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“Not easily. Not without us seeing them or Kah sensing them,” I said.
“Well, we’re the only three he left alive, so I’d say he’s definitely our ally,” Raven said.
Not necessarily, I thought. Sal Sahteene had warned me that others would be seeking the girl with the map. What if that’s what the bowman was after? He’d need Raven alive to read the map. That didn’t explain why he’d spared me and Kah, but I had a feeling it wasn’t out of chivalry. I’d bet silver that he was after the Zavien stone.
“Something doesn’t feel right about this,” I said, my tone growing more serious. Though I couldn’t tell her about my theory, I needed to warn her, nonetheless. “If he’s our ally, why would he stay hidden? I think we need to assume that whoever the bowman is, he’s dangerous, Raven. We can’t trust him.” AsI spoke, sharp needles of pain shot down my arm and I stifled another groan.
Raven bit her lip anxiously. “Hold on, your bandage has come loose,” she said, gently touching my shoulder to fix it.
I placed my hand on top of hers. She stilled. The firelight cast a warm glow on her face, illuminating the worried expression in her cobalt eyes. Her hair was falling out of its braid, and dirt was smudged across her cheeks, yet in that moment, she was so beautiful that I couldn’t look away.
“Thank you for helping me,” I said, meaning it. I might not have lived this long if she hadn’t been with me tonight.
“That’s the third time I’ve saved your life now,” she said with a smile.
“You’re finally catching up to me,” I teased. Then I gently laced my fingers into hers and moved her palm to rest over my heart. “Li kirkana a tia.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means,You’re a part of me. Kovaks believe that when you save another’s life, your lifeforces intertwine.”
Her cheeks flushed pink, but she didn’t look away. “Li kirkana a tia,” she repeated.
“Raven, I want you to know that I would never let anything happen to you. I would never let anyone hurt you.”
“Skies, Jeddak, I’m more worried aboutyouright now,” she said with a tense laugh.
Maybe she thought I was delirious. Maybe I was. But I needed her to know that I would protect her, no matter what happened. Because, suddenly, the map didn’t seem as important as the girl carrying it.
Just then, another spasm of pain shot down my arm, and I winced.
“Let me fix the bandage,” she said, gently releasing my hand.
Raven hummed softly while retying the loose bandage. For a fleeting moment, there was only the sound of her beautiful voice and the warmth of her touch before a prickly feeling of guilt crawled up my spine and sat like a thorn in my gut.
Back in Askeland, Lila was all alone, waiting for me to return to save her from a death sentence … and to marry her. What would she think if she could see me now? What would Kah think if he saw me getting distracted?
There was only one reason we were on this journey, and it was to save my betrothed. Nothing else mattered. Injured or not, I couldn’t let my focus slip.
“I need to rest,” I said, suddenly unable to meet Raven’s eye as I wrapped the blanket closer around me using my uninjured arm.
“All right.” Her hand fell away from my shoulder, and the pain racking my body intensified again. I closed my eyes and tried to convince myself it was better this way.
29
Raven
After Jeddak fell asleep, I sat quietly beside the fire, watching for any signs the basamweed was working. There was a sheen of sweat on his brow, and he was trembling underneath the blankets. He didn’t appear to be improving, but at least he’d been conscious for a time.
There was nothing more I could do for him but wait and pray that what he’d told me was true—Kovaks heal quickly. Because we needed to leave this place as soon as possible. The fear that the Rathalans would return any moment was gripping my stomach like a vise. Yet, every time I tried to listen for sounds of danger on the wind, my mind kept wandering back to my conversation with Jeddak.
You’re a part of me, he’d said, his words daring to untangle my heart that had been so knotted with grief. But then he’d pulled away suddenly, like the warmth kindling between us had begun to scald him.
Maybe it was a sign that I was getting too distracted. I was only here to recover my magic and find my brother. I had no intention of lingering in Askeland once we arrived. With that thought, I held up my palm to study the map again. It shimmered in the dim firelight. Nothing about it had changed.Not that I expected it to. The Magi in the Market of End had said I needed to be in my bird form to read it. Right now, I felt like I had a better chance of reading the stars.
Where are you, brother?
When the sky paled and the stars quietly faded, I checked on Jeddak and then slipped out into the courtyard. Lifeless bodies dotted the ground like scattered weeds. Kah was sitting like a statue near the entrance to the alcove, his patterned black fur looking like he’d absorbed the starry night sky into himself.
