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He reached into his pocket for the necklace with the amber stone. I pulled mine out and my pulse raced with impatience; I was ready to get to my men. My attention turned to Lerissa, who already knew what our plan was. We’d used the necklaces to make us invisible so we could apprehend Diawen.
“There’s only one problem with my plan,” I said to Aidan, but keeping my focus on Lerissa. “We only have two necklaces, but there are three of us.” I looked over at Aidan. “You’re not going to like this, but Lerissa’s right. If Diawen senses you, she might run and I need to know why she has Bayleon and Bastian.”
Aidan huffed. “I can’t let you do this on your own. You need me.”
“I do,” I agreed, “but I can’t take any chances. I need you to hang back far enough and wait.”
His eyes blazed. “What if you need help? How will I know?”
I felt my shoulders rise as I mentally weighed my options. “I don’t know,” I said, “but I’m hoping you’ll get a sign somehow.”
Aidan’s jaw clenched and his fists tightened in obvious frustration. Without a word, he pressed the necklace into my hands. I tucked it into my pocket, not wanting to give it to Lerissa until I was sure she wouldn’t use it as an escape route.
I locked eyes with her and spoke slowly, deliberately. “If you betray me in any way, Iwillhunt you down.”
Her lips pursed, but after a beat she nodded. “Got it.”
The darkness of night had settled on the forest, yet I was determined to keep going. “There’s one thing I’d like to do before we leave,” I said. “I’ll be right back.”
Aidan stayed with Lerissa while I walked toward Grishom and the others gathered around the crackling campfire consuming roasted pig. Grishom rose and beckoned for me to join the feast, but I waved away the offer with a smile on my face.
“Not this time,” I said, “but thank you for your kindness. Although, before we go, I wanted to do something for you all.”
A few steps away from the fire was a large stone table that had a huge stone bowl atop of it—this was where they would pour the blood required to make their caps vibrant. Just a single drop of my mother’s blood would be enough to do so. If I offered them mine, it would do the same. They had helped me, and I wanted to help them.
Reaching for my dagger, I pulled it out of the sheath and walked over to the bowl. Grishom’s eyes widened when he realized what I was about to do. I held the cold blade to my palm and closed my hand over it, slicing it down my skin. My blood pooled into the bowl and the Redcaps’ eyes widened with anticipation and appreciation. Once the stone bowl was full, I stepped away and watched my skin knit back together with my healing magic.
Grishom bowed to me, and the rest of the Redcaps followed suit. “Thank ye, little lass. Tis a gift we will accept.”
I said my farewells and joined Aidan and Lerissa by the horses so we could be on our way. We knew where we were going, but we had no clue what awaited us.
Chapter19
Bayleon
My jaw had been fractured more than a dozen times and my skull had been cracked even more. Pain engulfed me, over and over, as I floated in and out of consciousness. I couldn’t recall the journey from the elvish kingdom to our current location or how long it had taken. All I knew was that the men Bastian and I had led for almost two hundred years had turned on us . . . and leading them was Diawen. Only she was nowhere to be seen at the moment.
I’d caught glimpses of her as I floated in and out of the darkness. Her hair was as dark as night, and she had bright blue eyes that could pierce into anyone’s soul. However, it was her voice that was mesmerizing, all smooth like honey. I knew not to listen to it.
We crossed the bridge and into the fog when we arrived at the lake that bordered part of the Tyvar encampment. The second we passed through, my eyes widened in shock. What used to be my former home—the village I helped build—had increased in size since last I’d seen it. There were now at least two hundred Tyvar, double what it was before.
I glanced at Bastian, who had two black eyes and blood on his face; he stood speechless, looking at all the men in shock. I couldn’t help but wonder how long Diawen had been among them, using her magic to turn more and more into Tyvar. My old home was coming into view and my heart felt heavy. I hadn’t lived there in many moons, but I remembered the day I carved it out of the hill myself. The coolness of the ground and the smell of the earth were what I had loved most about my home. Though I often longed for the simplicity of my old life, I wouldn’t go back for anything.
“Welcome home, Bayleon,” Rogan sneered from atop his stallion.
My gaze shifted over to him, the one whose betrayal felt like a knife to the chest. “This isn’t my home anymore,” I growled.
Rogan had grown up with Bastian and me; I’d even trained him to fight. We’d been like brothers once. His hair, which had been long and brown at one time, was now cut and tied back with a leather cord. He looked the same as he did years ago, but now I saw greed and hunger in his emotionless brown eyes.
“You’re right, it’s not,” Rogan agreed. “That’s why we’re going to finish this.”
“Finish what?” Bastian fired back.
Rogan turned his attention to my brother and smiled. “You’ll see.”
The horse I was on snorted and skittered as the imposing sight of my old dwelling came into view. Rogan hopped off his stallion and two unfamiliar men grasped my arms, yanking me from the saddle. I winced as their rough hands met my sore ribs before gritting my teeth, squaring my shoulders, and striding toward the door with Bastian in tow.
Once inside, thick coils of rope were strewn around two poles, a chilling reminder of Diawen’s promise for us to remain weak. Through my frame of seething rage, I hid my strength and willed myself to stay calm until I could use it for its intended purpose. Before being beaten to unconsciousness the first time, I’d heard Diawen speaking to Rogan. She ordered him to keep us weakened so we wouldn’t interfere with her plan, but she didn’t know that I had been quietly fortifying myself for the right moment.
