The fae’s jaw tightened. “Matthias.”
“Welcome to the crew, Matthias,” I said. “You sure you’re ready for this? We’re more than capable of heading there ourselves.”
Matthias ran a hand over his slick, black hair. “I never intended to stay here, I only wanted to deliver the warning safely. Now that your queen knows the threat, I can return and help others.”
A warning flickered deep in the back of my mind, but I quickly brushed it off. Matthias had good intentions here. He traveled all this way to warn us, to get help for his kingdom. Still, my guard was up. I wasn’t exactly trusting, and we rarely had newcomers here in Scarlata.
“We’re happy to escort you.” Xavier’s voice was cheery and sharp, making me believe he actually meant those words. “Better gear up.”
While the two of them prepared the fourth horse, Rummy and Wolf spoke in hushed tones a few feet away.
The conversation ended quickly, and then Wolf made his way over to me.
“I know this isn’t exactly the mission you thought you’d be going on,” he said.
I shrugged, checking that my saddle was secure. “None of that matters anymore,” I answered honestly. “You need eyes on the battle in the east, but we can’t leave Scarlata undefended, and I agree. I’ll get it done, brother. You can trust me on that.”
With a nod, he clasped me on the shoulder. Recent betrayal aside, Wolf and I spent our lives looking after one another. That wasn’t going to stop now. “I know I can.” Rather than backing up and moving on, he lowered his head, assessing me. “And can I give you another piece of advice?”
I glanced over to Rummy, who wasn’t paying the smallest ounce of attention. “Go right ahead.”
Wolf broke into the slow smile he was known for. “Go easy on her. This trip will be torture for her, even if it seems worse for you right now. I expect all three of you to return alive.”
Goddess above.Of course he’d take her side on this. I rolled my eyes and turned away.
Without pushing the subject further, he backed up and said his final goodbyes to the others.
“Everyone ready?” I asked the small group. “We should get moving as soon as possible.”
Xavier and Matthias made sounds of agreement. Rummy just stepped onto her horse—in an incredibly unnatural way—and got into line with the rest of us.
I took the lead. Matthias fell in line behind me, and Rummy followed him, with Xavier pulling up the back of the group.
I resisted the urge to glance behind me every few seconds, to confirm that Rummy was okay. If she needed help, she damn sure better learn to ask for it, because we really did have a long-ass trip ahead of us.
It had been years since I’d been to the eastern border, but from what I remembered, the trip was dreadful. The forest that separated the lands was thick and unforgiving, with more than enough obstacles to keep the average traveler away. Unpredictable weather, dangerous terrains, and the mystical Whispering Caves separated us. And those were just the threats weknewof. New threats could appear at any moment, could harm us at any turn.
Our survival depended on us staying sharp. Staying ready.
As we made our way off Scarlata’s lands, the tickle in the back of my mind slowly disappeared. Scarlata’s lands had been blessed by the goddess, allowing fae and vampyres to practice magic freely. But not all lands offered the same uses of magic, and not all fae and vampyres were affected equally. Natural magic and blood magic were both used in Scarlata often. In fact, I saw traces of nearlyalltypes of magic used by someone or another in the kingdom.
All magic besideschaos, anyway, but chaos magic hadn’t been seen for many, many years. Even in The Golden City.
Personally, I kept my magic locked away tightly. I often forgot I even possessed magic, often forgot I wasn’t bound to the same restrictions as the fae and vampyre because of my angellineage. Magic in these lands was considered a gift. But not to me.
I shoved my magic further and further away until I forgot it was even there.
Angels were once the most powerful magic users. We were the strongest, the closest to the goddesses that ruled these lands.
Not like that meant much these days. The goddesses rarely interfered with our business, and the angels that used to dominate kingdoms were nearly extinct.
I blended in with the fae and vampyres in Scarlata. Aside from my wings.
Fae and vampyres could both summon wings if they were powerful enough. But my wings were a part of my being. It barely took effort for me to fly through the night sky, but the others? They would be physically exerted and magically depleted after a long trip.
This journey was dangerous enough. And on horseback? Where we were practically defenseless?
I shook the thoughts from my mind. Ruminating on how horrible the next week would be wouldn’t help us.
