“He’s still a bat,” Calem mumbled. “Seriously, ‘Fig’? You can’t slap a cute name on it and think—”
Suddenly, Fig’s head rotated to the right, and he let out another piercing scream. I jumped, whipping around to see what he’d spied. A plume of dark tendrils appeared out of thin air. They began to take shape until Kost manifested, shadows forming and disappearing with the faint breeze. Wincing, he covered his ears and took a halting step back. I’d never seen one of them shadow walk, but Noc had described it to me before. Apparently, all members of Cruor could separate their consciousness from their physical bodies and travel in the form of smoky projections. With a sigh of relief, I signaled for Fig to stop, and he went back to standing guard.
Kost frowned at my beast. “Not exactly a pleasant greeting.”
Noc strode toward him, shoulders tight. “Is everyone safe?”
“Yes. We made it to Hireath a few hours ago. I wanted to get everyone settled before I contacted you.”
“Good.” Noc’s muscles loosened.
“How did you find us?” I asked, joining Noc’s side. He’d shadow walked to Midnight Jester once while dealing with my bounty, and he’d mentioned being able to do so because he knew the location. He’d simplywilledhimself there. But out here, there were no concrete landmarks. Just rolling plains that seemed to stretch on for eternity.
“I reviewed your travel plans before you left, so I had a faint notion of where you’d be. Plus, like calls to like. I could sense their shadows when I got close enough.” He gestured to his brothers before letting his hand fall to his side. “You’re farther along than I anticipated, though.”
“We didn’t camp last night. I wanted to put more distance between us and the capital.”
“Smart,” Kost replied.
“How’s Gaige?” I almost didn’t want to ask. But I had to know. Both out of concern for a fellow Council member and because he was my friend.
Kost stiffened subtly, but he managed to keep his voice level. “Not great. He hasn’t stepped foot inside a single building. Convincing the Kestral to let him through the barrier was…tough.”
My chest tightened. I hadn’t eventhoughtabout the barrier. That invisible wall was meant to keep monsters out of Hireath and protect Charmers. Just knowing that the Kestral had to be convinced to let Gaige enter, even though he was a member of the Council… I hugged my stomach.
“How?”
“He summoned Okean.” Kost’s words were rigid. “Fortunately, that was enough.”
Tension hung between us for a moment, none of us knowing exactly what to say. I wasn’t even sure there was anything thatcouldbe said. Everything I thought of, every apology or promise of a better future, felt flat. All we could do was move forward and hope things got easier.
“I see.”
Noc ran a tender finger down the back of my arm. Even through the layers of clothes I wore to protect myself from the chill, I still felt lingering warmth. “We’ll stop Yazmin before anything else happens.”
“Yes, well…” Kost hesitated, then shook his head. “I should get back. Raven promised to escort me to the throne room to inspect the prophecy.”
Raven. Not Gaige. A rock formed in my throat, one that took several swallows to force down.
“How’s she doing?” Oz asked.
Kost lifted a shoulder. “Fine. She trains in the morning with Emelia and Iov before running her Charmers through similar drills.”
Oz grinned. “Good. Tell the twins to sweep her legs. She’s not great on that recovery and needs the practice.”
“Noted. If there’s nothing else…” He stared at the horizon.
“Go,” Noc said. “I’m sure you’re needed.”
With only the slightest nods, he disappeared. Oz’s smile faltered as Calem sighed, and the two of them shared a long look before busying themselves with our bags. Rigid, Noc continued to stare at the space where Kost had been. My shoulders rolled forward. I wanted nothing more than to be there for Kost. For Gaige. For Raven. For all of them. But I couldn’t. Not with Yazmin, Darrien, and King Varek plotting against us. Not with both the assassins of Cruor and the Charmers’ lives at stake.
Charmers’ lives…A chill raced over my skin. Every damn time I thought of my people, my mind inevitably raced back to Yazmin’s words. What if therewereCharmers trapped in the capital? It was my duty as the Crown to protect all Charmers, even those who might be held captive in Wilheim’s walls.
Rubbing the back of my arm, I moved to Noc’s side. He had barely blinked since Kost left. “Noc?”
“Yes?”
“Let’s say Yazmin wasn’t lying, that there are Charmers in the capital.”
