She stepped away from me. “The fates be damned.”
A chill shot through me, though I couldn’t name why.
“I’ve given up trusting the fates to protect me or to do what’s right. If they weren’t so busy trying to manipulate us, they would’ve watched out for Kinart.”
Why had he died in that cave?
The image of Iasar roaring above Vexxion while he held out a handful of bone coins scraped through my mind.
Everything was tied together.
But how?
I shook my head to scatter the thought. I could dwell on it later.
Reyla walked over to the bag, but instead of lifting it, she clutched a shelf and rubbed her face, her body wavering. “Why am I so sleepy?”
“It’s late. We’ve been through a lot.”
“Nothing worse than what we dealt with back at the fortress. Fighting dregs all the time. Training unruly dragons in between. Kinart . . .” Her voice broke and tears shimmered in her eyes again. “I’ll go to bed soon. And eventually, I’ll get ahead of this.” She grabbed the bag and walked slowly past me, out into the living area where she dropped onto the sofa and patted the cushion beside her. “Sit. We’re going to look in the bag. I know you want to.”
I settled beside her, squirming. “You don’t have to do this.”
“At this point, I want to know. If it’s not there, then what did you see that you thought could be the book? I won’t pull out the things Kinart gave me. I’m not ready for that yet. I’m not sure I’ll ever be ready.”
“Alright.” I reached over and finished untying the clasp. The fabric parted without a sound and Reyla leaned close, snuggling into my side as she peered into the opening along with me.
We both gasped.
Ember’s Shadownestled among her clothing.
“I . . . I don’t understand.” Her confused gaze met mine. “It wasn’t there. I swear it.” More tears welled in her eyes. “I’m sure you think I was lying to you, that I took it and hid it there, but I didn’t.”
“I believe you. Magic. The fates. Remember?”
“They’re manipulating us, and they don’t care if we can’t put ourselves back together again once this is over.”
“Which is why we’re not going to rely on them to do it. We’ll do it for ourselves.”
She nodded, but I was sure she didn’t believe me. She’d lost Kinart and there would be no healing from that.
She tugged the book out of the bag and held it toward me. “Take it. You need it.”
“I have a feeling if I do, the moment I set it down somewhere, it’ll disappear again.” I nudged it back her way. “Keep it. I might borrow it later, but I suspect you’re the one who needs it now.”
“You’re the hero on this journey, not me.”
“You’re my friend. We’re closer than sisters and always will be. I need you with me when I fight, and I’ll need you with me once this is over. As for being a hero, a friend,” assuming a pixie could be anyone’s friend, “once said, the whisper of a bondfrom even the tiniest of creatures may one day summon the roar of a guardian beast. That’s you, Reyla.”
Her snort rang, pushing away her tears. “A beast, huh?”
My friend was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. She was anything but beastly. “You have the heart of a beast.”
“I’m not sure that’s any better.”
At least she was pushing for a smile. Seeing her crying broke something inside me.
“You’re strong. You’ll get through this and emerge on the other side brand new.” My friend was more powerful than she realized, and I didn’t only mean magically. Her heart was her hidden strength, and I hoped one day, she’d be able to step into a new life with someone new. Above everything else, Kinart would want her to be happy.
