“Shall we?”
“It’s now or never.” He took my hand, and I activated my power. The tree on the back of my hand bloomed to life, branches and vines racing up my forearm to wrap around my neck and frame my temple. As I wrenched open the beast realm door, the last thing I saw before the world was wiped away in a rosewood glow was the ice blue of Noc’s desperate gaze.
Thirty
Noc
Time passed slowly as I made my rounds, visiting my brethren and mingling with Rhyne’s forces. Isla and her people were formidable soldiers. They’d joined Oz’s troops in training and had little difficulty keeping up with his rigorous drills. Raven had taken to instructing the Charmers with more basic directions, as many of them had never held a blade before. When it came time to fight, they’d still rely on their beasts, but it was better to be prepared for anything—especially if they had to recall one of their creatures to the realm to heal, leaving them open for an attack. But as pleased as I was with everyone’s progress, it wasn’t enough to distract me from Leena and Kost’s absence.
Abandoning the lawns in favor of the courtyard outside the keep, I made my way to one of the stone benches surrounding an ornate fountain. An alabaster maiden poured sparkling water from her vase into a shallow, circular pool at her feet. The shrubs and flowers surrounding the structure were dormant, save one twig that was already sprouting a leaf. Spring was almost upon us—and so was the anniversary of Celeste’s death. We needed to march the moment Leena and Kost returned.
Footsteps sounded on the marble path leading to my seat, and I glanced up to find Gaige approaching me. Okean, his legendary water feline, strolled beside him. His twitching, finned tail swished back and forth like a broom. It was nice to see that Gaige’s transformation had only startled his beast initially. Now, Okean was as playful as ever. He rammed his head into Gaige’s hip and let out a yowl, and Gaige responded by reaching down to scratch behind his ears.
“He seems happy,” I said with a nod.
“Indeed.” Gaige gave him a loving pat before the beast leapt into the fountain and began rolling around in the water. “He’s keeping me distracted.”
“I see.” My fingers tapped restlessly against my thigh.
Gaige rubbed his jaw before sinking onto the bench beside me. “I’m sorry for my outburst. This is all very new.”
“It’s understandable. You’ve only been raised for a short while.”
“Even so, the thought of them sneaking into Wilheim or being trapped in the realm…” His voice was thick with unspoken emotion. “I don’t like it.”
“Me neither, but it was the right thing to do.” Or maybe it wasn’t. Their reasoning for going was sound, and had it been anyone else, I would’ve agreed without hesitation. But this was too much. Regret wormed through my gut as I stared at the trickling fountain. Losing one of them was unimaginable. If I lost both… An errant shadow flared to life in my palm, and I let it flow between my fingers.
It simply wasn’t an option.
Gaige watched me closely. “They won’t be gone long.”
I wasn’t sure if he was saying it to convince himself or me, but his words didn’t hold the conviction I needed to believe him. Standing, I silently commanded the shadow to disperse before pivoting toward Cruor’s camp. “We should alert everyone to begin packing.”
We’d never leave without Leena and Kost, but I needed something to do. Something to keep my mind off all the horrible things that could be happening to my family. And a small, irrational part of me insisted that readying ourselves now would somehow make them appear that much faster.
“Yes, well…” Gaige’s eyes slanted to the Kitska Forest, as if he were searching for something. “Before we set off, I should inform you I found—”
A plume of shadows exploded to life before us, and Emelia stepped out of the snarling mess of black tendrils. Wide-eyed, with a smile pulling tight at her lips, she practically bounced on her toes. “Kost’s plan worked.”
“What?” My heart stutter-stepped in my chest. They’d only just left. How? He couldn’t have possibly succeeded that quickly. I’d hoped they’d be swift in their journey, but there was no way he’d seek out Emelia before me.
“Oh, right. He may not have told you, given all the craziness that’s been going around.” She couldn’t help but glance at Gaige. “Before Kost met you in Rhyne, he stopped by Midnight Jester. Paid a bunch of travelers to visit Wilheim and spread rumor of your return.
“Apparently, it worked. Not as quickly as he’d have liked, but a troop of soldiers under the lead of one Sentinel arrived at Midnight Jester just this morning. They’re here to see if Prince Aleksander lives. And if so, rally to his side.”
I blinked. Of course Kost would put a plan like this into motion. A way to seed dissent without risking my life. I’d suggested somehow presenting myself to the people of Wilheim, but there was no possible way I would’ve survived. Simply spreading a rumor wasn’t as powerful as showing my face, but clearly it resulted in at least one brigade joining our side. Assuming I could prove to them I was alive. A quick shadow walk to Midnight Jester would solve that problem.
“How do you know they’re there?”
“Part of my and Iov’s duty. We were told to shadow walk there every couple of hours until we marched, just in case forces showed up.” She clasped her hands before her and rocked back on her heels. “I can go back now if you want me to. Let them know you’re here.”
“No. I’ll go. I need you to find Oz and Calem. Tell them to break down camp and ready our forces.” I did a quick sweep of the area, calculating how long it would take us to move out.
“Understood.” Emelia tipped her chin to her chest and then took off in the direction of Cruor’s camp.
Touching the key around his neck, Gaige sent Okean back to the beast realm. “If it’s all right with you, I’d like to tag along. I have business near there I need to check in on.”
I couldn’t help but frown. “Business?” I’d always known that Gaige juggled a variety of contacts. The mage, whoever he connected with during trips to Wilheim… But I wasn’t keen on any of his “business” interfering with our plans for war.
