Knowing my dagger would return, I let go and turned to face my assailant, barely registering that he was clad in matching commander gear to Njal as I pushed two hands toward him and allowed that deep, ancient power within to flood from me. Glittering white streams of power erupted from my hands and shoved the autumn fae hard enough that he was forced to valen before his back smashed into a mighty oak—I distantly wondered how long it would take a fae to heal from a broken back. Unfortunately, I’d be deprived of that knowledge for now.
“Interesting.” Njal clucked from behind me, stoking flame within me that yearned to burn as bright as the sun.
I didn’t dare turn to face him, leaving us exposed. As if Kaelun read my mind, his back bumped up against mine. “You okay?” he whispered.
“Yeah,” I breathed. “Who was that?”
“Lothar, Wymond’s third.”
Right after Endymion, I thought, wishing more than anything it had been him who’d found us.
As if re-summoned by Kaelun’s words, Lothar materialized in front of me, only this time he’d given himself a wider berth.
Smart.
“Enough of this. This is going to go one of two ways,” he said to me as he raised a finger, “you can come with us willingly, and we’ll spare your little friend here. Or you can fight us and be the reason his precious Adilyn neversees him again?—”
“You keep her name out of your traitorous mouth,” Kaelun snapped.
With a second finger up, Lothar’s mouth slowly curled in a smile, knowing he’d hit his mark before continuing as if he’d never been interrupted. “Either way, my High Lord has grown impatient with these games and will take possession of you by any means necessary.”
“But it’s not by any means necessary, is it, Commander?” I challenged.
His head tilted a fraction. “No, I’m fairly certain those were hisexactwords.”
“Interesting,” I said, rallying my powers, “because I was under the impression that I’m only good to your High Lordalive.” I took no small amount of satisfaction from the wide-eyed response that was almost comical on his severe features. “Now!” I called to Kaelun, who’s read my intent though my powers.
Trusting him to take care of Njal, I focused on Lothar, who cursed as I flung four unimbued blades in quick succession, and as he defended against the onslaught, I pulled at threads of magic in a ring around him and tugged—hard. The ground erupted in flames surrounding him, and I thanked the stars that it actually worked. Turning, I did the same to Njal, whose look of shock was all I marked before the flames towered over him.
“Come on,” Kaelun said, grabbing my hand as we sprinted back to the others—they were gone, as was their gear. Not missing a beat, Kaelun turned left, letting go of me as he led us through thinning trees eastward for a time before turning south through the moons-lit forest as if following an invisible line, and I didn’t have to look back to know that our tracks were being covered by his brother’s unara as Kaelun used his own to sense it and rounded us along its furthest reaches at a sprint.
I wasn’t sure how long we’d been running full-out, but my lungs began to burn, and while it was well after they would’ve as a human, legs were close to giving out.
Kaelun stopped so abruptly that I ran into his back. Hard. We both grunted as air rushed out of our lungs, the impact throwing us down the hillside of a small ravine until we landed unceremoniously on rocky ground.
“Why did you stop?” I groused through the heavy, searing lungfuls of air my body greedily drank in while I lay flat on my back feeling like I’d been trampled by a horse.
Like me, Kaelun took a moment to recover and didn’t respond.
Once my heart stabilized and the head rush pressing hard against my temples subsided a fraction, I shifted my head to the right and watched my shadow’s chest rise and fall at the same pace as mine. “Kaelun?” I asked, voice soft. “What is it?”
He closed his eyes, and a single tear slipped down the corner where crow’s feet should be, disappearing behind his elegant fae ear before it rounded the curve of his neck and stained his leathers. My heart ached for him.
“Sidrick’s unara,” he said, eyes still closed. “It just… vanished.”
Reaching over, I slipped a hand into his and squeezed. “Look at me,” I whispered, the emotion I held back stealing my voice.
Kaelun hesitated before his head lolled toward me, and I could’ve wept for his sadness as the moons lit his face. “You don’t know that anything happened to him, okay?” I said and squeezed his hand again, this time holding the pressure as I spoke. “He could’ve valenned out of range for all we know. Besides, Wymond won’t kill him. I’m not saying he won’t get hurt if he’s captured, but I’m saying that he’ll come home.”
Kaelun’s eyes filled with fresh tears as he finally squeezed my hand back. “He’s still alive,” he breathed, like a mantra he’d undoubtedly repeat until he laid eyes on his brother again.
“He’s alive,” I echoed.
“Okay,” he said.
I wished more than anything I could take his pain away. “I’m so sorry, Kaelun.”
His brows knit together, and I noted how they didn’t crease likehis brother’s. “What could you possibly have to apologize for?” Releasing my hand, he sat up, holding my gaze the entire time.
