I eat to keep from fainting, but the food sits heavy in my belly. My bond is silent, though perfectly intact.
It was unknown to me if our communication would sustain across the forests between us, and I am sad to see that we truly are separated for a time.
I wish that I could feel everything she was suffering through. Even if me standing in her place couldn’t spare her, at the very least, I would know exactly how to comfort her and mend her scars.
Especially because the trees remind me of the past. If there was someone who could understand the twisted games that giants play, it was me.
In fact… If I listen close enough, I can almost hear Lijasa’s voice call from a shadowy thicket, saying,You’ve teased me long enough. Tonight you will come to my bed.
Fighting away the memories of endless months spent in Zlosa is tiring, and I am already exhausted.
The darkness around us thickens as the sun disappears completely. The sound of theglacialmarasfades, and Rahda slows. There’s a low, ebbing hum—almost like waves of music—that reaches out to us.
“What’s that?” Ulla calls out, and looks at me with her piercing silver eyes showing through her scarf. Her breath manages to escape the furs and paint the air with puffs of white.
“I know that sound from the war,” Niht grumbles.
I stiffen. Of course...
It is one of the altars the Enduar hordes would stop at to rest.
No one else says a word as I yank on the reins, and let Rahda veer towards the sound. The billowing song crashes into me, and the nausea that has been plaguing me fades. The Fuegorra in my chest starts to beat and sing in time with the beacon, and it feels like coming home.
But not home.
It is merely a moment of peace. One I experienced dozens oftimes during the Great War where I could lay the death and bloodshed at the feet of my gods and rest for a night.
When the smooth, marble altar comes into view, I let out a long breath. It’s been five decades, and it still looks new. It doesn’t take long to recognize the carving: my goddess, Grutabela reaching down from her stoney, starry throne to Endu, who is the crag beneath our feet—the fissures in the earth, the mountains, the volcanoes.
Rahda halts, and I don’t bother to usher her on before I lift myself out of the saddle, ignoring the chafing between my legs and approach the icon.
There is a single white step, dusted with snow and I drop to my knees. The Fuegorra in my chest starts to glow, burn, and hum with recognition. My eyes burn from relief and the image of the lovers before me—reaching out toward each other—calms my restless soul.
My gods.
Without thinking, my fingertips brush the scene and I whisper, “Protect my mate,” in the old tongue.
“I think it would be best if we set up a camp here,” Ra'Salore says, and Ulla voices her agreement.
The moment between me and the icon settles, and I turn around to watch Turalyon tie Rahda alongside hisglacialmara.
I get up, and help them clear away patches of snow to set up tents. More small creatures run past us, and I even allow myself a smile when one of them clings to Niht’s pant leg.
In no time, a fire is started, the tents are pitched, and we are eating dried supplies in silence. I pretend not to notice how Niht feeds the small squirrel more bits of his food.
It is harder to ignore when he tries to climb the tree after the creature.
Ulla laughs, but I turn back to my tent and close the leather flap behind me. It is lonely in the small space, but Ineed to rest better if we are to make it to the rebellion’s hideout tomorrow.
The dim light is alive with Ulla’s idle singing, and I sink into the bittersweet melody like some might sink into bed after a long day of hard work.
My eyes flutter closed after mere minutes, and I offer another prayer for Estela, also asking for a speedy trip to see our cousins.
A scream wakes me.I’m out of my tent in a second, still fully dressed, with a knife at the ready. Ra'Salore is there too, followed closely by Niht and Ulla. I count them, with my brow furrowed.
“Where’s Turalyon?” I demand.
Niht’s eyebrows shoot up and another scream fills the open air. This time, I take off running in the direction of the noise. I can tell the second we leave the perimeter of the protected camp because the nausea returns. A few more feet, and I see the large, red stain on the forest floor.
