Or maybe dead.
“Nakiis,” I say softly.
His coal- black eyes flutter open. “Magesmith,” he says, and the word is full of pain: half gasp, half growl. He might be hurt, but his tone is still thick with the ironic drawl I’ve grown used to. “Well met.”
Injured or not, I have no idea how to feel about him being here. There’s a part of me that wants to slam the door on him and leave him out in the cold, like he did the king weeks ago. I still have no idea whether Nakiis is an ally or an adversary, but he certainly doesn’t seem like afriend.
But as his eyes find mine, it’s clear he wonders the same thing about me— especially as he’s lying here, wounded and defenseless and desperate. Much like the night we first met, when he’d been trapped and tormented, with no one left to trust.
It makes me think of all the ways I’ve been in the same position.
It makes me think of all the ways vulnerability has been used againstme.
So I reach out a hand and rest it over his. Despite the wind and the rain and the feel of his magic in the air, his skin is still warm, and it reminds me of his father, whowasmy friend.
“Well met, Nakiis,” I say, and there’s not a hint of irony in my tone. Just sorrow and mercy. “Well met.”
CHAPTER 25
JAX
After I spent so many months in Emberfall, it’s odd to find myself sitting on a milking stool in Callyn’s old barn as if we were just here yesterday. The animals are gone, of course, and much like the forge, a faint layer of dust clings to everything, but the deeper scents of old hay and manure haven’t dissipated. If anything, the heat and the rain have filled the space with an earthy aroma that reminds me of the stables back at Ironrose at the end of a hot day. It’s notbad, but it’s certainly not great.
It’s also the absolute last place I could’ve imagined a grouping like this.
Callyn and Nora are sharing a bale of hay to my left. Nora seems to have grown three inches since I saw her last, along with a sharper jawline and a new resolve to her gaze. Now she’s the same height as her sister, and if she hadn’t tackled me with a hug, I’m not entirely sure I would’ve recognized her. Callyn has changed, too, though her differences are more subtle— and I haven’t decided if I like them. She’s always been a bit wounded and wary, but there’s a new edge that wasn’t there before.
Though it’s possible I’m just annoyed to discover that she’s attached to Lord Alek again, who’s standing just to her left, glowering from the shadows. It’s been months, but I haven’t forgotten the way he tormented me and attacked Tycho. Every time I look in his direction, my jaw tightens, my fingers wanting to curl into fists. He’s probably lucky I don’t have a weapon— though I have enough adrenaline surging through my veins to knock him flat.
He doesn’t seem to care. Since they arrived, Alek hasn’t looked at meonce.
In a way, it’s making meangrier.
Tycho told Malin to carry the wounded scraver in here, and I was startled when Callyn jumped in to help. Now Nakiis is lying on an old quilt over a thin layer of straw off to the side of the room. The other one—Igaa?— stands over him, looking ready to claw out the heart of anyone who dares to come near.
The queen herself has all but collapsed on another bale of hay, the young princess curled up beside her. When they first climbed out of the carriage, the little girl was full of energy, but now her eyes keep flickering toward sleep.
Tycho stands near them both, leaning against one of the support posts, but I really wish he’d sit down. His shoulder wound has bled through the bandages, and the rain soaked his tunic to his chest, making the bloodstain spread. He looks too pale, but his jaw is set, his eyes clear. It hasn’t escaped my notice that he’salsoglaring at Lord Alek, and it’s probably good that he’s not armed either.
He’s holding his wounded arm against his abdomen, though. I hope he doesn’t pick a fight he can’t finish. It was bad enough watching the first time.
Once everyone was under cover, they shared information: Tycho revealing everything that happened in Emberfall, the queen revealing the challenges on this side of the border. I thought the queen might beupset to hear that her courier was killed, but maybe she’s grown used to bad news, or maybe she expected it along with everything else that’s happened. Once they were done, Callyn shared the way she and Alek were confronted by Igaa, and how she did her best to help Nakiis— though he’s clearly still in bad shape. In turn, Alek explained about his confrontation with Lady Karyl— and the fact that she’s borrowed magic from the scravers herself. A ripple of shock traveled through the group when we heard that Lady Karyl was able to travel so far in such a short time, but then Igaa spoke from the side of the room.
“If Xovaar has shared his magic,” she said, “this Lady Karyl can travelquitefar.” She looked at Tycho. “Nakiis did the same for you, did he not?”
“He did,” Tycho said.
“How far?” said the queen.
“Twenty miles.” Tycho snapped his fingers. “Likethat.” He looked at Igaa. “Can you do that? Can you return me to Ironrose Castle?”
“That much magic would send a flare into the sky and make this spot a target,” she said. “And I doubt I could manage it even if I wanted to.” She glanced at the scraver by her feet, then bared her fangs. Ice formed on the posts beside her. “I will not leave him.”
Sephran and Leo are the only two who aren’t here. Malin gave Leo orders to depart at once with the letter Tycho drafted to the king, and he took off on horseback almost immediately. He then ordered Sephran to sit sentry at the end of the lane. I expected my friend to be bitter and annoyed to be excluded, the way he’s been for days, but for the first time, there wasn’t an ounce of rebellion in his voice when he said, “Yes, sir.”
Healsohasn’t looked at me all morning, but unlike Lord Alek, I think Sephran is simply ashamed.
After Sephran is gone, the queen turns to Malin, takes in the bars on his sleeve, and briskly says in Emberish, “If the Truthbringers areplanning an attack, then we must take action. You, Captain, will ride to the Crystal Palace. You will ask to speak with—”
