“Whatever you say,” Ozias said.
“That’s the right attitude.” She splayed out her hand, igniting the air in a faint, currant-colored glow. “I’ll be back in a minute with the Telesávra.”
“Thanks, Raven,” Leena said.
“Don’t mention it.” And with that, she disappeared into the beast realm.
“Glad to see she’s coming around,” Gaige mused. Then, he called over his shoulder as he exited the throne room through a nearby corridor. “I’ll rejoin you momentarily. I just need to collect a few things.”
Kaori targeted Leena with a pointed look. “Please, be safe. I’ll field any concerns that might occur while you’re away.” She tipped her head in a slight bow before following the same path Gaige had taken.
Calem’s gaze lingered on her a fraction too long before he brought his attention back to us. “I don’t care what she says, I’m still not carrying anyone’s bags.”
Ozias laughed, drowning out the sound of Kost’s exaggerated sigh. Leena sidled closer to Calem and made a show of examining his back, as if assessing exactly how many bags he could carry. Her happy jests and his playful griping filled me with warmth, but as I glanced over their heads in the direction of Celeste’s statue, a chill crept down my neck. The anniversary of her death wasn’t far off. We’d been at it for a week, researching endlessly for a way to end this catastrophe before it began. And still, nothing. Yazmin had the upper hand already, and it was only a matter of time before she’d strike.
Three
Kost
The courtyard outside the keep was quiet. For the most part, the Charmers had cleared the area after Leena’s coronation, and only a few milled about with their beasts. I watched closely as a young woman found a stick on the ground and tossed it for her wolf beast. The creature reacted without hesitation, bounding toward its mark and returning it with a joyful yip. A smile lit the woman’s eyes, and she gave her beast an approving pat on the head. The love these Charmers held for their creatures was palpable, and that made it all the more inspiring to know they were willing to align themselves with our cause.
A few feet away, Leena barked out a curse and stumbled to the side as Raven laughed. She’d only just returned from the beast realm with the Telesávra, and the beast had the energy of a toddler. He’d darted around in erratic patterns before ramming his head into Leena’s leg, only to take off again in a dead sprint. Leena chased after him, leaving behind Raven, Noc, Calem, and Ozias, all bemused.
Sinking to a nearby stone bench, I extracted a bronze key from my breast pocket and summoned Felicks. He appeared with ease, ears alert and eyes bright. I’d summoned him frequently to strengthen our bond, which meant he was able to spend even more time with me outside of the beast realm. I worked my fingers down his spine, and he let out a satisfied huff. As soon as Leena wrangled her ill-behaved beast, we’d be on our way.
“At least you’re much more civilized,” I muttered, stroking Felicks’s fur. The amethyst orb atop his head clouded, and a series of pictures formed in my mind as my beast shared his vision. A thorough rubdown for Felicks, Leena finally controlling her Telesávra, Gaige approaching from the keep… A fluttery sensation overcame my stomach, and I tensed. It wasn’t a surprise to find that Gaige was heading my way. It was the way he’d paused in Felicks’s vision when his gaze landed on my back. A slow, genuine smile—devoid of its usual mischief but full of anticipation—had claimed his face. He’d run a hand through his hair and adjusted the cuffs of his mulberry-colored tunic. And instead of joining Raven, who’d waved for him the moment he’d appeared, he’d elected to sit beside me.
Felicks’s orb cleared, and he gave me a knowing look.
“Hush.” I adjusted my glasses, ignoring the thrum of excitement brewing in my chest. The crunch of boots against frozen grass sounded at my back, and I schooled my expression into nonchalance. Clamping my hands together, I focused instead on Leena as she corralled her Telesávra.
“I’ve seen a lot of Felicks lately,” Gaige mused. Dropping to the bench, he reached over and scratched my beast beneath his chin. My legs tensed at his nearness, but I didn’t jolt. Drawing attention to my body’s involuntary reaction—something I certainly couldn’t control—would only result in awkward embarrassment. “You’ve been training a lot?”
“Of course.” I continued to watch the rogue Telesávra. “The last thing I want is, well,that.”
Gaige tracked the rambunctious beast. He snorted. “Yes, well, Felicks is a bit more dignified.”
“I should hope so,” I said.
Gaige continued to run his hand down the length of Felicks’s spine. “And his visions?”
I flinched, jerking my head slightly to the side and meeting Gaige’s unnerving stare. His eyes crinkled at the corners, and his lips quirked up on one side. He couldn’t possibly have known what Felicks had shown me not two minutes ago. But he looked at me just the same, as if he were in on some private joke and could barely contain his mirth.
“They’re…informative.”
“Good. They’ll only get more detailed as time goes on.” He folded his hands in his lap, and Felicks let out a disgruntled sigh before nudging his snout beneath my fingers. “I imagine learning to harness Felicks’s power is a lot like learning to control your shadows.”
The tension coiled tight between my shoulders loosened. Talking about the shadows was easy and far safer than examining the nature of Felicks’s visions. Especially when they involved Gaige.
“To a degree, yes.” I held out my palm and called on the dark tendrils lurking in my peripheral vision. They flew to me with ease and swirled about my wrist before wreathing my gloved fingers. Even through the fabric, I could feel their cool touch. “It’s similar to the bond I have with Felicks, in that it’s always there. I can sense it and call on it. But Felicks is a living being, unlike these.” One tendril dripped from my hand and gently grazed the back of Gaige’s arm, though I hadn’t realized I’d meant to touch him. He stilled, eyes transfixed on the shadow, and a wave of gooseflesh rippled across the exposed part of his neck.
He cleared his throat. “Do you enjoy being an assassin? Commanding the shadows?”
“Those are two very different questions.” I tilted my head and called off the smoky tendrils. Gaige’s eyes fell, as if disappointed, but he recovered quickly and offered a familiar grin. My stomach clenched in response. “Work as an assassin is tolerable. It doesn’t bring me fulfillment or sadness, it just is. But the shadows…” I let my voice trail off, thinking about what Talmage had given me by raising me from the dead all those years ago. At first, I’d resented him for something that wasn’t remotely his fault. My former lover, Jude, had abandoned me the moment I’d shown him those onyx wisps.
I hated the dark for a long time after that. But now… I glanced at my brothers a short distance away. To the untrained eye, the shadow realm was a dark and terrifying world. To me, it was a haven.
Gaige studied my expression as he waited for me to respond.
