“We spoke to the fae prisoner,” I said, stepping into the center of the room. “He said Zander and I are key to finding it. But we can’t get there without help.”
“Whose help?” Riven asked, though the narrowing of her eyes said she already had a guess.
I hesitated. “Remy.”
Ferrula groaned, dragging her blade down with a long scrape of irritation. “Great.”
Zander’s smirk was dry and amused. “I couldn’t agree more.”
Ferrula tossed him a look. “You want him around for his sparkling personality?”
“No,” Zander said, folding his arms. “For his talent.”
“The one for lying?” Ferrula muttered, and Jax grunted a laugh.
“Among other things,” I said. “He can Phantom Step. And he has certain contacts that are useful.”
“I’ll bring him up to speed,” Zander added, scanning the room.
Tae dropped his dice and stood, stretching. “When do we go?”
“We need to prepare first,” I answered. “Soon. We’ll need to move as a unit, and fast. No one else can know.”
Everyone nodded, serious now, the weight of it settling across the room like mist before the storm.
But just as I stepped forward to continue, a sudden hollow ache pulsed through my chest. My magic rippled, then weakened—as if something inside me had faltered. Or pulled away.
Kaelith?I reached for her.
Nothing. Not absence. Not rejection. Just distance.
Too much,her voice barely whispered.
And I understood.
She was fading into sleep again… and this time, it felt like she might stay there a while.
We moved to our one private room. Though most of us had to stand.
The squad circled around the old dining table like it was a war council, their voices guttural but edged with urgency. Maps were spread out between them—some inked in fresh script, others faded and brittle with age. Riven traced a path with her finger across a western ridge, Cordelle argued for a northern crossing. Tae made a joke about needing more wine if we were about to go spelunking into ancient fae ruins. Even Ferrula leaned in, her usual scowl sharpened with interest.
I should’ve been there with them, planning, piecing together the next step in a mission that might very well change the tide of this war.
But my mind was elsewhere.
Kaelith.
Her magic still lingered in me like the ghost of firelight, warm but fading, threads of our bond unwinding so slowly I could barely feel the unraveling.
Kaelith?
No answer. Not even a whisper this time.
I pressed my fingers to the edge of the table, heart stuttering.She was just tired. Just recovering.
But what if she wasn’t?
My pulse jumped—and that was when I felt it.
