Page 3 of A Thread of Breath and Bone

“No.” It’s not possible. “No, he’s not—” I can’t even say the word. “It’s just a sword wound. We can get him to the palace healers and⁠—”

“Princess.” Ezra sighs. “It wasn’t the wound. The creature found him first. We didn’t see it coming until it was too late.”

The air is sucked from the room in an instant. Each inhale becomes harder than the last.

Kuron can’t be dead. He’s one of the strongest warriors I know. He’s my family. I never told him that, but he is. He’s always been my guard, even as a child.

I shake my head. Ryker holds me close to his chest, but my tears never come. My chest feels tight, words impossible, anger hot and ugly. They took him from me.

She took him from me.

“Raea,” Ryker warns, his magic countering mine, cooling the white-hot heat surging through me. “Calm down, love. You’ll rip a hole in the ship. Breathe with me.” He steps into my field of vision, gripping my face a little harder than I’m used to.

I want to lash out. I want to scream and shove him away, but he’s right.

“There we go,” he whispers as the heat filters back into the well and his cooling water magic floods my system, quickly healing my singed veins.

I inhale once, twice, and exhale slowly.

Ryker’s sapphire gaze meets mine, and his grip on my chin becomes tender, softly stroking my jaw. My lip wobbles, but I bite down hard enough that it's painful.

I glance over Ryker’s shoulder at Ezra. “And my ladies? Our media team?”

Ezra exchanges a knowing look with Aksel.

“They’re…recovering, Princess. Just a few injuries. I reached them in time,” Aksel says.

“Rune?” Ryker asks.

Aksel sighs. “Staying with all of them, guarding them on the deck. We tried to reach you first⁠—”

Ryker holds up a hand, his gaze still locked on mine. “What’s done is done. Thank you both. You saved a lot of lives today.” The authority in his voice almost shocks me. It’s the future king talking, not Ryker. His hand settles on my shoulder, brushing down my arm. “We can’t go to Kyrr. They could be tracking us.”

A different sort of nausea swirls in my stomach. The idea of those creatures getting into the palace makes me shudder. “Cidal’s moon, Droskana. It's a storage facility.”

It’s Ezra who replies. “It’s too toxic. We need supplies and clean water.”

Ryker holds my gaze for a moment longer before he says, “Latva. In the southern Dalbriand forest, there’s a lake. There are no colonies or villages for hundreds of miles. We’d be alone. We could hide the transport in the trees. Gather ourselves.”

“I’ll take one of the pods to a village and gather supplies,” Aksel chimes in.

Ryker brushes my bloodied strands away from my face. “Let’s get you to the medical bay, bind your legs, and clean your neck. Ezra, inform Rune and the pilot. Aksel, you’ll come with me. We need to discard the creatures. We’ll drop them off the ramp.”

“The shadows and mist,” I whisper, gripping Ryker. “What if⁠—”

"We will deal with it." His voice is final as he lifts me into his arms.

Chapter 2

Raea

Once again, we find ourselves in the Oris Kingdom and here without any announcement. It takes some convincing from the Regils and pilot to turn off our tracking and every system that could trace us. Our pilot, Captain Oktavious, only grunts, taking in the blood and the tattered gown I am holding together. With a sigh, he puts the entire transport into incognito, essentially erasing us from every map and tower, and losing non-essential power.

After some convincing that I am okay, we leave the flight deck. I remain with Ryker and watch as he, Aksel, and Rune suit up after clearing the ship. The bodies of our people will be buried, but the bodies of the demon creatures—I shudder thinking of them—need to be disposed of. Finding no trace of shadows or whispering mist, they declare the ship cleared and then enter the foyer where the ramp is open. Ryker shoots the creature twice more to make sure it is indeed dead, then lifts it by the ankle. Rune helps by grabbing the clawed hands, and together they swing the corpse out the back.

Ryker closes the ramp. As the room pressurizes, oxygen fills the space allowing them to remove their helmets and the lockdown doors slide open. I leave them to deal with the other bodies and make my way to the medical bay.

The medical bay is a shock to my system. Blood and gore fill my nostrils, cries of pain echoing before I’m even in the room. There are two emergency beds and a cot, all three full, and others have made makeshift beds on the floor.