She turned from Luca and knit her brows in question.
“They know my penmanship,” I explained. She gave me a grave look but made for the door.
Pen poised, she said, “What shall I write?”
E,
I hope this note finds you well in your strange new land. That life has waned as we prayed and as the stars had planned.
E, I need your help. Please take care of Mrs. E.
With love,
N
“That’s it?” she said, pen still poised.
“Yes. He’ll know it’s from me. I can’t risk saying more—for either of you.”
We stepped through the doors and back onto the patio, then paused, taking a moment to be in each other’s company, possibly for the last time. No, if I were being honest with myself, this would be the last time I’d ever see the tiny woman who stood to my right. The one who loved me fiercely. Who’d taught me more with her kindness than with book. The one I owed everything to.
She was another loss I’d have to endure.
“You should go, Nyleeria.”
My voice choked, I said, “I can wait for the carriage to arrive.”
“No. You’ve already lingered too long.” She turned and faced me. “Thank you for coming back, for protecting me.”
“Thank you for loving me,” I choked out as unending tears ran down my cheeks.
“Having you in my life, loving you and being loved by you has been one of my greatest pleasures. Thank you for beingyou, Nyleeria.”
There was nothing more either of us could say, so we just held each other for a long moment, letting that final connection convey truths words could never express.
She released me and gently steered me toward Luca.
I mounted him from the steps and pulled away. Pausing, I etched every detail in my mind, sent out one last prayer for her, and lifted my hand in a final goodbye.
Tears blurred my vision as I shifted the reins to my right, and we made our way to retrieve my weapons.
Chapter 52
Outpacing Phantoms
Astrange comfort fell over me when I touched the basket of weapons, as if an irrational fragment of my mind had covertly prepared me for its absence. I wondered if subconsciously assuming disappointment was a new coping mechanism that’d bloomed from the wreckage of my life, like the tiny weeds that’d poked through the cabin’s ashes.
Every part of me yearned to stay here and rest, to grieve, to say a final goodbye to the place that had become sacred to me. But I couldn’t afford to. I was already dangerously close to the throwing ring. Along with the cabin, they were the two places I knew for certain Thaddeus was aware of. While he didn’t know about the cave, I wouldn’t risk it. Mrs. E was right; I’d lingered too long, possibly forfeiting any time advantage I’d gained.
Hopefully, it would take them a while to note my absence, and even longer to realize I had no intention of returning. The only ace I held was knowledge—Thaddeus couldn’t possibly know that magic had healed my ignorance.
Unless the groomsmen had made a concerted effort to inform someone I’d taken Luca, everyone would assume I was resting safelyin my suite. It wouldn’t be long now before Ava would check in on me, if she hadn’t already.
The one thought that kept nagging at me while I sorted through the weapons was Thaddeus’ ability to track me. While he hadn’t been able to find me when Caius and I had disappeared, it was possible the void had obscured me from his spell, and that I wouldn’t be afforded the same shroud in the human realm.
I heaved a deep, satisfied sigh as the comforting weight of my bandolier rested across my body—its presence chasing away the disconcerting thoughts plaguing me. As I thumbed one of the blades, feeling the smooth coolness between my fingers, a part of me slipped back into place, like I’d salvaged something before the raging fire could claim it from me, as it’d claimed everything else.
Bandolier. Daggers in each boot. Eithan’s blade tucked in the waistband at the small of my back. Loaded thigh holster. Bow. Arrows.
