Especiallywhen she’s trying not to.
It’s been six days. Six days of leaving before she wakes and returning once she’s asleep. I’ve been keeping my distance from her as much as possible, because every time I’m near her, the connection pulls tighter.
The Nightwild magic is claiming her, threading itself throughthe connection between us and weaving her into the Guard the way it’s woven in the others.
“Did you pick up any information when you were getting supplies?” I refocus on the discussion going on around me. I finally agreed to let Vel take a small group to the nearest town for supplies and check for news three days ago.
“They know the princess is missing.” Vel’s mouth curves. “Again. The king has soldiers out looking for her.”
Through the connection, I feel Alleria’s attention sharpen. She doesn’t make a sound, but her focus shifts toward Vel’s voice.
“There’s a reward,” Vel continues. “Enough gold to make a peasant wealthy for life. And people are talking. A fae escapes, everyone inside a preserve is slaughtered, and then the princess disappears from a locked room.”
I glance toward Alleria. She’s sitting stiff, fingers pressed flat against her legs, her face a blank mask, but her emotions bleed through to me. Fear, longing, and grief.
“Anything else?”
Therin glances at Vel. Serath looks down at her hands. Vel lifts her chin and meets my eyes.
“We need to talk about Caelum.” Her voice is flat.
There it is.
“What about him?”
“He’s not improving.” Her voice is cold, but I know Vel. What she shows isn’t what she feels. She cares about Caelum. She just doesn’t want anyone else to know she cares. “He doesn’t respond to anyone, Cairn. He doesn’t eat unless someone feeds him. He just lies there.”
“I know.”
“We’re prolonging his suffering. The merciful thing?—”
“No.”
“—is to let him go. Quickly and cleanly. Before?—”
“I said no.”
“Cairn …Eldráfn. We did what was merciful at the Dell for those who were too far gone. Why should Caelum be forced to remain?”
The question hangs in the air between us.
Because he’s mine. Because I’ve known him for eight hundred years.
Because I’m not ready to give up on him.
“Because I don’t think we’ve lost him.”
“Based onwhat?” Vel’s eyes are hard. “Hope? You’ve been sitting with him every single day. We all have. Has he responded? Has he evenlookedat you? Can youfeelhis thread?”
No. He hasn’t.
“Cairn, we’re not helping him. If there’s nothing left inside?—”
“We are not killing one of our own because waiting for him to heal isinconvenient.”
Vel’s eyes flash. “That isn’t what I said.”
“Isn’t it? Because that’s what I’m hearing.”
