Kai whirled on her, her normal soft eyes now flashing. “You’re not giving him that dagger.” When Isla didn’t respond, the water elemental added, “Right? Isla, tell me what you said.”
The weight of both her indecision and Kai’s gaze buried Isla. These elementals would never understand, would never see how much she fought within herself over what path to take. “I didn’t give him an answer, but it’s myfamily. What choice do I have?”
Stiffening, Kai turned away from her and said, “That’s the kind of desperation that leads to rash decisions. We will find a way to save them, I promise. But you aren’t giving him that dagger.”
The vial of his blood burned a hole in Isla’s cloak pocket. She knew she should tell Kai, knew that keeping this secret would only drive the wedge further between them when—if—its existence came to light. But Isla remained silent, unable to see past the burning look Kai had given her. The elementals would take it from her, that was certain. And she couldn’t ruin her chances of getting her brother and father back.
The ride was much longer and harder this time around. They set a steady, silent pace, both deep in their thoughts. Kai had been acting strange ever since they found that old box in her father’s room, and their less-than-friendly discussion about the dagger hadn’t helped. Isla had no answers for how a box from Iona had ended up in her father’s care, or why Kai had been so unsettled when she’d discovered Isla’s original surname was Vasileia. Her father’s family, like her mother’s, hailed from Evonlea. She descended from a long line of hunters and gatherers from the icy kingdom, whose roots went back millennia. That’s what Papa had told her. Why would he have lied?
As the night dragged on, her mind shifted from thoughts of her father and Iona to Sebastian. He’d been different that evening. More…human. Like he had shed a layer of skin when revealing his true identity and wasn’t as polished around the edges, wasn’t as cruel and menacing. Maybe something had happened when he fought with Jade and Celesine in the mountains—although, he must’ve magically healed himself, considering she hadn’t noticed him so much as limping.
And what about his whispered confession, that he didn’t “want to do this”? Had she imagined that, or was it also part of his game?
Isla still hated him. He’d taken those she loved and her free will along with them. She couldn’t understand how someone who was already akingwanted even more power, and why he was willing to defy the very beings that embodied nature to gain it. What had happened to him to make him this way?
Isla looked up at the looming Aataran Mountain range that grew steadily closer. She estimated they were only five miles out and motioned to Kai that they should slow their pace to give the horses—and their aching backs—a break. As they did, their horses’ hooves beating the ground and the wind whipping through the air quieted. It was eerily silent under the shadows of the mountain, silver light seeping through gray clouds above them. Tension stretched between her and Kai over unspoken secrets they both seemed to harbor, twisting her stomach into knots.
A foreign sound broke the quiet night. A third set of hooves pounded closer, and as Isla craned her neck around, she found a mound of dust rising through the darkness only a short distance away.
Someone was following them.
“Go!” Kai shouted next to her, and Isla nudged Honey with her heel. She leaned forward as they shot off, turning her head every few seconds to keep an eye on their assailant.
The hooded figure was gaining on them.
Right as Isla was about to urge Honey to go faster, she heard her name cut through the wind.
She recognized that voice.
“Are youkiddingme?” Isla grunted and pulled on Honey’s reins, slowing her and shifting to the right. Kai yanked Buck to a stop and shot Isla a puzzled look.
The approaching horse finally slowed, its rider out of breath.Was that Buttercup?
“Gods, you two are fast. I thought I’d never catch up.” Bri lowered the hood of her emerald cloak, and Kai cursed. Bri was close enough now that Isla could see the sweat on her friend’s brow and the wry smile hanging from her lips as she said, “Good try, but you can’t get rid of me that easily.”
“Kai, what’s going on? I thought you…” Isla glanced at Bri and then back at Kai questioningly, unsure how to best phrase “used mind control on her.”
“It’s only temporary,” Kai said. “I thought it would be enough time for us to get on the road so she wouldn’t try looking for us.”
“Um, hello? I’m right here. What are you talking about?” Bri snapped.
Isla pinched the bridge of her nose between her fingers. “How did you even find us? And why do you have my horse?”
“When I got home, I sat around and moped for a couple of hours about how I missed you and wished there was something I could do to help. And then I thought, why was I just sitting there? So I ran back to your house to see if you had left yet, and I must’ve barely missed you. I saw the two of you speeding off down the end of the road. I didn’t know what else to do, so I saddled up Buttercup,”—Bri smiled sheepishly and patted the horse’s neck—“and chased after you. And gods, were you going fast. I haven't been able to catch up all night.”
“Bri, you should—”
“I swear, if you tell me to go home, I’m going to run you over with sweet Buttercup here.” Bri leveled Isla with an annoyed glare. “I’ve been riding all night, even mytoesare sore. I’m not about to turn around and ride another six hours back. I’m coming with you.” She tapped her foot against the horse, and the two of them sauntered off. Buttercup’s tail swished at Honey’s nose when they passed, and Bri glanced at Isla over her shoulder, adding with a raised brow, “You got your adventure, why can’t I have mine?”
“Be careful what you wish for,” Isla grumbled. She shrugged at Kai and sighed. “Can we just deal with this tomorrow?”
Kai closed her eyes and leaned her head back to crack her neck. “Fine, but you’re telling Jade.”
“This is technicallyyourfault. I thought your mind powers would work longer,” Isla muttered, but gently nudged Kai’s shoulder with her own in a tentative offer of peace as they trotted behind Bri.
“Mind powers? What?” Bri called back, almost turning Buttercup completely around as she craned her neck to look at them.
Isla huffed out a laugh. “We have a lot to talk about, Bri.”
