Serenna bristled, seared by a hot flash of annoyance. Of course his only thanks would be scorn.
“You obviously haven’t explored everywhere,” she shot back, planting her hands on her hips and matching his glare. “Fenn and I found the Heart inyourfortress,” she reminded him. “And let’s not forget—I’m the one who brought you the relic from Centarya.”
That certainly hadn’t been intentional, but she’d claim it now—to fuel her argument and needle this ungrateful male a little further.
Serenna ticked off her fingers deliberately. “That’stwoof the five Hearts that I’ve had a hand in locating for you.” She tilted her chin, daring him to argue. “So if anyone’s qualified to locate the one here, it’s me.”
Lykor stooped down to growl in her face. “Then why aren’t you crawling through the jungle to prove it?”
Serenna clenched her teeth. “I’ll get started. Do we have a map? Maybe you can mark where—”
“A map?” Lykor barked an explosive laugh as he straightened. “Oh, right. I forgot. Let me just reach into my pocket and pull it out.” He patted down his leathers, then mimed the motion theatrically, flinging a finger in her face—a crude gesture she slapped away. “No, the druids didn’t leave behind any fuckingmaps.”
Jassyn cleared his throat. “Vesryn and I didn’t get to explore much yet, but—”
“Then maybe you and Serenna should knock your heads together instead of flapping your tongues,” Lykor gritted out.
A chattering mewl drew everyone’s gaze upward. Aiko glided down from a level above, her wings rustling faintly.
While organizing supplies, two of Fenn’s sisters had sworn to Serenna that Lykor had ordered them to retrieve the vulpinteraduring the evacuation—above all else. That he’d threatened to wear their hides if Aiko didn’t make it through a portal.
Aiko landed on Jassyn’s shoulders, curling snugly around his neck. Lykor scowled at the purring vulpintera, muttering something about treachery before swinging his focus back to Jassyn.
“Are there any other shamans in the ranks here?” he asked through his teeth, shoulders twitching.
Jassyn scratched behind Aiko’s ear. “A handful, according to the family trees Vesryn and I recovered from the capital. Most have been turned into wraith, but that shouldn’t affect their power.” Shifting his weight, he studied the threads of light etched into the bark. “Though as far as I know, Serenna and I are the only ones who’ve manifested the elemental magic.”
Lykor’s eyes glowed as they swept over Jassyn, calculating. “Then organize them and pry out their abilities. I want them trained.” His gaze shifted to the magus and flicked over the magister with cold indifference. “Thalaesyn has enough menders. He can spare you.”
The prince’s presence brightened in Serenna’s mind. She and Jassyn both turned toward the entrance a heartbeat before Vesryn stomped through.
“You’re not going to order my people around,” Vesryn said sharply, his words as clipped as his stride.
“I’m not wasting my time arguing with you,” Lykor muttered. A burst of force lashed out from his gauntlet, yanking a cloak from a supply pile at the side of the tree.
Vesryn’s jaw tightened as Lykor slung the furs over his shoulders.
“Where do you think you’re going?” the prince demanded.
Lykor sneered. “I’mgoingto do something useful and continue portal jumping where I left off.”
“Rightnow? You can’t go alone,” Vesryn protested, exasperation spilling out as he threw up his arms. “Aesar and I—”
“I’m not Aesar,” Lykor snarled, the rough words making Serenna flinch. “Every day we rot in this jungle is another day the king inches closer to finding us. Sit here with your thumb up your ass waiting for him. I don’t care.”
“Wait.” Vesryn’s hands flexed at his sides, but he let any retorts die on his tongue. “I’ve been trying to catch you all morning—I need to talk to you about what happened in the stables.” Brows drawing tight, a sliver of unease drifted down the bond. “The king wielded illumination in a way I’ve never seen before. It was brighter than sunlight and burned through my shield. I—I don’t know what would’ve happened if that magic had touched us.”
Vesryn shared a glance with Jassyn, perhaps a wordless communication. But he had Lykor’s attention.
“I’d…appreciate knowing what Aesar makes of it,” Vesryn said, his voice less forceful now.
Serenna winced despite his measured—almost deferential—tone. Lykor’s eyes nearly exploded into flames as he stalked up to the prince, cloak whipping around his ankles.
“Aesarhasn’t had the luxury of indulging in pedantic pursuits while I’ve been clawing for survival,” Lykor hissed, his scathing words raising the hairs on Serenna’s arms. “But you don’t need to be a scholar to grasp that we’ve hardly scratched the surface of Essence. Use your fucking brain for once. Surely your experience with rending has enlightened you to the fact that magic exists intiers.” Lykor’s scowl slid toward Jassyn, including him in his disdain. “Andhecan tell you that telepathy isn’t confined to simple mind communication.”
Lykor shoved the prince’s chest hard enough to make him stagger. “If you think there’s something useful to illumination, thenyoucan figure this…sunfire out yourself.”
Without waiting for a response, Lykor slashed open a portal, the inky vortex humming with power. He threw Vesryn a final glare over his shoulder before storming through.
