She turned, struggling not to run, gritting her teeth so hard she wasn’t sure she’d be able to pry her jaw apart later. She whipped open the door and hurried down the steps, the coat flapping behind her.
Gur rolled up to his feet and circled to face her.
She didn’t hesitate, she couldn’t.
She ran her hand over his mane while moving to his side.
“Take me away,” she told him.
She threw her leg over his back and balled the thick, musty fur of his mane in her hands, slamming her eyes shut.
Gur needed only a few strides and then he bound up, his wings beating against the wind like a second heartbeat.
Away.
“MAGDA!”Kaelan ripped her off of Gur’s back and crushed her in his arms, jarring her from the trance she’d been in since she’d left Endreas.
At some point, Gur had wanted to know where she wished to go. All she could give him, all she could find within, besides the hollow pain of leaving Endreas, was Kaelan. His scent, his looks, what little she knew about the last place she’d seen him.
Somehow, in the multitudes of islands dotting the gulf, Gur had found him.
“I thought you dead,” he said into her hair. His hand touched her cheek, jolting her. “You’re freezing.” Warmth began to spill into her from his hands.
She squirmed away. Not ready to be touched, to be filled, by another Prince. Not with the loss of Endreas so fresh.
“I’m fine,” she said thickly. “Just tired and... hungry.”
A familiar scrabbling tug pulled at her jeans. Whiskers tickled her chin. She almost smiled.
“Hero,” she said, scratching his head. “I’m so glad you’re all right.”
“And you.”
Gur growled. Hero scrambled behind her collar and to her other shoulder.
“Be nice,” she scolded.
The lion-semargl yawned, exposing his very long, very sharp teeth and then circled, trampling the low-lying ferns of the dense forest where they’d found Kaelan. He lay down, eyes closing. Pinkish dawn light colored the mist meandering around them. Strange birds called, squawking and singing. Among the deep shadows of the trees, she spied palms—she hadn’t seen a palm since she’d left California.
“What is that? Where did you get this coat? What happened?” Kaelan asked.
“I know where she got that coat,” a haughty voice declared. “And I know what that beast is and where it came from as well.”
From within the earthen shelter, almost invisible for the tree growing above it and the roots hanging over its lichen-encrusted door, Kirk emerged.
“He saved you, didn’t he?” Kirk said, accusing. “Master Python was right. He has seduced you.”
“Who?” Kaelan asked.
“The Crowned Prince,” Kirk said, “Endreas. Your brother.”
Magda took a menacing step towards Kirk, whose tiny shoulders twitched, belying his stoic expression.
“Tell me why I shouldn’t smear you under my shoe.”
Kaelan grasped her arm. “Magda, Kirk helped me. He brought me here so I could recover until I was strong enough to travel on my own again. He explained to me what happened, who I am.”
She ran her hands over her face. “They want you to start a war, Kaelan.”
