Noah winced, not wanting to admit Finn spoke the truth. But he did admit, to himself at least, therewassomething about her, something he couldn’t name that drew him to her. Made him want to believe her despite evidence to the contrary. Made him want to know far more about her
But not at Emily’s expense, he reminded himself. He couldn’t allow anything, not even the enigmatic Skye to deter him from finding the portal.
More than an hour,nearly two, had passed since they’d finished their meal of venison stew and thick crusty bread.
The crackle of the fire and the steady rhythm of Noah’s footsteps across the stone floor were the only sounds in the chamber as his patience waned with each pass. He’d already counted every stone in the hearth, examined every strange oddity on the shelves, and still no word from Skye or The Keeper.
“Sit down, lad,” Finn muttered. “You’re making me dizzy.”
Noah shot him a glance but continued pacing. “It’s been too long.”
“Aye,” Taran agreed, his voice tight with concern as he turned away from the fire. “Every moment we waste sittin’ here is a moment Emily grows weaker.”
The thought of his sister, pale and fragile on her narrow cot, sent a fresh wave of panic through Noah’s chest. He stopped at the window and gazed out at the mountains surrounding the fortress. The afternoon light had already begun to fade. Another day was slipping away. Another day Emily didn’t have.
Had he been duped by Skye? He almost hoped so. If she’d spoken the truth and there were no portals here, if The Keeper couldn’t help them take Emily to another time, what then? The memory of her pale face, her distant gaze and weakening body tore at him
He couldn’t,wouldn’tfail her. If there were answers here, he must find them.
CHAPTER FIVE
Noah spun around as the solar door swung open with a heavy groan. Skye stepped into the room, her face a carefully composed mask.
“What did he say?” Noah demanded, rushing forward. “Will he see us?”
Her gaze brushed past each of them before settling on Noah. “I’m sorry. My father refuses to grant you an audience.”
Noah’s stomach plummeted. “He can’t just?—”
“He can,” she cut him off. “And he has.”
Wait…had her eyes just betrayed her? Was that remorse he saw swimming in those green depths? Could she be coming around to their side?
“Skye, if?—”
She straightened, raised her chin and with a blink wiped away all visible emotion. “There are no portals here. Just as I told you. He insists you are misinformed.”
“More lies,” Finn grumbled behind him.
Taran stepped forward, his face tight. “Please, lass. If ye could just convince him we?—”
“My father has made his decision.” The finality in her tone as she turned to Taran silenced them all. “I’ve been instructed totell you, for your safety, you must leave the fortress within the hour.”
She glanced at the remnants of their food tray. “If you desire anything else I can provide, supplies for your trip, perhaps, simply ask…as long as it can be done within the allotted time.”
Leave? Without finding the portal?Noah felt the floor shift beneath him. Turn their backs on their only hope to save Emily? Panic tightened his chest until a full breath seemed impossible.
“Ye dinnae understand,” Taran whispered his devastation.
“I understand perfectly well,” Skye replied, letting her sorrow color her words. “You believe my father controls something that could save your child. But I assure you, he does not possess the power you attribute to him.”
Noah studied her face, searching for deception but found none. Her eyes remained steady. Did she truly believe those words, or had she just heard them for so long she no longer questioned the lie behind them?
“However,” she continued, “after some…discussion…I am able to offer you a small boon. He has tentatively agreed to honor my offer of help from our healers.”
Noah exchanged glances with Taran. It wasn’t what they’d come for, but it was something, he supposed. An opening, perhaps? Possible help for Emily and a chance to search further for a portal? “What exactly does that mean?”
“It means you may return with the child. With Emily,” her voice softened as she spoke his sister’s name. “But there are conditions for your return. You will be confined to a section of rooms in the east quadrant to prevent the spread of any disease. And you may only remain long enough to determine if our healers can help her.”
