“Good work,” Endymion said.
“I’ll say,” Sidrick agreed as he came to my side. “I was worried there for a moment.”
I stood there in shock, looking down at the two autumn fae whose necks had been sliced open and simultaneously frozen by the ice daggers Endymion dismissed.
There was no doubt that Lumnara was better for their absence, but I couldn’t help feeling sick at just how quick their lives were ended. Stars, there wasn’t even a drop of blood from the frozen wounds.
“Nyleeria?” Endymion said, dragging my gaze away from scene. “Are you okay?”
I nodded absently; not sure I was.
“What do you want to do with the bodies?” Sidrick asked, breaking his restraints to help.
Endymion and Artton shared a glance before the former addressed Sidrick. “I’m going to do something, but you’ll have to wait until we’re back in the Summer Court for answers—are we clear.”
The sides of Sidrick’s mouth drew down, and with wary eyes, he nodded.
Artton signaled for us to step back.
Now waiting to see what happened, Sidrick and I watched with rapt attention.
Standing above the bodies, Endymion called upon a fairly significant amount of power, and as we watched on, we were forced to shield our eyes as pillars of blinding flame—no, light—flooded downward from his palms in a flash.
I blinked, unable to reconcile the piles of ash where the bodies had been there seconds before.
“What the actual fuck?” Sidrick said, enunciating each word as he took in what was left of Wymond’s third and fourth commanders. I’d barely heard either brother swear, but the eldest had clearly hit his limit. My shoulders tensed, not knowing how this would go. Artton and I both knew he and Endymion had powers he shouldn’t, but Caius’ third had been left in the dark, and I felt a pang for him now knowing how long they’d known each other.
Not answering, Endymion summoned a breeze that caught the dust on its coattails and washed the evidence away.
Just like that, Lothar and Njal were no more, and I’d be lying if the ease with which it’d happened didn’t make me feel uneasy.
“Endymion,” Sidrick demanded.
“When we’re back, Sidrick,” Endymion countered, his tone brokering no room for argument. “For now, consider it an unara.”
The summer fae looked like he wanted to argue, but Artton put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. “We have to get out of here, brother.”
“Don’tbrotherme,” Sidrick spat, wrenching his shoulder away. “You knew.”
“I did,” Artton admitted, taking the accusation on the chin. “But it wasn’t my secret to tell.”
Sidrick scoffed and looked like he was going to respond, but Endymion cut him off. “You have every right to be pissed, but later. There’s no room for that now.”
I’d seen Endymion’s mask slide on. Even Tarrin’s and Artton’s.And seven hells, I’d thought I’d seen it on Sidrick too. But the blank expression that seemed to steal the life from those deep, mahogany eyes was haunting—and I knew I wasn’t the only one to track it.
“I’m sorry,” Endymion offered, but the damage was done.
“Let’s just get out of here,” Sidrick said,, the words listless as held his wrist up for his fake restraints.
I understood then that it wasn’t the mask of a commander I’d just witnessed, but of a male who’d just realized he only truly had one brother—and we’d have to leave him behind.
Chapter 55
A Stolen Moment
Sidrick’s emotions billowed like a dark cloud that trailed behind me as we made another sharp turn. My own thoughts had turned morose, strangling me as threads of guilt and helplessness became a noose of betrayal.
There wasn’t a single step that we took toward our possible escape that wasn’t a death knell for Kaelun and Tarrin.
