“What the fuck is that?” I stood from the rock, eyeing the shadow creature, my lips curling back in a snarl.
The cat jumped in front of Sybil, growling and hissing at me. The shadows around us grew taller and thicker. It was…protecting her?
“That’s the phantom from the council room and your bedroom, isn’t it?” Ivara asked hesitantly, her focus solely on the cat. I’ve never seen her so pale before or so spooked.
“What do you mean, the council room and her bedroom?” Samian glanced at Ivara before looking back to Sybil.
I could see Sybil swallow, see the way she nervously fumbled with the edge of her jacket. “I don’t actually know,” she finally said. She took a steadying breath. “It has been following me, I think. I saw it in my dream this morning, and ever since then, it's been here. I mean, notherespecifically, but here with me. I don’t think it's bad, though. It feels safe—calming.”
Sybil stooped down, rubbing the cat’s neck, and the shadows receded. I kept an eye on the thing as they walked to the group. Sybil sat on the rock beside Ivara, who immediately switched places, putting Sybil between her and Viv. Sybil’s cheeks turned pink, but Ivara didn’t notice, not when she threw her arms around Sybil’s waist, hugging her close. Insufferable female. Viv just smiled warmly, taking Sybil’s hand in hers, refusing to let go. And that creature, it sat at her feet, staring up at me, waiting for my next move.
All I could do was shake my head. Sybil looked awkward, but there was a small smile fighting to be let free.
“I guess we should go ahead and get this meeting started. Daelan, a shield, please.” I waited until his shield was complete before Samian began telling us about the council meeting. From Sybil being the newly elected grand paladin, the first in over 300 years, to the upcoming war and Daelan becoming the new war general.
When Samian finished, Viv’s face was cold, hard. “She won’t be able to come to the camp.” Her voice was barely a whisper.
Sybil’s eyebrows furrowed together, her wary eyes full of questions. “The grand paladin is just a fancy title for a royal assassin,” I explained to her softly. “Everyone in Nemos will know that you are Ambrose’s executioner. And with you being there at the public executions, the rebels won’t trust you in the camp. You won’t be safe there.”
“Can’t I just refuse his order? Tell everyone that I’m not on his side?” Her voice trembled slightly; her face pinched with mourning.
“If you do, Ambrose will send you back to the dungeons. Even I wouldn’t be able to stop him,” Samian murmured, keeping his eyes on the ground in front of him.
“But I?—”
“Will need to continue with what you’re doing. I know it’s difficult, but it's not just to keep you safe. You being a part of those meetings can save countless lives. I know this path is a hard one, but it’s one that you must continue to help others.”
Sybil’s face paled, her eyes growing wide. Samian whipped his head toward her. “What was that?”
“Nothing. It was nothing,” Sybil breathed.
Samian stood, taking a step closer. “It wasn’t nothing, Sybil. Tell me what that was.”
Ivara unlaced herself from Sybil, standing between them. Samian snarled at her; however, I felt the pulse of Viv’s magic in the air. Her eyes were closed, but they slowly opened, and she looked at Sybil. She brushed the hair away from Sybil’s face and whispered something to her, too low for anyone else to hear. Surprise flickered in Sybil’s eyes, which were now lined with silver.
“Sybil?” I asked quietly.
“Stop it,” she hissed. “Both of you, stop it! I can’t take you both talking in my head.”
My heart splintered at her barbed words, but I nodded. She was still so new to this world, a world that hadn’t been kind to her since she got here. My arms itched to pull her in close, to shelter her, protect her, but she had to find her strength. She had to find her way through this and learn to stand firm on her own two feet.
“Orin, you’ll need to fly to Thanlyl, warn them of the soldiers coming and their intentions.” Orin stood, clapping me on the shoulder as he went by, disappearing into the trees. “Viv, we will need to go to the Seelie Court. We need to let them know that war is at their door and ask for their aid. But until then, I think we should start your training, Sybil. You can start with Vivi first and then move on to Ezra. Does that sound all right to you?”
Sybil stared at me, her face unreadable, but she reluctantly nodded. Viv stood, pulling Sybil to her feet, and guided her out of the clearing. The shadow creature and Ivara both followed them, though Ivara threw an apologetic glance to Samian.
I waited until I couldn’t hear their steps before I spoke again. “What did you feel from the bond?”
“I don’t know,” Samian snarled, his chest rising and falling too fast. “I felt her dread, but it was more than that. It was so strong, so—But suddenly, it all went blank as if the bond ceased to exist. I can still feel our connection, still sense it, but there’s nothing. She’s shielding me somehow.”
“It may be that cat or whatever it is,” Ezra frowned. He looked to Daelan. “Have you heard anything like that?”
“No, but I wouldn’t dismiss it. There’s much we still don’t know, even after thousands of years. The forest itself is still something we don’t completely understand.”
“I don’t trust it,” Samian growled.
“You don’t have to trust it, but it does seem like it’s protecting her. She doesn’t want you to know what she’s feeling, so it blocked you,” Daelan said cautiously. He knew it was dangerous to get between a male and their mate, and he eyed Samian carefully, watching his every move.
“Daelan is right. We may not like it, but he is right. We just need to wait for Sybil to decide to tell us what’s going on,” I said, pulling Samian’s attention away from Daelan.
