Manos couldn’t perceive anyone’s thoughts while they were within the boundaries of Oakmire’s shield. As soon as they began their journey west, they finally became accessible to the mind reader. The girl should be set to inherit her father’s throne now. So why were they sending her away? Theo hadn’t heard about Prince Adriel’s death, and there was no public documentation onhowhe died. It did explain the immense misery he had felt upon the castle when he first arrived. It also explained the burst of power that led him to Keles—the death of the prince had been reported the very same day.
He surmised from the frequent chatter that she was to marry at the western border.
Why so far? Why no public announcements of the union?
He knew exactly why. They had been hiding her.
Theo’s eyes lingered on the crimson carriage between the wagons. Such a large group was a beacon in these forests. It didn’t matter how many guards or weapons they carried. He had mapped the attacks west of the mountains, and this road was riddled with occurrences.
The caravan had started to collect wood for a fire. The hammering of stakes into the ground sounded as they pitched their tents. At least fifteen soldiers, maybe twenty, had been assigned to this patrol. Along with a handful of servants and cooks. Why bring so many to transport one insignificant princess? A princess none of them had known existed until now.
The shield, the secrecy, the extra guard.
Oh yes. Someone in that castle knewexactlywhat she was. Maybe all of them knew.
He smoothed back some of his long hair, tying half of it back with a leather cord.
Countless assaults on the Lynorian people, and what had they done? Organized summits and treaties. Discussed plans with no signs of carrying them out. The mortals had always been so slow to react.
They were afraid, and they should be. For years the royals had been uniting for the possibility of war. For the day the barrier of Ash Cliff would not only falter but fail.
For the dayhewould fail.
The task of protecting the border had been entrusted to him long ago. It had been his life’s work. If Theo couldn’t get an upper hand on an enemy he had faced over a millennium, then mortals had no chance. It would only be a matter of time.
He needed to find out where the monsters were slipping through. He needed to find out how they were killing not only mortals but his own soldiers with ease and stop them before things got out of control.
He needed Helaina.
They had stayed close, following the travelers, attempting to get glimpses of the girl. The only time she emerged from the carriage was to walk directly into her tent.
Get her. Get her out now.That inner pull was raging at him. It was driving him absolutely insane.
“So... are we grabbing her or not?”
Theo turned to Callum, seated in the overgrown grass with his back against a tree, digging the tip of his knife beneath his fingernails, lifting a speck of mud and flinging it in the air. Black leather covered him from wrist to ankle, his bare feet in full view as he had flung off his boots during their rest. His thick mahogany hair feathered past dark eyes that couldn’t look more disinterested in the task at hand. Theo had known the moment he met Callum so many centuries ago that he would be in his Troika—his three.
That heart he possessed was loyal and savage, combined into one complicated mess. A deranged killer sat underneath that cool, handsome grin. A psychopath that had been let loose on countless creatures and betrayers since he became a member of the Divine Allura. All who grew close to Callum knew he was steadfast, but if crossed, the result was fatal. That’s exactly why Theo picked him. On the battlefield, Callum was the unpredictable lightning to Theo’s maniacal storm.
“You asked us to tag along, and so far, all we’ve done is sit around and people watch.” Callum’s tone was edged in annoyance.
The only response Theo gave him was an irritated grunt.
Manos walked between two tall brightbuck trees, their long, thin vines fanning over his blond hair as he paced back and forth. His athletic build was nowhere near that of his bullish companions, and his light hair and eyes were a sharp contrast to their darker features. Truly, Manos looked the most mortal out of the three.
“She’s decided... she’s going to do it tonight,” Manos said. He was more than a mind reader; his power could find your truths, your deceptions, your deepest desires. He could even hold minds in an eerie suspension if he wished, making his enemies still as statues. Holding their thoughts and actions hostage, before swinging his sword through their guts. It was a power anyone would covet in war. It was why Manos was appointed to his position so long ago.
“She isn’t bluffing,” Manos added.
Theo gave a slight nod. There was that maddening pull again, yanking at his chest.
Go to her. Get her now.
“When exactly?” Theo asked.
“She plans to wait until the fires go out,” Manos replied.
This girl wanted to die, and she was no use to them dead. Not like this anyway.
