“Because he wants your map. Once he knows where Mount Ida is, he will kill you, Dyna.”
“No, he won’t. When I was in Tarn’s camp, he had me trained and tried to convince me to join his side.” Dyna crossed her arms. “He collects those with abilities he wants. In this case, my magic.”
“Which you can no longer wield,” Lucenna stated, and Dyna tried not to show how much that stung.
“Yes, well, he doesn’t know that yet,” she said sharply. “I only need him to allow me onto his ship. I have friends among the Raiders who will help us fight him. Those who weren’t as fortunate as me to escape.” She still needed to go back to set them free, too.
“You mean like the Minotaur,” Zev said.
Klyde’s brows shot up. “He has a Minotaur?”
Dyna nodded. “Sorren would be more than ready to take down some of Tarn’s men to gain his freedom. As well as Geon, Yavi, and Von. They will join us. I know they will. Once Tarn is dealt with, we will commandeer his ship and sail with no threats of warrants or check points at any ports.”
“Well … I understand how that would be to our benefit,” Rawn said, clearing his throat. “However, if we somehow achieve this plan, none of us have experience in navigating a ship.”
“Von does.” At their silence, Dyna groaned frustratingly. “Regardless of how you feel about him, Von is aGuardian. We need him.”
Klyde’s brow furrowed, and Dyna reminded herself to be careful.
“You speak as if this will be easy,” the sorceress snapped. “We don’t know how many men Tarn has on board or what we are walking into. Andyou are assuming Von will simply turn on his master after fifteen years of servitude. Your plan is foolish and reckless, and if you had told us about it from the beginning, I would have told you as much.”
The very statement was a slap to her face.
“Remind me when I need your permission to make plans,” Dyna hissed.
Lucenna’s eyes flashed purple in response, and thunder rumbled overhead. The static of her power charged the air, crawling like ants on her skin.
“Easy,” Zev growled. “Come with me. Let’s take a breather.” He took Lucenna’s arm, leading her back to camp with Klyde.
Dyna turned away with a sharp exhale. She scowled at the trees, angry that they had to question her decisions about everything. She also didn’t want to look at her Guidelander yet. Somehow, his opinion always weighed on her more.
“My lady,” Rawn called gently.
“What is it, Lord Norrlen?” she sighed, shaking her head. “What more could you have to say that they have not?”
“Are you all right?”
A knot immediately formed in her throat at the question. No judgment. Only concern for her wellbeing. This wasn’t about the last three months or even about her plan. She knew why he was asking that now.
Dyna clenched her shaking fists, feeling the dry blood crease in her palms. “We fought … and we won.”
“That is not an answer.” Rawn came around to face her, and he looked down at her with those kind eyes that she couldn’t stand. “The feeling you are trying to ignore right now is your soul speaking to you. The way we fight, why we fight, and how we win all matters. If we chose to sacrifice our morals in order to win, then we have already lost.”
Her vision stung as it blurred. “Why should I be kind and merciful? It’s gotten me nowhere. The world is violent, and if I want to survive, I need to beruthless.I need to tear into them before they do, becauseno one, not even the ones I love…” Her voice cracked. “…will show me mercy…”
It came to him.
It always came down tohim.
There was no starlight in the sky. Not anymore. Yet why did Cassiel’s faint scent strike her whenever she was reminded of him? Why did her withered heart always stir at the flutter of bird wings? No matter howmuch she burrowed into herself, his absence still haunted her. Had she not suffered enough?
Why couldn’t she rip him out the way he had done with her?
“I feel as though I am hitting a wall,” she said.
“Sometimes walls are there for us to lean on and rest.”
Her tears spilled, and she dropped her head. Why did she feel so weak? After all the training she had done, she couldn’t turn her heart into steel.
