A chill slipped beneath my skin. “That sounds unreal.”
“Indeed.” Bastian’s gaze darkened. “The dragons said only one man made himself visible. The man who rammed a sword into Wolfe’s heart.”
I sucked in a breath. “That sounds… catastrophic.” My throat tightened.
“It was. Wolfe disappeared after. Then the man cloaked himself and you were carried away by an invisible force.” Bastian drew in a breath. “The dragons were trapped for hours. I tracked you back to the Stormfell, so I assumed the attackers must have been sent by your people to find you. I never considered Thayden. The power behind the attack didn’t fit.”
“That man… it sounds like Thayden,” I said, certainty hardening in my chest. Ramming a sword through Wolfe’s heart had Thayden written all over it.
Bastian nodded. “The dragons didn’t know who he was, but they could identify him if they saw him again.”
“What about Wolfe? I heard him calling, but… what if it wasn’t him? What if he didn’t survive the blow?”
“The dragons are still acting as if they’re bound to him,” Alaric answered. “When my father died, the power of the king shifted to Wolfe immediately and the dragon bond became deeper. I am next in line. I’ve felt no change in my magic.” His jaw flexed. “That doesn’t mean we can take comfort for long. Wolfe has been missing for several days. That says a great deal about his condition. He’d be here already if he could save himself. If he’s alive… he’ll only grow weaker.”
They all nodded, a silent unity settling over the room, and the hope on their faces, raw and fiercely held, sparked something inside me.
I let myself believe we might actually find him.
“We also need to find him before others suspect he’s missing,” Arielle added. “So far, we’ve convinced Dreynthor that Wolfe is investigating the rebels.”
Dreynthor—the uncle who didn’t like me. I had no doubt he’d enjoy hearing Wolfe was gone.
“Okay,” I said, my voice steadier than I felt. “So, what’s the plan?”
Alaric straightened, shifting fully into command. “For now, we put all matters concerning Thayden aside. We can regroup once we—hopefully—have Wolfe back.” His gaze pinned me. “We brought you in because you’re linked to him.”
The wordlinkedsettled heavily in my gut. “The shackle.”
“Yes, the shackle. We want to try a tracking spell, similar to the one we’ve been using to find the ring,” he explained. “We’ll use the shackle as a compass. We have to return to the Southern Isles to perform the spell.”
“Do you think that will work?” I asked. “My mind drifted into that gray space, but I saw nothing.”
“I think that’s because you weren’t equipped to go there,” Alaric said. “Your soul may have brushed that place, but some things require the body and mind to follow.”
“I see.”
“Elariya.” Alaric leaned forward. “If Wolfe is out there, this might be our only chance to find him.”
“Then we have to do it.” I nodded, duty tightening through me. Duty to the girl who’d written the journal, the girl who’d loved them. The girl who’d lovedWolfe. “How will we get to the Southern Isles?”
“Portaling.” Arielle turned toward me on the couch. “You’ll come with me.”
Bastian leaned forward, forearms braced on his thighs, eyes intent. “We leave now, if you’re up to it.”
I pressed my palms into my knees and lifted my chin. “Yes.” A breath steadied me. “I’m up to it.”
Alaric rose slowly from his seat, decision settling into him like armor. “Then let’s go. Sirril, stay back and prep in case we return with injuries.”
Sirril bowed his little head. “Consider it done, my Lord.”
“Okay, let’s go.” With a snap of his fingers, Alaric opened up a portal and stepped in.
We followed.
One moment, we were in the living room at Vyrenth Hollow, the next, the world spun into a kaleidoscope of color and sensation, reality fracturing around me like shattered glass.
Arielle tightened her grip around my shoulders, and I curled into her, fear gripping my insides. Then wind tore at my hair, my clothes, my very essence as I was pulled through a tunnel of swirling light.
