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“I’m here.”
I looked over to find him standing beside me, his short, black hair blown back by the wind. He was staring out over the water.
“I can’t believe this happened,” he said. His voice was distant, defeated.
“What happened?” I asked.
He didn’t seem to hear me. “I can’t rest until I make this right.Wecan’t rest.”
I didn’t understand. Makewhatright?
His gaze remained fixed on the horizon. The sun dipped toward the water, the sky changing from blue to rose to gold. “She’ll pay for what she’s done.”
As he spoke, a hand clamped down on my shoulder. With a gasp, I spun around. But the sky suddenly faded to black, and I couldn’t see the other person who was there. I could only hear his voice, low and husky in my ear. “It’s time to fly, Raven.”
My eyes flew open.
“Raven?”
It was Jeddak. He was staring down at me, his tousled hair falling in his eyes.
“Thank the goddess.” He let out a breath. “You’re awake.”
“What happened?” I asked, slowly pushing off the ground to sit up. He reached out his hand to steady me. My head swam. Inoticed we were under a rock overhang, too low to stand in, and I was covered with both our blankets.
“You got scratched by the bramble. I didn’t think you were going to make it.” The relief in his eyes was noticeable.
Still groggy, I rubbed my face. “I—I didn’t think I would either,” I said, remembering how the unending blackness had threatened to swallow me whole. Around us, the bramble had woken from its dark slumber. Enough light had crept in through the tangle of limbs to paint the forest a murky gray. The rain had let up, leaving the surrounding area muddy and damp. One thing was missing, though.
“Where’s Kah?” There was no sign of him among the boulders.
“He went to scout ahead a bit,” Jeddak said.
“Without the map?” I said, feeling panicked.
“He won’t go far. Plus, he can smell his way back to us better than you and I can read that map.”
Jeddak handed me the waterskin, and I took a careful sip. Why did I have a sour taste in my mouth?Wait … I remember something …
I pressed my fingers against my lips as a fragment of a memory—or dream—from the night began to form in my mind.
Jeddak spoke before the memory took shape. “Can I see?” He indicated to my hand. When I nodded, his thumb grazed my skin where the thorn had cut me. My body tingled at his touch. “I—” he started, before cutting himself off. When our eyes met, his expression spoke what his lips couldn’t.I would have traveled to the gates of shadowland to get to you.His gaze was an untamed force that could have pulled the stars from the sky. I felt my heart spark and tumble toward him, a falling star trusting the earth to catch it.
For a moment, the rush of heat and pulse of blood coursing under my skin made me think my magic had returned. Thensuddenly, Jeddak pulled his hand away and started packing the supplies. “It looks better,” he said casually, as if we hadn’t just become the axis upon which the world turned.
I looked away, silently cloaking my glowing heart so he couldn’t see its blaze. Every time we got close, he seemed to pull away—his eyes telling one story, his body telling another. I longed to free him from whatever invisible cage kept him locked away, but I didn’t know how to find the key. Or if there even was one.
I ran my fingers across my hand. The cut from the bramble was gone. It was scary to think such a tiny scratch could cause such harm, especially compared to the deep gash in Jeddak’s shoulder.
A cold breeze swept across the rocks. Jeddak handed me my leather armor—which I realized with some embarrassment that he must have removed at some point in the night. My clothes were still damp from the day before, making me shiver even more.
As he put on his armor, I noticed his bandage was gone and he was moving his arm normally. Skies, he’d told me Kovaks heal quickly, but I guess I didn’t really believe it would bethatquick. With anyone else, it would have taken weeks ormonthsfor a wound like that to heal. It gave me renewed hope that his grandmother could help me—if we ever made it to Askeland.
When we both finished dressing, he draped my cloak over my shoulders and tied it in place.
“Try not to scare me today,” he said, a ghost of a smile on his lips.
There was that look again. A fierce longing to cross the fragile bridge between us, to span the barrier that held us apart. It was that look that made me want to wrap my arms around his neck, bury my head into his muscular chest, and never let go. But Iwasn’t brave enough to cross all the way to his side alone. I needed him to meet me halfway.
