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“In a few hours, we’ll be home,” he said, not sounding as pleased as he might have a week ago.
But I wasn’t listening. I was staring past him. “Where’s Raven?”
“What?” Kah said, his head whipping around.
Panic coiled inside my chest as I shot to my feet. “Raven!” I shouted into the lifeless trees. “Raven! Where are you?”
The silence was deafening.
No, no, no!
She was gone.
41
Raven
The fire was cold when I awoke. Jeddak and Kah were still asleep. The murky morning light filtered through the dense fog surrounding our camp. A cold breeze blew through the bare trees.
Skies, I wasfreezing.
Rubbing my hands together for warmth, I got up and walked to the edge of the path to collect wood to rebuild the fire.
“Raven, is that you?”
Startled, I turned around, peering into the haze. I recognized the voice. I’d heard it in my dreams, all those nights standing on the ocean shore of my mind.
But this wasn’t a dream.
Emerging from the fog was a guy with jet-black hair, his face the mirror image of my own. He had on a silver cloak with a bow slung over his shoulders.
My mouth fell open. “Rainer?” I stepped away from our camp, moving toward him. “Is it really you?”You’re not a dream? Not a ghost?
His face broke into a broad grin. “Of course, it’s me. You don’t recognize your own twin?”
Despite my lost memories, Ididrecognize him. My heart swelled. “How did you find me?”
“Skyler told me. I saw him at the Market of End, and he told me you were alive and headed to Askeland. I couldn’t believe it. I flew straight here to see if I could find you.”
So, Skyler knew I’d left the bramblelands. Why hadn’t he come for me?
When I stepped closer to Rainer, he gathered me in his arms, twirling me around like I imagined we’d done when we were kids. I hugged him back, laughing, beaming.My brother! I’d finally found him!I couldn’t believe it. He wasn’t injured, wasn’t lost. He was safe. And he washere.
“Skies, I missed you, Rae.”
“I missed you too,” I breathed.
When he put me down, I turned to introduce him to Jeddak and Kah, but the fog had shifted, and our camp wasn’t in sight anymore. “My friends?—”
He took my hands in his before I could finish. “I never lost hope that I’d see you again. The day you disappeared—when you didn’t meet us back at the marketplace—that day has haunted me for all this time. I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you like I promised to.” He flipped my hand over. “But I see you got my map. I knew you would.”
“I can’t read it, though,” I admitted, worried he’d be disappointed.
He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter now. I found the Azurstone in the Waste. We can go home, Rae.”
“What? Really?” This was incredible news.
“Fly home with me, sister. Together, we’ll restore the power to our people that was taken from us.” The familiarity and sincerity in his tone made me realize just how homesick I’d been. I desperately wanted to go home, even if it was a home I couldn’t remember.
