My father.
“What would she gain from Kaius’s death?”
Quirking her lips, Evera shrugged and began walking again. “When I first met her, I felt a closeness to her, a connection I’d not expected. It is my belief that a woman capable of hurting children and so easily disguising her true nature is not to be trusted.”
I’d not considered Astraea for the killer, yet she told me the night of the festival when she took me into the lounge room that she would ensure Kaius did not send me away to the western lands.
“If Astraea did orchestrate all of this,” I said, “why would she frame me when she needs my blood?”
“Perhaps she thought your brother would spare you? Jailed, you are still at her disposal, are you not?”
The thought sobered me. Everything Evera said made such sense. Yet Astraea had been giving a speech at the time of Kaius’sdeath. And should Cyan’s words be believed, Rion had been preoccupied at the time as well.
Sighing, I turned Evera toward me and rested my hand at the curve of her waist. “What have I done in this life to deserve someone like you, love?”
She shook her head, but before she could object, I pressed my index finger to her lips. She giggled, the mood lightening.
“Your sharp mind, the way you challenge me, show me things from a new perspective.” Wrapping my arm at her waist and pulling her against me, I spoke against her ear. “The way your body drives me wild—”
She set me with a mock glare.
“And the way your candor sobers me.”
“Hm. What did you do to deserve me? Thatisa fair question,” she quipped. “You truly can be insufferable at times.”
“Yes, I know, love.” I kissed her forehead, and as I did, I caught sight of a man behind her, riding down the road toward us on a chestnut stallion. His hair was short, dark, and curly; his attire was unfitting for a huntsman. My heart leapt in my chest. Adrenaline, fear of the unknown, of the inevitability of answers just out of reach, sent a sinking feeling to my stomach.
“Gather your things, speak with your family.” My words came quickly, hushed. “It is not goodbye, only farewell for now.”
“You are not coming with me?” She met my gaze with her green-blue eyes.
“Nox has returned. I must speak with him.”
43
NEIRIN
Nox metmy gaze briefly as he drew near. To his credit, he took his discretion seriously, not offering even so much as a nod of acknowledgment as he passed us by at the market and continued toward the inn. The thrum of my heart sped up at seeing him, at the questions that would soon be answered.
With a departing kiss, I left Evera to gather necessities for our trip and speak with her brother and mentor. It was fair to expect that Aureus would be displeased, but I had no doubt Evera could manage him on her own. So with my back to the rising sun, I followed in the path of the huntsman.
At the base of the cliffs below, the waves crashed. A pressing unknown tugged at the back of my mind, stuck there like a thorn. The two huntsmen hired by Astraea had checked in with Maerel at the inn the night before. I’d not caught sight of them nor the messenger, Eaumond, since.
As long as I remained unwounded, Eaumond would not be able to use his abilities to seek me out. The Alidian’s senses fed off blood. Without it, the child would do the men little good. Yet if I stumbled upon them by chance, or if they remained at the inn … I pushed the thoughts away.
In all my years of training, I could rely on my observation skills. Distractions were my only concern. That, and leaving Evera alone without Calix or myself to defend her while she spoke with her family. I would need to teach her how to defend herself. Still, she was cunning, and wit alone was a weapon that could be honed.
I entered the inn through the kitchen, sweat beading at the back of my neck as my nerves allowed the fox an opportunity, a window. Though he scratched, the writhing did not come. Could Evera have been correct in her assumptions that, in giving power to him freely, he would, in turn, fight for it less often?
I found Calix sitting with his back against the wall, spinning a coin between his legs with an absent look in his eyes. Though I could have chided him for being neglectful when he’d claimed he would help Maerel with her busywork, there was a barrier still between us, and I didn’t wish to add to the divide.
“The huntsman Nox is here,” I said.
He looked up at me but gave no response.
“Are you prepared to leave?”
He nodded.
