Relief surged through me as I picked it up. It was as much a part of me as my skin.
Lee extended his hand, palm up. “May I?”
I gripped the handle tighter, reluctant to let go.
Sensing my hesitation, Lee’s voice softened. “We need to find her. To see how she has fared.”
My loose-fitting garments suddenly felt too tight. A shivery sensation curled through my belly.
I was going toseeher, my Olivia.
My hand shook as I extended the blade to Lee.
Jack took a seat beside me, his eyes gleaming with unspoken emotion. He knew he couldn’t witness what the blade revealed—Jack wasn’t a Timeborne.
I squeezed his forearm. “I’ll tell you everything I see.”
He wiped at his eyes and gave a stiff nod.
Lee wrapped his fingers around the hilt, then gestured toward my open palm.
I hesitated only a moment before extending my hand.
With practiced precision, Lee pressed his fingers to mine and sliced the dagger’s edge across my palm.
I winced as the sting flared, sharp and immediate, but I didn’t pull away.
Because in that moment, Iknew?—
I was about to see her again.
Blood seeped from my palm, and Lee began to recite the sacred scripture.
A single ray of sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating my hand and casting the room in an eerie hush. The dagger pulsed with light, its surface glowing with an ethereal brilliance.
Jack’s mouth parted in awe. “The blade—it’s glowing.”
“Shhh,” Lee murmured, eyes locked onto the knife.
The gleaming metal swirled with images, shifting like water ripples until Olivia appeared.
My beautiful, courageous wife lay inside a teepee, her body curled in agony. Emily knelt beside her, clutching her hand, whispering words of comfort that couldn’t reach her.
“I can’t save them!” Olivia’s voice cracked with despair. “I can’t saveanyof them. The Kiowa are nothing but ruthless warriors!”
My chest tightened, my breath hitching.
Then the vision shifted?—
Balthazar.
He wastherewith her.
Rage twisted his features as he struck at Olivia, his hand lashing across her face before shoving her violently to the ground.
She let out a choked scream, her arms wrapping protectively around her belly.
Amangledcry tore from my throat.
