“Alright,” Kairos grunted. “Clan heads only.”
“Good.” Elwen tapped the table. “We’ll tell them the truth. For the others, we’ll say that she helped free you. You brought her here to save her from Skaldir’s retaliation. It’s true enough.”
“They’ll still ask questions,” Uther said.
Silence stretched.
I cleared my throat. “I don’t have to attend the party.”
Three sets of eyes turned to me.
I shrugged. “It would be easier if I…stayed out of sight.”
“No,” Kairos barked. “You’ll stay where I can see you.”
Uther chuckled. “Oh, that’s not going to fuel any rumors at all.”
A hundred guests. Dozens of servants. Hallways bustling with movement. A distracted host. It would be mayhem—exactly what I needed to get to Rheya.
I glanced at Kairos, who grumbled under his breath. He looked exhausted. Worn down in a way that made my chest tighten. I shoved the feeling away.
I couldn’t afford to care about any of them.
22
THE BREAKING POINT
The chaos was perfect.
Servants swarmed the halls over the next two days, preparing for Kairos’s party, and while they hauled in barrels, I studied their routines. Kitchen staff left unguarded supplies near the cellars. I slipped food into a bag—preserved meats, fruits, bread wrapped in cloth. A small dagger, stolen from a warrior’s belt.
The library became my refuge. I examined maps, poring over the geography until my eyes ached. Then I found an excellent map of the Mirenwilde, dense with detail. Hundreds of creeks and waterfalls tagged in faded ink, game trails threading through the trees, and pools. Dozens of them, labeled with spiral symbols scattered throughout the woods.
I’d marked the closest one as the pool that dragged me into this realm, but I wasn’t completely sure. I had to understand how portal runes worked.
Laying a fresh sheet over the map, I traced its lines with careful strokes, the ink gleaming in the lamplight. I blew on the page until it dried, then swept everything into mysatchel.
A faint ache pulsed in my lower ribs, the same dull knot I’d started waking with the past few mornings. I shifted and rubbed at it absently. Probably stress. As I tied the satchel, a familiar baritone drifted through the shelves.
Kairos.
My arm jerked, knocking the ink well. It spilled over the table. Damn it, Lioren wouldkillme. I righted the ink and grabbed spare sheets of parchment, mopping the mess. I balled the pages as the hairs on my neck prickled.
A footstep creaked the floorboards.
I sat straighter, gritting my teeth.
He didn’t announce himself, not that he needed much of an introduction. His presence dropped like the mist he wielded, heavy…but soft. Unnervingly quiet.
He took another step, and I bristled. Now he was close enough to breathe in, and I couldn’t stand it. For two days, he’d been absent—not that I cared. Every morning, I watched from my window as he disappeared into the forest on monstrous beasts.
Creatures with glowing eyes and hooves that scraped the earth. He returned late, battered and bloodied. Didn’t matter. I’d be gone soon.
I kept cleaning the table.
He didn’t speak.
I sighed roughly. “What do you want?”
