I reached for the jar of paint and handed it to him. “There’s only one more rune left,” I said, barely above a whisper.
He stood without hesitation, finishing the last curve of the arch. I gathered our belongings, tossed them into my satchel, and hobbledto his side.
Closing my eyes, I summoned my elements. I pictured the Hollow’s mountaintop where we began.
The runes ignited. Magic crackled. The chasm shimmered open.
Shayde slung my arm over his shoulder, wrapped an arm around my waist. Together, bruised and breathless, we leapt into the chasm.
Chapter 52
Shayde and Fallon tumbled through the glowing portal. The rift snapped shut behind them before they even hit the ground. Rhodes and I rushed forward.
Shayde had one arm flung out to break his fall, the other wrapped tightly around my sister’s waist, keeping her from slamming into the floor.
“What in the elements?” I heard Nash mutter behind us.
River was instantly at my side, dropping to the ground and nudging her snout under Fallon’s arm to help. Shayde released Fallon—almost reluctantly—and between River and me, we got my sister to her feet.
I followed Fallon’s gaze and saw it land squarely on Shayde.
They shared a look heavy with unspoken things—only for a moment—before Rhodes grabbed his brother and pulled him away. I watched the way my sister’s hazel eyes clung to him, unwilling to let go. It left me speechless and confused.
But then her expression hardened. She lifted her gaze past me, scanning the rest of us waiting for them.
Cleo and Pehper were wrestling with the pieces of River’s saddle. The wolf was locked in a clear standoff with them about taking a break from wearing it. She’d thrown what I could only describe as a full-on fit before we even reached the mountains. The only reason we made it here in time was because Cleo and Pehper had agreed to haul her gear themselves; she wouldn’t move if we left it behind.
Nash was there, carefully guiding the brewing storm to keep it from washing away the runes. Davis had extra canteens of water slung over his back and a basket of bread in his hands. Tatum carried two more winter cloaks draped over her arms.
“He isn’t here,” I exhaled, the words sagging with disappointment.
Fallon’s eyes snapped to mine. She narrowed them. Her practiced shield rose like a wall. But then—only for me—it dropped. Her chest deflated.
“Of course he isn’t.”
Tatum quietly stepped forward and draped one cloak over Fallon’s shoulders. Fallon didn’t resist. She swung a leg over River’s back, settling into the wolf’s thick fur. Without another word, they turned and began trotting toward the Hollow, leaving the rest of us behind in the clearing.
“What’s wrong?”
I turned, opening my mouth to answer Nash, but realized it wasn’t he who had asked. It was Shayde. He stood there, clutching his new cloak tight around himself, dark eyes searching my face.
I clenched my jaw. “Arrow couldn’t be bothered to come.”
We had been huddled around the war room table for over an hour, dissecting every detail of Shayde and Fallon’s mission to Tyria.
Shayde reported Professor Yearwood’s presence in Tyria—and his close alliance with the Grim. The confirmation landed heavily. Yearwood’s betrayal wasn’t just another fracture in our trust; it was another missing piece of the puzzle snapping into place, sharpening the picture of the war we were facing.
A few of Arrow’s most trusted hands had joined us, including Doryan. He immediately claimed the chair next to Fallon, still dressed in his battered war leathers and steel chest plate.
Apparently, there had been another breach in the Hollow’s wards while we were gone. Thankfully, no casualties. Nothing was stolen. But after decades of perfect security along the borders, this was the sixth breach in just the last six months.
That was where Arrow had been all evening, according to the warriors of Hollow Summit.
The tome Fallon and Shayde retrieved from Tyria was an exact match for the other two. All three pieces of the Mareki’s Key lay spread across the war table beside the missing piece of the castle map.
Rhodes had leaned in close to my ear earlier to promise he’d see the map returned to his mother, where it belonged. I’d caught Nash’s warm, knowing gaze on us as he did. Elias Wylder couldn’t be entirely corrupted if someone as good as Nash Salvitto still served so high inhis ranks.
The door creaked open, snapping everyone’s attention to it. Arrow Fitzroy stormed in with Colonel Barrett, both clad in the same battered war leathers and steel chest plates as Doryan. Wet hair clung to Arrow’s forehead, and there were new lines around his hazel eyes in just the short week we’d been gone. His fists clenched so tightly his knuckles had gone white. More warriors filed in behind him.
