Azur snorts, and I shoot him a murderous glare. “What’s your problem?”
“I have a long list. Ask your beloved wife.” I don’t know how he manages to sound haughty and ironic even lying down and supposedly hurt.
“Marlak,” she mumbles. “That’s the Witch King’s head.”
At first, my ears refuse to believe her words, then my entire body trembles, followed by a wave of relief. “You killed him?”
“I beheaded him. Azur’s saying it won’t kill him. But I… licked his blood. And his magic…” She closes her eyes. “Gross, so gross. I feel it in my body.”
Gross indeed. “Azur’s magic?”
“And the Witch King’s.”
“Youlickedthe Witch King?”
“The head.” Astra points at the disgusting thing on the ground. “I mean, the neck. I need to rest, to… And Azur, he needs to be hidden, very well hidden from the Witch King. I was thinking…” She looks at me, expectation in those lovely brown eyes.
I know what she means. “You want to take him home?”
She nods.
Azur.
The fae who threatened Astra. The fae who wanted to kill me just a few hours ago. The fae who might have been responsible for taking Astra to the Shadow Lands.
I turn to Azur. “Did you threaten her?”
He rolls his eyes and Astra says, “Of course not.”
“Marlak.” Azur’s voice is like a knife on a bevel. “I’m wounded. My magic is weak. Why don’t you take the opportunity to kill me? It might be your only chance.”
“Ignore him,” Astra says. “We need to take him home.”
I try to imagine Azur standing in our kitchen, but the idea is so insane that no image comes to mind. “That’s what you want?” I look into her eyes, searching for any trace of fear, of manipulation, of hesitation, but all I see is sheer will.
“Yes.”
I kiss her cheek, then whisper, “I trust your judgement. Also, my brother and Ziven are there. Is that?—”
“Good. Ialsotrust your judgement.” Our eyes meet.
“Can you come with me? Swimming?” I whisper. It’s obviously not swimming all the way south, but I hope she gets the hint. “I’ll see if Ferer can pick him up.”
“My magic’s partly back,” Azur says, not even trying to hide the fact that he was listening. “I could transcend myself. Just tell me where.”
And tell the location of my best hideout to my enemy?
And yet it’s what Astra wants. My heart stutters, but I decide to trust her.
“Do you know the Queen’s River?” I ask him.
“Not really,” he says.
“Icould transcend us there.” Astra looks at me, her eyes bright. “I still have some of Azur’s magic. But I can’t get to the island, and I don’t want my magic being traced.”
The idea of Azur’s magic coursing through her veins disgusts me more than the Witch King’s, for some reason. Still, if she’s sure she can do it, I’ll have to trust her.
I can’t believe I’m doing this, can’t believe I’m about to agree with her plan. “Get us above the river. I’ll create an ice layer so we don’t fall in the water.”
