Finn moved to Noah’s side in a sign of unity. “We’ve been told he controls the portals.”
Skye’s laugh was sharp, unexpected. “Told by whom? I’m afraid you’re seeking a fantasy. Something that only exists in rumors, wishes and whispers.”
Noah’s frustration boiled over. “My sister is dying!”
For the first time, something shifted in Skye’s expression. Not sympathy. Not indifference. Understanding, perhaps?
“No,” she said quietly. “I suppose not.”
The guard growled impatiently. “Enough. I say we are done here.”
“And I say, we are not,” Skye countered, shooting him another, darker, warning look.
She fixed her gaze on Noah, but this time her expression told him nothing. Would she turn them away? He couldn’t allow that. Not after getting this close.
“Skye…” he pleaded. “She’s a little girl. She deserves a life.Please. Help us.”
He noticed her slight recoil before she regained control. “How is it you are familiar with my name?”
“It is spoken along with The Keeper. His daughter, we are told. Perhapsyouhave the power to…?”
Something flashed in her eyes, something vulnerable. And just as quickly disappeared.
“Help us,” Noah repeated in a whisper, his throat tight with urgency.
“I’m sorry,” she shook her head, not bothering to hide the sorrow in her eyes. “You ask for power I do not have.”
CHAPTER FOUR
“Idon’t believe you.”
Something about Noah’s tone, low and hard, cut through Skye’s carefully controlled exterior. His voice vibrated with the desperation emanating from him in waves so palpable she almost stepped back. His eyes, those startling steel-blue eyes, held hers with an intensity that made her breath catch. Beneath his barely controlled veneer, she sensed a storm of emotions threatening to break free.
Surprised by the sting of his words, Skye had no immediate reply, though beside her, the guard shifted. He may have been reacting to the harshness of Noah’s words, or possibly the aggressive stance the other two men had taken. When he rested his hand on the hilt of his blade, she raised hers to stall him yet again, while keeping her gaze locked on Noah.
“There are no portals here,”she insisted, trying to weigh each word, each syllable with finality, so the mixture of hope and desperation would disappear from his eyes.
A muscle flexed in his jaw. “You’re lying. Every story, every rumor points to this place.”
“Stories and rumors, again? Those are your foundations of truth? I understand your desperation and the heartache of possibly losing a loved one. But I’m afraid you’ve been misled.”
When all three protested at once, she cut them off, surprising herself with the sudden turn of her thoughts. “However, we do have several skilled healers. If you wish to bring her here, it’s possible they could help. They will at least try.”
A look of panic crossed the guard’s face. “He will not like?—”
“The offer has been made,” she warned him with a look, before turning back to study all three men. They looked battle-worn, their clothes stained with sweat and blood. They’d obviously had a struggle, perhaps even fought, to get here.
She wanted to know more about them. Especially Noah—the brother. There was something about him. Something she couldn’t quite name. But she knew her duty. Knew the rules, and she’d already stretched them too far. “Unfortunately, that isallI can offer.”
“I fear ’tisnae enough,” Taran exclaimed. “We have tried a healer. A portal tae take her elsewhere is what we seek. What we need. My daughter’s life depends on it.”
The guard took a step toward Taran. “You presume much, stranger.”
“I presume nothing,” Taran countered, his hand dropping to his sword.
Skye glanced between the men. “You speak of portals as if they’re commonplace. As if they’re doors one simply opens and walks through.” Her eyes revealed sincere sadness. “I know of no such magic.”
“I do,” Noah stated, his voice steady and certain. “My sister and I passed through one. So did Taran and his wife. And Finn. All of us, ripped from our own times, our families, thrust into this world without warning or choice. Everyone in Havenwood came from somewhere else. Another time. And we all made thebest of it. Created lives here. Rebuilt families. But now, a child’s life is on the verge of being lost—will belost if we have to face more delays. Please, Skye, don’t deny Emily a chance to live.”
