We soar across the glimmering woods, away from the celebration and away from Landon with his impossible claim.
I don't look back.
The fae realm blurs beneath us. Coinneach flies low and fast, weaving between ancient trees. The music from Calanmai eventually fades to nothing. I carefully pull myself up along his leg. His feathers are thick and soft under my hands, giving me purchase as I climb. I swing my leg over and settle onto his broad neck.
I need to find Blaire.
"Ken," I call him, raising my voice to be heard above the rushing air. "Blaire is in the town. Can you get to her?"
He adjusts his flight path immediately, banking smoothly and angling toward the cluster of lights in the distance. The town spreads out below us like a scattering of stars against the darkness. He circles lower, his wings beating slower now as he navigates between buildings.
Then suddenly he dives.
My stomach lurches as we plummet toward a narrow alley tucked between two buildings. Blaire stands in the shadows. But she's not alone. A massive figure looms over her.
Prince Vayne.
My hand moves instinctively toward my summoning chalk. But before I can act, I see Blaire's expression.
Her cheeks are pink and her eyes bright as she looks up at him. She's... flushed.
This doesn't look like a confrontation or a threat. It looks like a conversation. An intimate one. I hate to interrupt them but I must get to Blaire.
Coinneach lands on a nearby rooftop with barely a sound, setting me down gently on the still-warm tiles.
"Blaire," I call down softly.
She spins immediately, her hand going to her waist where I know she keeps a knife. Then she sees me and her posture relaxes. I wait until Vayne steps back and drop down from the rooftop.
"I found what we need." I study her face carefully, searching for any signs of distress or fear. "We can go home now. Are you okay? Do you need—"
"I'm fine," she answers swiftly and glances at the prince, then back to me. "I have issues to settle here… with Vayne."
The orc hasn't moved from where he stands in the shadows but his eyes are on me now. I meet his gaze steadily, letting him see the promise there. If he hurts her or harms one hair on her head, I'll find a way to make him pay.
Blaire notices the exchange and steps between us, breaking the line of sight. "I'll find my own way home. Don't worry about me."
I don't want to leave her here. Every instinct I have screams at me to insist she come with me right now.
But she's a Maiden of Arawynn.
Blaire is trained to survive situations far more dangerous than this. And more than that, she's my friend. She's asking me to trust her judgment.
I shouldn't interfere. Whatever is happening, this is between them.
"Be careful," I finally say.
Her lips curve into a small smile. "I will."
I back toward where Coinneach waits on the rooftop and climb onto his back. I grip his shadow feathers tightly as he lifts into the air. The powerful beats of his wings send dust swirling below.
Blaire watches me go, one hand raised in farewell.
I hope she knows what she's doing.
We rise higher into the night sky. Every moment I delay is a moment closer to war.
"Ken. I need you to go to Aelfheim and find Aelfric and Garrett. I want you to deliver this message for them," I instruct, before feeding him every morsel of information I gathered from the war chamber. "Find my uncle Rainer. He'll know what to do."
