Page 35 of Death Will Follow

It’s all right, her uncle’s voice spoke softly in her mind. You’re not to blame.

The other voices behind her faded to a low hum. Nox was wrong. It was her fault. However unwittingly, she had awoken something the night she crossed the Boundary into Aemoria. Her very presence in the Fae Realm seemed to have strengthened Omen. Revived his desire for chaos. For destruction. She had started this, and she needed to finish it.

Nova released a shaky breath as she watched the changing of the guard on the rampart beyond the window. Weary soldiers replaced by others whose sunken, red-rimmed eyes suggested they’d barely had any time to rest since their last watch.

“I can’t wait any longer,” Nova said abruptly. The chatter ceased as she spun around. “I won’t sit idle for a fortnight while the Council weighs its decision. Not when Fawn and so many others need help now.”

“What choice do we have?” Lucan asked, glancing first at Nox, then at Callan.

Nova paced before the wide windows for a moment, infuriated by how utterly useless she felt. Out the corner of her eye, one of the sentries posted on the rampart drew her sword from its sheath, preparing to sharpen the blade. Nova stopped short.

“I could hunt for the remnants of my father’s sword,” she said, turning back to face the others.

Callan looked up at her from where he stood before the fireplace, one elbow leaning on the mantelpiece. He wore a familiar expression, one that signified his mind was whirring, evaluating the merits of her plan.

“We don’t know where to look,” he said finally.

“All the more reason to start now,” Nova argued. “Who knows how long it might take to uncover them all.”

“Perhaps I know where they are,” Bryn offered. All eyes fell upon her, and the room went silent once more.

“I’m not saying I do,” she clarified, holding her hands out in front of her. “But I was in Omen’s war room countless times. Perhaps I saw something but the enchantment blinded me to it. You read minds, don’t you?” Bryn leaned forward looking squarely at Nox, who squirmed a bit in his seat.

“I do,” he answered. “That is, I can.”

“Well, why don’t you have a look around and see if you can find anything useful,” Bryn suggested, tapping a finger against the leafy markings on her right temple.

“Very well,” Nox said after a beat. He rose from his seat and motioned for Bryn to join him. “You’re certain you’re comfortable with this?” he asked.

“For gods’ sake, Nox. It was her idea,” Lucan groaned.

Nox raised a chiding brow at his commander before looking back to the Wyldling, who nodded her assent. Nox took her hands in his and closed his eyes as the rest of them watched expectantly. Apart from the faint flicker of movement behind his eyelids, he stood motionless for several minutes before his eyes snapped back open.

“I saw a map,” he said, his gaze flitting around the room.

Realizing what Nox was searching for, Nova rushed behind Fawn’s desk and pulled a worn map of Aemoria from the top drawer. It was the same one she had studied for hours under Fawn’s instruction after she arrived in the Fae Realm.

Nova spread the parchment out on the desk, smoothing her fingers over its rough surface and holding down the curling edges. Nox peered over her shoulder.

“The map had a marker there,” he said, pointing to a body of water located nearly in the center of Tundara.

The others circled around the desk, bowing their heads for a closer look. Samira studied the map, her brows knitted together.

“That’s Lotus Lake,” she said. “A dangerous place guarded by a creature we call Mara. Folk say she was once a female whose lover took her life by drowning her in the water.”

“What’s she guarding?” Lucan asked.

“According to the legend: a trove at the bottom. It’s said that those who seek the treasure die in the pursuit. The creature uses her song to lure males to their deaths. Desperate to reach her, they wade blissfully into the water and drown.”

“Will you take me there?” Nova asked.

“Yes, of course,” Samira replied. “But how are you planning to get past Mara, let alone find this piece of the sword?”

“I have no idea,” Nova admitted. “But it’s the only clue we’ve got.”

Samira nodded and excused herself to prepare for her departure. Bryn offered to gather their belongings from their quarters and took her leave as well.

“Sorry,” Nova said, eyeing Callan, Lucan, and Nox with an apologetic smile. “No males allowed, it seems.”