“Don’t dwell on it, my lady,” Rawn told her. “The circumstances were unavoidable.”
Zev shapeshifted into his human form and wrapped her in a hug. “Thank the God of Urn you’re safe. How did this happen?”
“Von came for me, but she stopped him with her magic,” Dyna said, nodding to the sorceress standing behind them.
They all faced her. She repeatedly glanced between Cassiel’s wings and Zev, surprised by his change.
Cassiel glared at her. “You.”
“I recognize her scent,” Zev said, his nostrils flaring. The sorceress yelped when he stood and revealed his nudity. She turned her red face away. Rawn offered Zev his cloak and passed Cassiel his coat.
“She’s the witch from the market,” Cassiel told them as he slipped it on.
“I’m no witch,” the sorceress hissed at him.
“Thank you for coming to her aid,” Rawn told her.
“I didn’t do it for you.” She scowled down at Von by her feet. “He stole something from me. I came to retrieve it.”
“Youusedme,” Cassiel intoned, his expression burning with rage. “To distract the others.”
She crossed her arms. “And?”
His face turned all shades of red, his hands curling as though he wished to wrap them around her throat. “I havetakenlives that were not mine to take. I am damned because of you!”
The sorceress stepped back from his fury.
A weight pressed on Dyna’s heart. Burying her into a vast depth of grief that she thought something had broken inside of her.
This was Cassiel’s pain.
He had told her last night that for once he didn’t see himself as sullied; that his blood was pure enough to help her. She had seen the beginning of happiness in his eyes, but now misery clouded them.
“If you need someone to blame, blame him,” the sorceress said, pointing at Von. “They were coming for her, no matter the circumstances. Would the result have been so different if he had taken her in front of you?”
“Had we all been together, I would have ripped out his throat before he got his hands on her,” Zev growled. His yellow eyes flashed as they pinned on the commander. “Is he dead?” He glanced at Geon, who recoiled against the tree at his back.
Rawn approached to check on Von. The sorceress backed several feet away from him, electricity sparking around her. He kept his hands out faced down to show he meant no harm. He crouched by the commander and pressed two fingers at his neck.
After a pause, Rawn said, “He lives.”
“I placed him under a spell. He won’t wake without another.” The sorceress crossed her arms and faced Dyna. “How is it you know of the Luna Medallion?”
“My ancestor wrote its history in his journal. The Medallion is the emblem of the Lunar Guild. An heirloom of the Astron family infused with the power of the moon and stars.”
The sorceress’s white brows knitted together. “Who was your ancestor?”
“Azeran Astron.”
Her mouth fell open, struggling to form the words she eventually spat out. “You are not of the Astron lineage.”
Dyna sighed, feeling a bit dejected at the immediate dismissal. “I see the Moonstone is missing, however. I know where to find it.”
Her eyes widened further. “What?”
“Dyna,” Zev warned.
“No,” Cassiel added under his breath. “Speaking of it is how we gained an elf.”
