Page 120 of Destiny of a King

“Tell me where I can find you.”

Still, he got nothing from her. He tempered the impatience that threatened to surface. He had spent too long searching for this woman to frighten her off now that she finally stood before him.

He tried again. “Help me protect Scotara.”

The healer began to fade.

“Nay. Wait.”

For the briefest moment, she lingered.

Dravic stepped closer. “Help me protect your home.”

He waited, hoping for some acknowledgment, some indication that she understood what he asked of her… to protect what belonged to her, to them all.

None came.

The dark form dissolved slowly, breaking apart like mist until only a few pale wisps remained between the trees before those, too, disappeared.

Dravic stood staring at the place where she had been. He had finally found the exceptional healer. Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say she had found him. That thought settled uneasily in his mind.

She had appeared when Cadby needed her.

How had she known?

Behind him came the unmistakable sound of Cadby drawing another deep breath, reminding Dravic that whatever questions remained unanswered, one thing was certain.

The exceptional healer was real, and her power was far greater than he had imagined.

Another sudden thought struck him.

Adira.

He turned sharply toward the tree where he had left her.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Voices on the Wind

An Unexpected Truth

Dravic reached Adira in long, hurried strides and dropped down beside her.

Fiora hovered near her shoulder, worry having chased away every trace of the fairy’s usual mischief.

“She hasn’t opened her eyes yet,” Fiora said. “I tried to wake her, but⁠—”

Dravic cupped her face and gently turned it toward him. “Adira.”

She did not stir and fear tightened around his chest.

He tried again, his tone commanding. “Adira.”

Her eyelids fluttered.

Relief struck him so strongly that he released a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.

Her eyes opened slowly, confusion filling them before they found his face.