"What happened?" Sian appeared at their bedroll, concern clear on her face.
"Malus reached her through the marks," Eliam said, anger edging his words. "In her dreams."
"That's not possible," Halian protested, but his voice lacked conviction. "The wards should prevent—"
"We're not in the Star Court anymore," Arion said quietly. He'd risen from his own bedroll, his light dim but present. "The protections don't extend this far."
Karse appeared from the shadows where he'd been on watch. "Can he find her with those things?"
All eyes turned to Eliam whose grim expression spoke louder than any words could have. He gave a short nod and Karse swore under his breath.
"We can’t waste any more time," Eliam continued, already beginning to pack their bedroll. "No more leisurely pace. We push hard, reach the seal before he can intercept us."
"We can't outrun him if he's already close," Thaine pointed out.
"We can try." Eliam's voice left no room for argument.
Briar sat in the center of the activity, her hand still pressed to her burning throat, Malus's words echoing in her head:I'll be seeing you soon.
She believed him.
Her throat still ached where the marks had burned. She'd checked it in the pre-dawn light, half expecting to see blistered skin, but there was nothing visible. Just the copper leaves, innocuous and terrible, and the phantom heat that lingered beneath them.
She couldn't shake the feeling of Malus's hands on her. The way his fingers had traced her throat, the pressure of his grip on her waist. Her mind knew it had been a dream, but her body remembered the touch as if it had been real.
They rode north. Or what Karse assured them was north, though the thick canopy made it impossible to track the sun's position with any certainty. Briar found herself checking over her shoulder constantly, scanning the trees for movement that wasn't wind, for shapes that didn't belong.
Everything looked wrong now. Every shadow could hide something. Every rustle of leaves could be approach rather than breeze.
"Stop," Eliam said quietly beside her.
She realized she'd been twisting in the saddle again, neck craned to look behind them. "I can't help it."
"You're exhausting yourself. And Phaeon can feel your tension." His hand found her leg, steadying. "If something comes, we'll know. Thaine is watching our back trail."
She tried to relax, to focus forward, but her shoulders stayed rigid. The exhaustion sat heavy in her bones, made heavier by the sleepless night and the adrenaline that still hadn't fully faded.
The morning wore on. They stopped once to rest the horses and eat a cold meal that no one seemed to have any appetite for. Briar chewed bread that tasted like dirt, swallowed water that didn't ease the dryness in her throat.
When they mounted again, her legs trembled as she climbed back into the saddle. The world swayed slightly, the edges going soft.
"Briar?" Eliam's voice came from very far away.
She blinked, found herself tilted at a wrong angle, Phaeon's neck rushing up to meet her face. Then strong hands grabbed her waist, hauling her back upright, and she was moving through air before settling against a solid chest.
Eliam had pulled her onto his horse. She sat sideways across his lap, her head against his shoulder, his arm iron-strong around her waist.
"I'm fine," she tried to say.
"You were falling off your horse." He made a gesture and Thaine moved forward to take Phaeon's reins, leading the horse alongside them. "You're riding with me."
She wanted to protest, to insist she could manage, but the exhaustion was crushing. Her eyes kept trying to close despite her efforts to keep them open.
"Sleep if you need to," Eliam said against her hair. "I have you."
"Can't. What if he comes back—"
"Then I'll wake you." His arm tightened. "But you're useless like this. Your body needs rest."
