I shift my gaze from him to the Unseelie King, and my heart clenches. There is almost a spring in Orion’s step now. As if, now that we have convinced Severin, he is certain that we will be able to pull this whole thing off and make it back to the Unseelie Court in time to save his eye.
But I can’t help but feel worried. Half of this plan that I’ve come up with is based on something that Jocasta told me whenshe was teaching me how to use emotion magic. And the other half is based solely on faith and a sudden hope that blossomed when I realized why the Icehearts kept moving us from place to place.
It’s an absolutely insane plan. But it has to work. Because it’s our only chance.
The thing that worries me, though, is that the Icehearts have outsmarted us time and again. Every time I think we’re one step ahead, we walk right into a trap that they planned five steps ago. They’re so cunning, and they have so much life experience. If they have managed to anticipate my plan, we’re not going to survive this.
As if she could feel my worry, Isera slides her gaze to me and asks in a low voice, “How sure are you of this plan?”
“The first part? Very. The second…” Trailing off, I give her a long look.
She lets out a forceful breath but doesn’t say anything. She doesn’t need to. We’re all thinking the same thing. It has to work. By Mabona, ithasto work.
For a while, we just run in silence. The river flows steadily next to us, creating a soft rippling sound that is almost drowned out by the thudding of our feet and the sound of my increasingly labored breathing. The island was bigger than we thought it would be, so getting in, finding the Gold Clan, convincing Severin, and then running back out again has taken longer than I thought it would.
I glance up at the distorted sky visible through the thick and clear barrier of the pocket reality. The sun has slipped dangerously low on the horizon, which is both good and bad. It’s good for my plan, but bad for Orion.
The Unseelie King, however, just keeps his spine straight and his chin raised as we continue running.
“Iamgoing to kill him,” Isera suddenly says.
It takes me a second to realize that she is talking about Emperor Bane. Not Orion.
Cold fury burns in Isera’s blue and silver eyes as she slides me a glance from the corner of her eye. “I don’t care what it takes. I don’t care what it costs me. I am going to kill Bane Iceheart. No matter what. I will get my revenge. It’s the only thing I truly care about. You do understand that, right?”
Emotions twist like thorny vines in my chest. Because I do. From the bottom of my furious heart, I understand the depth of her terrible need for revenge. Probably better than any of our other friends. But it also terrifies me. Because if our plan doesn’t go the way we hope, she might go rogue. And if that happens, our chances of winning this war might worsen even more.
But I know that I can’t stop her. Truth be told, I don’t actually want to stop her. We had Bane at our mercy once, and we let him go just so that we could get Draven back. To me, it was worth it. But I know that it was a huge sacrifice for Isera. She deserves her vengeance. And this time, I will not be the one who stops her.
So I just incline my head in acknowledgement and reply, “I understand.”
Relief and a flicker of gratitude blow across her face. Then she gives me a nod back.
Silence settles over us again as we run the final distance to that natural stone walkway we used when we got here. Once we reach it, we slow to a walk.
“Ah, so that’s how you got in,” Severin says as he spots the tear in the barrier. “Someone else with this type of magic opened a hole. I have to say, I’m quite impressed. I didn’t think it was possible to open a pocket reality that someone else has created without the original creator’s permission. Your magic user must be quite skilled.”
Another flicker of worry pulses through me. I know that Hana is a talented magic-wielder. That has never been a concern.What worries me is whether she will be able to handle everything else.
The way she acted with Bane before we went into the pocket reality drifts through my mind as we start across the stone bridge.
With a deep breath, I try to push all of my worries aside and just focus on the next step. I really wish that I could use my magic right now. Then I could just give myself a little boost, and then I would feel much better.
“What’s…” Severin begins. He suddenly sounds very apprehensive. “What’s the outside world like?”
All sorts of memories crash through me. Heartbreaking memories. Delightful memories. Grief. Joy. Regret. Love. Hatred. Laughter. How do I even describe this strange world we live in? It’s both wonderful and challenging, full of both endless opportunities and devastating hardships, all at once.
“Harsh,” Isera replies in her no-nonsense tone before I can get so much as one word out. “Brace yourself.”
“Azaroth give me strength,” he says.
Rolling my eyes, I shoot Isera an exasperated look. We need Severin to actually do his part, and that will be a lot easier if he truly believes that we can actually pull this off.
Isera just shrugs and gives me an unapologetic look in reply.
We reach the end of the bridge. Orion doesn’t bother stopping to ask if we’re ready. We have to be ready regardless of how we really feel. So with his shoulders straight, he strides out of the hole in the barrier and back onto the grass outside without hesitation.
“Brave of you to step out first,” Jessina is saying from the other side. “The leader of the Gold Clan had better be right behind you. Or you’re about to lose your other eye in the next thirty seconds.”
