“Aye,” Dario said. “Enough with this.” He glanced around the darkening woods. The trees went on for miles. And we were in the center of it, vulnerable and exposed. Something unspoken passed between Dario and Aiden. “You’ll have time to consider what you’ll say to His Highness. We’re too far for safe passage tonight, especially with two prisoners. Too many reports of akadim lately. We’ll find cover for the night.”
I locked eyes with Rhyan. Once we reached shelter, we could form a plan and find a way to break free. He watched me carefully, his jaw muscles tensed, his expression unreadable.
“Let’s go then,” Aiden said. “I saw the entrance to a cave nearby.”
“Rhyan,” I whispered. I needed to know if it was the one where Meera was waiting for us to return.
His widened eyes seemed to confirm.
Shit.
“If you don’t shut it, Lady Lyriana, I’ll be having Aiden add a binding to your mouth,” Dario snapped.
I glared, but nodded. The last thing I wanted was a gag on top of my bindings.
“Come then, my lady,” Aiden said formally. He walked ahead, and tugged on the rope. I had no choice but to follow, taking tiny, awkward steps—all I could manage with the bindings.
As we walked, the sky blackened, the faint glow of the moon and twinkling stars, our only source of light. But then a small flame appeared, crackling and spitting, floating before Aiden. For him to be producing light like this, to power and sustain it purely by his magic, he had to be a ridiculously accomplished mage. Which, I should have guessed. His impersonation of Rhyan had been nearly perfect. It made him incredibly dangerous.
And Dario, according to Rhyan, was an extremely vicious soturion. I shouldn’t have expected anything less. These men hadn’t just been friends with Rhyan before he was forsworn, they were part of the elite of Glemaria. Some of the best fighters in the country, if not the entire Empire.
Aiden turned, leading us through a small clearing. I kept my eyes ahead, watching the ground carefully, making sure I didn’t accidentally trip on a loose rock or stick, until we came to a glade that led to another secluded cluster of trees. Beyond that was a small rounded clearing, and then the cave Rhyan had brought Meera to. I looked up, and sure enough our gryphon was flying above in lazy circles.
“Patrol?” Aiden asked, watching the gryphon’s flight pattern. “Could we use it for passage to Seathorne?”
I held my breath.
“Wild,” Dario said, dismissively. “Too much effort to tame now.” He slowly eyed the horizon and shivered. “Let’s get inside.”
We took the remaining steps, passing through the cave’s entrance without any problems. It was a bad sign. We shouldn’t have been able to enter, not if Meera’s wards were in place. Which meant she hadn’t put them up yet, waiting for me and Rhyan to return.
“Your accommodations for the night,” Dario said grandly as Aiden led us inside. “I’m not sure if this is the kind of place that fits the lifestyle you’re accustomed to, my lady. But alas, I don’t actually care.”
I took in our surroundings. It was smaller than our last cave. And there was a distinct smoky quality to the air of a recently extinguished flame. But Meera was nowhere to be found. Nor was there any sign of her, or our things.
Aiden helped me to sit down against the wall, and on the other end of the cave, Dario pushed Rhyan onto the floor. I was about to shout, but Rhyan brought himself up to a seat, leaning his head back against the stone wall, his eyes closed.
Outside a wolf howled, and snow fell, the wind blowing in through the cave’s interior. Aiden’s eyes were on me as he moved to the center of the space, using his stave to pull out logs and twigs so he could transfer his fire.
A few pieces of wood rolled to his feet, followed by a stack of sticks, already neatly tied together. Their tips were charred, the acrid smell of smoke still clinging to them.
My eyes met Rhyan’s, full of alarm, as Aiden bent over, brushing his fingers against the ashes.
“Still warm,” he said, dropping his flame onto the pile. The fire he’d sustained burst to life, twice as large as it had been, the flames sputtering in every direction. “Looks like we’ve got company.”
“Put up the wards,” Dario said. “No one in. No one out.”
“On it.” Aiden kept both eyes on me and Rhyan as he pointed his stave at the entrance and performed the warding spell. If Meera was outside, she’d never find her way in—andwithout a vadati I couldn’t contact her. She would be alone—cold, scared. In danger.
I tried to remember to breathe. To inhale, and exhale.
Aiden crouched before me, his keen eyes assessing. “Let’s speed this process up. Is it just the two of you? Or is Dario going to find someone back there?”
“No,” I said, my pulse vibrating. “He won’t.”
“You’re lying.” Aiden tilted his head, bringing his face even closer.
“I’m not.”
