His reaction squeezed her heart, twisting and hanging heavily like a weight she couldn’t shake. He killed humans to save her. That would always be her fault.
Cassiel’s remorse suddenly washed through their bond, and she stiffed at the unexpected sensation. His emotions had been absent after he left her alone on the cliff, but as they locked eyes, she saw the regret there. Cassiel had sensed her guilt. Heat rushed to her face, and she wanted to hide. Her emotions remained out there for him to read. When he had blocked himself from the bond, she assumed it worked both ways.
Dyna faced the others. “If we can afford the detour, then let’s do it. I want to ask the Druid how to find the rest of my Guardians. It’s a part of my journey. It has to be. I couldn’t have made it this far without each of you.”
While she wished she wasn’t a frail maiden, if finding all of her Guardians meant she would defeat Tarn and the Shadow, then she would find them.
“Aye, but we don’t know who the others are,” Zev said. “Von withheld the rest of the divination.”
“Right. So, we should consult the fae as Tarn did,” she said. “All we need are grindylow scales. If we can each get one, then that is three questions for each of us. How bad could the grindylows be?”
“I think we can manage it,” Zev said, his tone confident.
Cassiel exhaled heavily and waved a hand of resignation. “They are but overgrown eels with teeth.”
He gave in rather easily. It could only mean he had questions for the Druid as well.
Rawn shook his head. “One, you may kill. Two, three, perhaps four. Nonetheless, grindylows swim in family groups. There will not be a mere few in those waters. There will be hundreds. It is unwise to venture there. I do not approve.”
“Approve?” Zev growled. “Remind me. When have we needed your approval, Lord Norrlen?”
“Zev,” Dyna chided, her eyes widening in disbelief.
That cold response was unlike him. Zev and Cassiel may have allowed Rawn to join them as their Guidelander, but they hadn’t been exactly welcoming. Whenever Rawn attempted to guide them, Zev questioned every decision, arguing over which route of travel was best.
“It is all right, my lady.” Rawn took out tea leaves from a pouch and sprinkled them into the kettle. “I suppose my approval is irrelevant.”
Zev heaved a breath and ran a hand through his dark hair. “As you said, we have questions, Dyna. I’m willing to find the answers.”
In the back of her mind, she hesitated to go against Rawn’s warning. He was their Guidelander because he knew the land, but he also advised her to be determined. That’s exactly what she aimed to do.
Cassiel crossed his arms. “Well, we have settled our differences with votes before. All in favor of the fjord?”
Three raised their hands.
Chapter 10
Dynalya
Dyna volunteered to speak to the sorceress about their decision. The others didn’t like it, but they agreed Lucenna liked them a lot less. When the afternoon sun was high in the sky, and the sorceress hadn’t left her tent, Dyna risked going in.
She found Lucenna at her desk, speaking angrily to no one in particular. “I told you I’m fine. I haven’t been able to reply to you, as I had to recover after my confrontation with the Enforcers. Now stop sending me messages by portal. Father will sense it!”
Dyna took a step inside, and something crinkled beneath her foot. A piece of parchment with wet ink stuck to her boot. She picked it off, reading the smeared handwriting.
Contact me at once
“I’m being careful,” a smooth male voice with a Magos accent replied, startling Dyna. She took another step forward, spotting the white glow past Lucenna’s shoulder. She was speaking to someone in the orb. “But I had to risk it. I feared the worst when you didn’t answer me, Lu. I thought I had lost you as well.”
Lucenna sighed and set her elbow on the desk, resting her chin in her palm. “I’m safe, Lucien.”
“What happened after you defeated the Enforcers?” the voice from the orb said.
“Nothing.”
She hadn’t told him about them?
“Don’t lie to me,” he said. “I always know when you’re lying. Why did you ignore my calls?”
