“Hedoesn’t like me. It’s different. But we all have the same enemy.” I take her in, and my heart gets filled with joy at seeing her healthy, awake, whole. “I feared losing you.”
“But you saved me.”
“It was all Cherry Cake. Azur too, I must say. And Ferer, who knew the location of the heart.”
Our lips touch with so much love and relief and joy.
“Marlak,” Ferer calls me, interrupting my moment with my wife.
I can’t help but glare at my friend. “What?”
“We should leave this island. It’s not safe.”
Astra’s eyes widen. “How come?”
Lidiane approaches us, holding Azur’s hand. “We’ll explain.”
Astra stares at their hands together, and Lidiane adds, “We’ll explain that too, but it’s better if we go.” She waves a transcending note. “Zorwal might fly with dark moth carriages, and he’s worse than we thought.”
I’m not sure that’s even possible. “Worse?”
“Yes,” she says.
I try to comb through the royal hideaways I know, but now I’m not sure any of them is as secret as this one, and none of them is protected by Nymphs.
“We could go to another river island,” I say. “But there won’t be any shelter.”
“Maybe,” Astra says. “We shouldn’t split, if we want to plan how to take down the Witch King. Also, where’s Renel?”
Lidiane smiles. “He rescued Tarlia! They’re at the Misty Court now.”
“Oh.” Astra grimaces and looks at me.
“I know,” I mutter.
Azur strokes his chin, then says, “There’s a place. An old house. Close to the ocean, but warded. My family… had access to it. We could go there. It’s near Clare Beach.”
Lidiane frowns. “A beach? We’ll be at the Sea Court’s doorstep.”
“Yes, but if they don’t know we’re there, it will be fine. It has enough rooms, even for Renel, Tarlia, and Ziven, when they return. It’s warded, so ghouls and bloodpuppets won’t track us.”
Astra looks at him. “Are you going to tell us how your family came across that house?”
It’s an odd question.
Azur smirks. “Yes, later, when we’re all sharing our life stories. Right now I’d rather get out of here, then plan what we do next.”
Astra stares at him for a moment, as if thinking, then says, “Fine.” She looks at everyone. “What do you think?”
I don’t love the idea of leaving the safety of the island, but at least I’m glad to see Astra isn’t sad about it. I shrug. “It sounds like a good idea.”
“No problem with me,” Ferer says, even if he sounds a little annoyed.
Lidiane says, “Let’s just grab what we need, and then we go.”
We enter the house, then I go to my bedroom and pack some of Astra’s clothes and mine in a duffel bag. For some reason I don’t want to use the royal suitcase, perhaps not willing to use any needless magic.
“I still have your poison,” I tell her. “Do you want it?”
