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Or me, I thought selfishly.
Still, his absence worried me. If he were out there alone, gods knew what he faced, especially if the hallucinations began. Maybe we’d have a miraculous stroke of luck and Jude would be spared.
I prepared to open my mouth and scream his name, hoping it would reach him beyond the trees, when a flare ignited the night.
And it wasn’t fire.
Chapter Forty-Five
Jude
There is a boy I wish to acquire. They say he has mismatched eyes and scars slanting across one cheek. Find out where he will be a week from today. My spies have told me he holds immense value. I plan on seeing what he is capable of.
Letter from King Cirian to Lieutenant Harlow,
year 36 of the curse
I’d walked farther out than I should have.
The camp was at least half a mile away, and Kiara and my recruits were alone, sitting ducks waiting for an attack. I forced myself to stop and turn, aiming back the way I’d come.
Always protect your brothers.
It was the first rule in our code. I’d already done a good job at screwing up every other decree in our sacred book, which was why I started to pick up my pace and enter into a sprint.
Somewhere in the distance, I made out the telltale sound of hoofbeats pounding the earth.
Slowing to a halt, I eased into a crouch behind a dense patch of reeds. Lifting my dagger, I waited, the horse’s steady gallop growing louder.
Leaves rustled at my back, and I spun—
Coming face-to-face with Kiara’s mare. Starlight.
I dropped my arm and sheathed my blade, letting loose a relieved breath, although her presence should have been impossible, considering the last time I’d seen her.
Starlight nickered as she trotted over, her belly free of the arrow’s puncture wound, her coat silken and smooth as if she’d never been injured at all. Disbelieving, I froze, my pulse racing as I looked at her,trulylooked, for the first time.
Something tugged at my thoughts, like a long-lost memory shoved into a dark, locked box. The mare stood before me, as still as a statue…suddenly reminding me of the marble fountain back at the palace. The one depicting Thea, Raina’s legendary mare.
Neither of us moved; neither breathed. It was like the creature waited for me to make the first move. So I did, approaching her slowly, fearful of her racing away should I make a sudden movement.
The horse just narrowed her eyes, the recognition in them appearing far too human. My fingers trembled slightly as I ran them through her thick black mane, which looked much healthier than before. Gods, everything about her seemed healthier and more youthful.
Starlight lowered her head and nuzzled my cheek without hesitation, her hot breath coming out in impatient puffs.
“Where did you come from, girl? And how the hells are you still alive?” I asked, drawing away to inspect her. In place of an answer, she merely tossed her head to her still saddled back. The invitation was clear enough.
“I won’t say no to a ride.”
I grabbed the pommel and slipped my foot through the stirrup before hoisting myself into the saddle. I’d find the others quicker this way, and—
Light flared behind my eyes. It was so crushingly bright that I fell across the mare’s back, gripping her mane tightly. A shout rent the night. Probably mine.
For seconds, or maybe even minutes, I drowned in that light, barely holding onto the horse as I struggled for air. It was everywhere all at once, and I wasn’t afforded a single coherent thought.
Rather, I was gifted images.
They raced across my mind, most too quick to grasp, but a few I snatched, tucking them away.
