Papa and I roused the girls from slumber, and everyone loaded up onto the horses. We left the cover of the trees and began crossing the open field again, Pharis’ shadows shielding us from view.
After we’d been riding a few minutes and I’d turned it over and over in my mind, I asked, “What did you mean back there, saying ‘yes’ when my father asked about Stellon keeping me prisoner? He was keeping me safe from discovery while my ankle healed.”
“That’s what he told you,” Pharis said. “He told me he knew he could have gotten you out of there and back to your family much earlier, but he was selfishly keeping you to himself. He felt bad about that—afteryou were captured and thrown in the dungeon a second time.”
“You’re lying,” I said.
“I’m not. If you were Elven, I’d tell it to you in a way you’d have no doubt.”
“You’re talking about mind-to-mind communication,” I said. “About that… can only Elves do it?”
“No, other Fae have the same ability.”
“And humans?” I asked then clarified, “I mean I know we can’t do it with each other, but would it be possible for an Elf to speak to a human that way?”
A small laugh moved Pharis’ chest behind me. “My tutor was a good one, but I don’t know everything about everything. What do you think?”
“I think it might be possible. I—”
Here I cut myself off. I couldn’t be certain what I’d heard in my head had actually been Pharis’ voice.
It could have been my own mind chatter that night trying to convince me of what I already knew—that I had to tell Stellon the truth about my identity.
And that Pharis saw right through me and wanted me to leave his brother alone.
When it happened again this morning at the cottage door, and I’d heard the wordsthere’s no time, that was what I’d already been thinking.
But the thought was inhisvoice, not mine.
I shook my head. After spending a day and night in his presence, of course Pharis’ voice had lingered in my mind. Who knew how long it would take me to be rid of his memory after this month-long ride was over?
I certainly wasn’t going to tellhimhis voice was haunting my mind.
“You what?” he prodded, sounding highly interested.
“I think… actually it’s not possible. Humans can’t do that.”
“Anything’s possible,” Pharis said. He looked over at my family riding next to us. “But there’s no point speculating about such unlikely things, I suppose.”
“Did you see the King and his troops while you were out scouting?” I asked.
“At a distance. They seem to be keeping to the road for now,” he said. “There might be other groups of them, but honestly, I didn’t range that far. I had to crash for a few hours of sleep—I had no choice. When I got to the palace this morning and went to see Stellon, he told me our father was leading a hunt for you. I turned back around and rode for Waterdale again.”
“So you never went to bed last night,” I said. He must have been dead on his feet.
I hadn’t heard him return to our camp. “Where did you ‘crash’ and sleep?”
“In the grass not far from the tent,” he said. “I could have slept on jagged rocks and shattered glass by that point.”
“Our cave nap yesterday was the last time I stopped moving, and the ‘sleep’ there left something to be desired,” he added.
“Really? I slept well in the cave.”
He chuckled. “I know you did. You were snoring.”
My mouth fell open, and I smacked his thigh bracketing mine. “I was not.”
“You were,” he insisted. “Loud enough to wake hibernating bears.”
