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“Don’t worry, I’ll admire him from a distance. If we ever find him. When the Voice attacked Sharara, Izban got away, but he was wounded. The cù sìth probably distracted the Voice long enough to give Ice a chance for escape, but if we’re right, he’ll run right back into his reach. He’s on his way to Lightning, just as we thought. And she’s in bad shape.”
“How do you know that?” Cam asked, pulling her closer.
“The Voice told Sharara to taunt her, to show her that her sacrifice was for naught. That he’ll have Ice soon anyway, and that he’ll suffer together with his partner. I’m scared we may be too late for Lightning.”
“But the prophecy says that Ice will free her,” Flint protested. “Lightning is trapped, Ice will break the chains.”
“Let’s hope so,” Macey said darkly. “I’ve felt the Voice in my head. I can’t even imagine how it would be like to be under his influence for days, weeks, or longer. I’d go mad within hours. The pain... it was bad.”
She shivered and Cam wrapped his arms around her, his lips leaving a trail of gentle kisses on her shoulders. Right now, her men were there for her, all three of them. But if the Voice came back, she’d be alone. She was weak, so she better not give him another chance. They needed to be the ones on the offensive.
“Sharara said that her brother might be able to help us find Izban,” she said and almost smiled as she saw hope light up the guys’ eyes.
“Do you think he’ll do it?” Jared asked, casting a sceptical glance at the cat sìth who was cradling his sister’s body.
“It was her last wish, so yes, I think he will do it. Doesn’t mean that he won’t complain every single step of the way. He was not happy that she shared her memories with me, nor that she put herself between Ice and the Voice. But I believe he’ll come with us, even if only to honour his sister.”
“Then we better hurry up before Lightning is hurt even more,” Cam said with determination and the others nodded their approval. There was no question that they needed to hurry. Only, how to find them? And even if they knew where the Voice was keeping Lightning and therefore where Ice was headed, it didn’t mean they knew how to free them and get out of there alive.
Macey huffed. There were too many unanswered questions. She didn’t like it.
“I think it should be you to ask him to leave,” Flint said quietly and pointed towards the cat sìth. “You’re the one he’s talked to the most.”
“Yeah, and the one he’s growled at,” she sighed, but she knew he was right. It had to be her.
She slowly approached the cat-man and kneeled down by his side. His ears twitched, but he didn’t acknowledge her.
“Your sister said you’d be able to help us,” Macey said softly, watching as the man’s chest heaved and deflated. He was breathing hard, probably trying to hide his sobs. “There are lives in danger and you are the one to save them.”
“I don’t want to save a human,” he whispered, “it’s not worth it. They’ve hurt our kind so much, and now I’m supposed to help one of them? How can she ask that of me? How can you ask that?”
“I don’t think he’s a normal human,” she said carefully. “He’s one of the Seven Wardens, which means he has magic. We think that ice is his element and that he’s on the way to save his partner, who commands lightning. We need them to heal the Staran, to...”
“You can heal the Staran?” he asked incredulously. “Nobody can do that. It’s been foretold that it will die.”
She shook her head, not even remotely taking that into consideration. “No, it won’t die. There’s a prophecy speaking of the Seven Wardens. Well, we are four of them. Your sister knew about us, and she knew that we needed to find the other three. Please, help us. If not for the Staran, then for your sister.”
“I don’t believe in prophecies,” he grumbled. “But if he is indeed a mage... she must have known that.” He sighed and got up, sadly looking down at Sharara’s prone body. “I will help you find that boy. But that’s all you can ask of me, I will not stay after.”
“I wouldn’t expect you to,” Macey said softly. “We only need you to help us track him.”
Squaring his shoulders, he turned around, finally offering her a look at his face. His glowing eyes were dim and red-rimmed from crying. She wanted to give him a hug, but knowing cats, he probably wouldn’t like it.
Before she could say anymore, he walked away from the park bench, towards the clearing that Macey had witnessed in Sharara’s memory. The place where Izban had been attacked.
He walked around, inspecting the mist-covered ground.
“I will have to shift,” he finally announced and Macey’s heart beat hard in her chest.
“But you only have two changes left,” she protested, but Cam put a hand on her shoulder.
“He knows that. We need him to do it.”
“Once I’ve shifted, follow me. If we have to travel on the Staran, grab hold of me, but don’t grip me too tight. Sometimes my cat instincts take over and I wouldn’t want to hurt you.”
In a smooth motion, the man turned into a big black cat. It was so different from Macey’s shifts, so much more elegant and quick. It looked like no effort at all. But then, she shouldn’t be jealous. She got to change forms as often as she wanted. He only had one left now.
The cat prowled from side to side of the clearing, sniffing the ground. Macey was beginning to doubt whether this was going to work, when he finally growled and ran off. The cat was large and fast and she was having trouble keeping
