Ael growled and struggled to ask softly, “Will she arrive okay?”
“She will arrive in a plume of mist and flame. Get prepared, King Ael.This is your warning.”
She blinked, and her eyes changed back to their natural shade. “I’ve said what I said, now get out!” she shrieked at him, pulling her hair with her wrinkled palms. She screamed as if she were in pain and grabbed her broom, hitting him solidly on the head as she chased him out the door and slammed it shut.
“Sire, that appears to have played out as expected,” Praxis said, his eyes shining with delight.
Ael rubbed his throbbing head, which now stung even more from the broom’s blow. “I should have known she would be of no use. Spit out things I already knew.”
But he didn’t know everything she said before today. She informed him that Seda would be here ‘soon’ and that she would appear in a ‘plume of mist and flame’.
What did that mean?
Chapter 46
Seda
The terrain changed as the group gradually hiked uphill, their legs sinking knee-deep into snow and slipping often when they stepped onto sharp, icy rocks. They walked for a couple of hours after the fight with the Mungder, trying to put as much distance as possible between themselves and the monsters in the river.
They hiked until Askold dropped to his knees, covered in snow, and begged them to stop. The dark landscape was barren, and finding materials to build a fire was impossible. Everyone huddled close to a growling Elco for warmth, who let them get near because of the circumstances, reminding them that it would only happen this once.
Doubt was creeping into Seda’s thoughts, and she looked to Roya and Ferona. “Do you know if we’re heading in the right direction?”
The two Corvids hadn’t spoken since the Mungder attack.
When they were a safe distance from the river, they held a small service for Feich and laid flowers on the ground where they had been growing through the snow. Ojore prayed to the Mother Goddess, and the remaining Corvids kneeled near the flowers as they kissed the icy earth.
Ferona looked at Seda with swollen, red-rimmed eyes. “We’re on the right track. The Wisps will be at the top of this mountain.”
Roya didn’t glance at Seda and stayed focused on the dark horizon. Seda drew her knees to her chest and peered around at the dark ridge behind her.
“Are there monsters here?” Benny asked. He sat next to Askold, who had fallen asleep the moment Elco agreed to protect them from the cold. Benny looked at Roya with concern and then turned to Ojore, who was sharpening his sword.
“Except for a possible Jotnar, there are no fearsome creatures on Mt. Ebenveil,” Ojore replied as he set his sword aside and looked up at the twinkling stars. “The Wisps are worrisome enough.”
Seda looked at him. “What do you know about the Wisps?”
He paused briefly, picking up his sword again, and then continued, “The Wisps are the most magical creatures that still live on Xyberus. They’re said to have been the divine servants of the gods. When the gods left, the Wisps stayed behind. No one knows why. But anyone who goes to them looking for answers usually has to give something in return. That’s enough to scare me. I have no intention of asking them any questions.”
“And yet I still have to,” she whispered.
Roya looked at her, breaking her focus on the darkness from which they had come. “The Wisps have been waiting for you, Seda. They do not intend to harm you.” She turned her gaze back to the dark landscape.
What could they want from her? Did they have answers about this mysterious power and why Lord Mordred targeted her? She had somany questions, but after what Ojore said, was it even safe to ask them? What could she offer? She had nothing to give them—no money or treasures.
Her thoughts drifted to Cahir and Kalon, thinking about how they’d both betrayed her in their own way. Kalon had taken her necklace, likely knowing it held meaning for her. He’d also taken her first kiss! He must have been insulted that she’d pushed him away, so he stole it as a kind of revenge? What else could be the reason?
As for Cahir… she couldn’t understand why he’d lied to her. What would a king have to gain from lying to a human and living with her for five years?
What Kalon said about Cahir spending time with women just wasn’t possible, even if he were a king. They’d been together for years, and he’d never had a relationship with anyone.
Or did he? What were all of those meetings about?
She thought about how he would always return from them looking disheveled. There were whore houses down in the Barrio. Did his meetings end there?
Her anger toward them intensified the more she thought about it, and having to wear scraps of Kalon’s shirt down there made her blood boil. She should have asked Lucja for some fresh cloth or pads, but completely spaced it when she realized her necklace had been stolen.
She looked over to her brother.
