I open my mouth to argue, but Nyxia comes to a sudden halt, forcing me and Lorelei and to stop as well. An enormous owl swoops down from the sky and lands at the queen’s feet. “Urgent,” the owl says. “Unwelcome guests have traveled through the axis. They’re heading for Selene Palace.”
24
“Who do you think it is?” I ask Lorelei as we hurry back through the woods toward the palace. Nyxia already took off in her shadow form as soon as the owl delivered its message.
“I don’t know,” Lorelei says, “but it can’t be good.”
We continue on as swiftly as we can. The forest remains eerily silent, as if the message has every creature in the woods on high alert. I’m hyper aware of every snapping twig, every rustling leaf.
“Evie.” The sound of my name has me nearly leaping out of my skin. I draw back as a figure materializes seemingly from nowhere. A scream builds in my throat and I nearly release it until the moonlight illuminates a pair of antlers.
“Aspen! What are you doing here?”
He takes me by the shoulders. “For the love of oak and ivy, where have you been? Are you safe?”
All I can do is nod, startled by the concern written over his expression.
His eyes leave me to scan my surroundings. “Why are you in the woods?”
I blink a few times, confused by the question. Then I recognize that familiar purple aura around him and realize he isn’t really here. I take a deep breath to steady my nerves as I consider how to answer his question. I’m not ready to tell him the truth about what I’ve been doing. Besides, the longer he stands in my presence, the more I recall I’m still mad at him over our argument in the hall. I don’t owe him an explanation. Not yet. “I’m with Lorelei,” I say curtly.
He purses his lips, hands sliding from my shoulders as if he’s suddenly uncomfortable with the physical contact. In the absence of his touch comes a sting of regret. “Stay there,” he says without warmth. “Do not come back to the palace.”
“Why? What’s happening?”
“King Ustrin is coming.”
My throat goes dry. “What does he want?”
“Just stay where you are.” With that, he’s gone.
When my vision adjusts to Aspen’s sudden disappearance, I find Lorelei in his place. Her hands are on her hips, head cocked to the side as she watches me with a raised brow. “What the bloody oak and ivy just happened?”
“You didn’t see him?”
“See who?”
I almost don’t want to explain, but her expression tells me she won’t let me off that easy. “Aspen was here.”
She lifts a brow. “Aspen? He was here just now?” Her tone is flat, full of skepticism.
I let out a sigh. “It’s something that’s been happening since I left Bircharbor. At first, I thought they were dreams, but they’re...something else.”
Her posture relaxes. “Wait, you’re serious?”
I nod. “I don’t understand it, but there are times when we’re able to see each other. It...might be linked to the Bond.” Since finding out my dreams were true occurrences, I haven’t given the phenomenon much thought. But now, it’s beginning to make sense. “I think we’ve been using the Bond to visit each other somehow. When I use his name and think of him in a certain way, I can see where he is. And when he uses mine...likewise. That’s why he knew I was in trouble in Eisleigh. Lorelei, he was there in the underground laboratory.”
“That’s a lot to take in,” she says. “But all right, I think I understand what you’re saying. Although, I don’t believe that’s a common feature of the Bond.”
“Well, whatever the case, there’s something far more pressing. He told me King Ustrin is coming and urged me to remain hidden.”
She gapes. “He’s coming? Where, to the palace? That’s who Nyxia went to confront?”
“That’s what it sounded like.”
Lorelei darts forward, then hesitates. “No, he’s right. You need to remain in hiding.”
“Like hell,” I say. “I need to know what’s going on.”
