“A day and a half.”
Elara's stomach flipped. She glanced up at the trees once more, squinting, hoping to glimpse a raven. “Why are we traveling on horseback and not rifting?”
Dominic paused for a moment before responding. “How about a deal, Hallowed? You keep firing questions at me, and I get to throw a few back your way.”
“Oh, so now you're a fan of fair play?”
His eyes sparkled with mischief. “I’ve got to keep you on your toes somehow.”
Prick.“Fine.”
He exhaled a laugh, his chest brushing up against her back. “We're not rifting because Osin has the Void under tight surveillance. He caught wind of your... liberation a lot faster than we expected.”
“What do you mean he's surveilling the Void?”
The idea seemed absurd. The Void was just that—interstitial nothingness, a realm between realms that belonged to Rhiannon, the Goddess of Death. How could Osin, or anyone for that matter, keep watch over such a place?
Dominic arched a brow. “Osin's had control over the Void for the last ten years, ever since the war started.” He spoke as if it was common knowledge she should have already possessed.
Goosebumps pricked her skin. “How?”
She felt him shrug behind her. “No one really knows for sure. The day Aine presented you to Osin, he declared himself god-chosen, seizing control of ether, and with it, the Void.” His voice carried a bitter edge. “That's our best guess, anyway. Whoever controls ether controls the Void.”
“But you can still use it?”
“Hold up, it's my turn now,” Dominic said with a slight grin, loosening his grip just enough to see if she could keep herself steady on the horse. After a moment, he reached into his bag and pulled out a canteen and some food. “What's it gonna be first—something to eat or a drink?”
Elara froze. “Is that really your question?”
“Oh, come on, I'm not that cruel,” he teased. “You must be starving, and I make it a rule to keep my companions well-fed.”
“You mean your prisoner,” Elara retorted, shaking her bound wrists for emphasis.
“Semantics,” he quipped.
Elara's scowl deepened. “Drink,” she finally grumbled, and he obliged, lifting the canteen to her lips.
“To answer your question, yes, we can still rift if we gear up with the right wards, but Osin's got us under constant watch now, so we're better off taking the scenic route. He's bound to keep an eye on the Void from here on. But our best casters are all over it. We'll figure out a way around it soon enough.”
After Elara gave a nod to show she had finished drinking, he stored the canteen, and broke off a chunk of bread, holding it out to her. If she hadn't been so famished, she might have bitten his finger just for the cheek of feeding her like a bird. But hunger won over pride this time.
She bit into it, not bothering with niceties. “Where are you taking me?”
“North.”
North?Elara's heart skipped a beat, then started pounding furiously. “Where north?” Ulrith lay to the north, but so did Vredia.
He paused, his face a mask of stone. "Just north."
Elara craned her neck to glare at him and he laughed—a low, rumbling sound. “I’ll get more specific when I decide you're trustworthy.”
“And I'm just supposed to trustyou?”
Dominic's smile was all edges. “The irony of trust—it's always a gamble, isn't it?””
As he spoke, the clatter of hooves cut into their conversation. Elara recognized the newcomer immediately—the fire-haired girl from before. “We gotta pull over,” Bryn declared, maneuvering alongside them. “These horses are dead on their feet, and if Gideon doesn’t shut up soon, he’s going to find himself with a knife in his leg.”
Dominic arched an eyebrow, the smirk still lingering. “When did you get so bloodthirsty?”
