Mirella huffs and takes my hand, and then the world disappears for a second, and we emerge by the Queen’s River,where Renel and Tarlia are standing, holding hands. At least these two stopped acting like five-year-olds, and that’s some good news.
Renel raises his eyebrows. “Did you have any trouble?”
“No. Why?” I ask.
“You took a while,” he says. “We were getting worried.”
I pat him on the shoulder. “Your worry is appreciated.”
He frowns. “Are you being sarcastic?”
“No. And I truly appreciate what you did for Tarlia. I think even going to the Misty Court was the right call. You’re a good…” I can’t exactly call him a friend. “Fae.” I glance at him and Tarlia. “I’m happy for you.”
Tarlia smiles. “Thank you.”
For a second, I do wonder why I don’t feel even a slight bit of jealousy, why I don’t look at Tarlia and wonder what could have been between us.
Mirella crosses her arms. “Are we just going to stand here, waiting for some ghouls or bloodpuppets to come and get us?”
“I’ll write to Lidiane,” I say, and pull the transcending note.
Renel looks around. “We could try to find the island.” He points further up the river. “It must be in that direction, where it’s wider. It’s not an easy walk, though.”
“Especially at night,” Tarlia adds.
Indeed, some parts of the riverbank are covered in rocks, or taken by thick vegetation, with no clear path.
I ask, “How do I describe where we are?”
Mirella hesitates, then says, “A circle by the Queen’s River, in the part where it has no islands.”
I could have come up with that same description, but I don’t say anything. I take the note and tell them we’re here. I almost add that the Witch King attacked the Misty Court, as I figure it’s something they should know, but decide to tell them in person or write again later, if they don’t come.
I place the note back in my pocket and sigh. “Now we wait.”
Renel nods. “We need to remain alert. Anything could find us, and we don’t know if they have a way to trace us.”
Tarlia chuckles. “Cheerful thoughts.” She then grimaces. “Realistic, though.”
Indeed. Anything could find us. I pay attention to the sounds, and hear crickets chirping, the wind on leaves, and the water running. There’s nothing else around us.
At least for now.
MARLAK
My heart is going to break into a thousand pieces, and I want to smack Azur, standing before me with a smug expression.
“Where is she?” I have to make an effort not to yell.
Azur is annoyingly calm. “My bond to the Witch King?—”
“Where’s Astra?” I’ll die if I have to hear him speaking nonsense.
He blinks. “In the Heart of Magic. Or nearby. At least she was there, I believe.”
My chest sinks as I realize it’s only conjecture, that he doesn’t truly know anything for sure. “Why do you think that?”
“My bond to the Witch King was cut. It was less than an hour ago that I felt it. Before, I was feeling his pull stronger than ever. So something happened. Now, I’ve felt a bond being cut before, when Astra cut most of the bonds, and it was similar. She did it in the Heart of Magic, right? And it’s in the Shadow Lands, so it makes sense.”
