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Lila and Raven’s voices carried through the air, haunting me.
Jeddak, no!
Jeddak, please!
Jeddak …
When we finally made it back to the path, the forest had gone quiet again. Kah hurled me to the ground.
“I can’t abandon them, Kah,” I said, breathing hard. I pressed my hand against the throbbing bite mark on my arm, glaring up at him as he loomed over me.
“Jeddak, listen to me,” he said with a growl, his tone unyielding. “Lila and Raven weren’t in the lake. Whatever you saw back there wasn’t real. It was just a hallucination, a mirage. Do you understand?”
I went still, betting that if I moved, he’d dig his teeth back in. I’d never seen him this angry before.
“I figured out the curse,” he continued. “This forest shows each of us our worst fears to lure us to our deaths—to destroy our hearts.”
It’s working, I thought. I raked my hand through my wet hair, trying to make sense of it. Was he right? That meant my worst fear wasn’t dying or learning that Askeland had fallen—it was having to choose between Lila and Raven.
“Why didn’t the forest show you your worst fear?” I said, still trying to understand.
“It did,” he said, the anger slowly dissipating from his voice.
I stared at him.
“You being killed by an undead Magi queen about sums it up,” Kah grunted.
My lips twitched as I moved to sit up.
“Listen,” Kah said, speaking quickly. “Before I found you, I saw three Kovak guards escorting Raven—and that Skyler guy—back to Askeland. There was no way you saw her in the lake just now. I promise you.”
Relief flooded my chest. Raven was alive. That meant we needed to get out of this blazen forest before the curse found another means to ensnare us.
“I think it’s time we go home, Kah.”
“I thought you’d never say it.”
43
Raven
My jaw dropped as Askeland came into view after hours of walking. The city was chiseled into the rock face of the mountains, gleaming white and gold in the afternoon sun. Waterfalls spilled from the mountainside, sparkling like glitter. Snowcapped peaks rose high above the city like a magnificent crown.
If Skyler had been here before, I couldn’t detect any recognition on his face. He seemed equally as awestruck as we approached the arched gates of the bear city, prodded along by the three armed Kovaks and their not-so-friendly bears. It made me miss Kah. Back in the forest, I’d pleaded with our captors to find Jeddak and Kah, but they’d ignored me. I had a sick feeling something terrible had happened to them in that place.
“You can still escape,” I whispered to Skyler, “and go find Jeddak. He’ll know what to do.” As many lies as Jeddak had told me, I still clung to the belief that he wouldn’t let his tribe hurt me.
Skyler’s jaw twitched when I said Jeddak’s name. “I’m not leaving you. Not this time,” he said. “Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t. Not with these on.” He held up his shackled wrists in front of him, and for the first time, I noticed the blue tint inthe iron. My gut twisted. Why were the Kovaks using malarite metal? How would they have even acquired it?
“What do you think they want with us?” I said, staying close to him. Though I was relieved to be far away from the Forgotten Forest, I was uncertain what fate awaited us in this place. If these malarite shackles were any indication, Askeland was a more dangerous city than it appeared from the outside.
“I don’t know, but I don’t think we’re honored guests,” Skyler said, eyeing the largest Kovak in the middle, who’d taken our weapons and bound our wrists back in the forest.
The Kovaks led us through the heavily guarded gates, over a bridge that spanned a roaring waterfall, and into the heart of the city. As we marched through the winding streets up the mountain, we were met with stares and murmurs. Skyler kept his eyes straight ahead, but I scanned every face we passed, searching for Jeddak. Except,everyonehere looked like Jeddak—with Kovakian markings, broad-set shoulders, and bears at their sides. Unlike the marketplace where we’d easily blended into the myriad of tribes, it was obvious that both Skyler and I were foreigners here.
We must have walked for over an hour before the Kovaks halted in a large courtyard that jutted out from the mountainside. We were surrounded on three sides by open sky. I didn’t dare stray close to the stone balustrade along the edge, still shaken by what had happened in the forest.
In front of us were two massive white doors, carved with the face of a roaring bear. I swallowed, my throat going dry. Skyler and I exchanged glances as the doors opened from the inside.
