmured as he sent his Telesávra back to the realm in a pool of citrine light.
“Very,” I said.
The crashing water from the falls was the only sound, and it rushed over the open clearing with deafening authority. No bestial calls from happy creatures. No pleasant murmurings from milling Charmers or laughing children. Nothing. We took a few steps out into the frost-covered field, and our feet crunched against the sparkling grass.
“This can’t be good.” Oz rubbed a thick hand along the back of his neck. Wordlessly, Calem and Kost fell into step around me. Their protection was a soft blanket I wanted to wrap myself in forever, but the icy chill of the air couldn’t be ignored. Something was wrong. And as much as my body ached to remain on the safe side of the unknown, my heart and soul urged me forward.
To Hireath. To the Charmers. To Noc.
Twenty-Nine
Noc
The throne room in Hireath was quiet, despite being packed full of bodies. So many faces, and yet none of them belonged to the one I was searching for. The oath on my wrist simmered, and I cracked my neck. Soon. Yazmin had promised that if I protected her from potential danger, she’d give me what I wanted.
Lingering on the fringe of the congregation, hidden behind one of the thick columns and enough shadows to blanket an entire city, I waited and watched. Red tendrils threaded through the darkness, keeping my purpose clear. I would kill. I would end this horrible nightmare and bring peace to everyone I loved.
Yazmin stood on the dais with the Council’s thrones at her back. “We’ve been betrayed, my fellow Charmers.” Her voice was somber but clear, rolling through the room without an ounce of trepidation.
“What happened?” a voice called from the audience.
“The Council abandoned us. Our newest member, Leena Edenfrell, poisoned their minds and turned them against us. Tristan and Eilan are no more.” She placed a trembling hand to her chest. “The rest are missing. They’re responsible for the attack.”
Leena.The red tendrils sharpened. Soon.Soon.
A hushed mumbling and shocked inhales sounded from the Charmers. Yazmin clasped her hands before her to quiet them. “It’s true. I feel I’m to blame for this egregious turn of events. I was the one who recommended Leena take Wynn’s seat.”
“No!”
“It’s not your fault!”
“Protect us!”
