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I didn’t know how long I stayed on that horse, hands raised above my head. Zor’s shouting faded to a dull roar, a steady, desperate line of Fae racing from the city, their faces blurring together.
Eventually the sky grew brighter, the panicked screaming finally stopped, and the stream of people stretching between Tempeste and the forest began to thin. I tried to swallow, but my throat was too dry, the faint taste of copper coating my mouth.
“Anaria.” Raz caught me before I slid off my horse. “They’re gone. You can stop.” His dark eyes were worried. “Here.” He handed me a canteen, the warm, metallic water tasting like the finest wine I’d ever had.
“Three hours,” he said with no other explanation.
I just stared.
“Three hours, you held that shield steady. The Caladrians are all out of the city. Once they’re in the forest, we’ll ride east, try to reach the tunnels before dark.” Even in my state, I caught the flash of worry in Raz’s dark eyes.
You don’t want to know what kind of monsters lurk in this realm, princess.Tavion’s words from so long ago.
Raziel sidled up beside me, cupping my chin, his frown deepening. “You need more than just water.”
“So do you,” I husked, rubbing my sore throat. “None of us have eaten,” I reminded him. The distance to the mountains seemed like an eternity.
“I didn’t just expend magic for three hours straight.” He whistled and Tavion charged over, not a fucking hair out of place, the bastard. “Can she ride with you?” Raz asked. “She’s dizzy. If she falls…” Gods, I must look like death if he was willing to hand me over to Tavion.
“I’m not going to fall,” I snapped. “I’m fine.”
“Anaria.” Tavion’s eyes turned hard, as if he was putting the force of his will into his gaze. I remembered that look, and something hardened in me, as well.
“I. Am. Fine,” I repeated, every muscle in my body clenched. In anger, in fear, I didn’t fucking know. All I knew was…I couldn’t get on a horse with Tavion. I couldn’t feel his broad chest against my back, his thighs against my…No, I could not.
“I ate this morning.” I straightened my spine, Tavion’s smirk saying quite clearly, he knew exactly why I was fighting this so hard. “I’ll make it to those tunnels without your help.”
Tavion just winked. “If you fall off, princess, you have no one to blame but yourself.”
* * *
I madeit to those fucking tunnels through sheer stubbornness alone.
At least, really, really close to them. We’d finally stopped beside a stream running out of the mountains, cold enough from the snowmelt to freeze your blood, and I’d never tasted anything as delicious.
The enormous trio of arches was right behind us, but after a short debate about food, we decided hunting out here was more productive than whatever we might find inside. “Dane leaves most of the supplies on the other side of the portal,” Tavion explained. “And most smugglers bring their own, so chances are, there’s nothing for the first day.” He kept his tone light, but every time his eyes landed on me, they darkened.
Tristan was already gone, taking his pilfered bow and arrows into the foothills to hunt after starting a small fire. He really was handy, despite his bad attitude.
“Not so much,” Zor cautioned, squatting beside me. “You’re starving, and the water will make your stomach cramp. Not something you want to experience firsthand, trust me.”
“Thanks.” I wiped my mouth, though I could have plunged my face into that freezing cold water and drank until I burst. I was bone-dead tired, everything hurt, and my stomach ached. I used to know what starvation was, but this went deeper.
I was drained, down to the very last drop.
“You did well, Anaria. Those people have a chance now, because of you.”
“Because ofus,” I reminded him softly, letting the water flow through my fingers.
“Because of us, princess,” Zor agreed, the corners of his eyes crinkling. “We never would have made it this far without you.” His soft, serious voice had me looking away. “None of this…none of it would be possible without you.”
“I don’t want to do this anymore, Zor. I’m tired of killing, tired of running. Tired of everything,” I finally said, watching Tavion lift Adele off her horse, catching her when her legs buckled.I should get over there. I should be helping her. But I was too tired to move.
“I know.” Zor ran his hand down my back, letting it rest there, warm and steady. “Once we get back to Nightcairn, we’ll figure out what comes next. We could go north.” He kept his voice casual, but his eyes burned. “To the High Barrens. We’d be safe enough there, and we could stay long enough to get our strength back. The Shadow King doesn’t venture that far north, and the terrain is easy enough to hide in.”
I didn’t look away from his face. “Adele is from the High Barrens.”
His gaze shifted away, the lines on either side of his mouth deepening. “She is. She…still has people there, as it turns out. We might find allies there. Raz and the others agree, the Barrens are a viable option, maybe our only option right now.”
