Hated the disappointment and despair that Zayn and Evira were currently too distressed to conceal even a little.
“Can’t?” Evira asked. “Your power is being drained too quickly due to the sun?”
“Not just that. Evasive maneuvers specifically against Basilisk vibrational tracking have been employed.”
Zayn stepped up to me as Evira tugged at her hair, trying to maintain emotional stability, trying to remain on task. House Vortimer had schooled her well where that was concerned. “You can draw power from Evira and me. Siphon us.”
Evira shook her head. “Then we’ll all be too weak to actually extract Winter when we manage to locate him.”
“Well, he needs more power. And protection from the sun.” He eyed me. “Itisabout the power, right? Or the tether isn’t strong enough? It broke? Something like that?”
“It’s the power,” I admitted. More words I most certainly didn’t like the taste of.
In fact, it turned my stomach.
Not enough power to help somebody I cared for so very deeply?
I couldn’t stand it.
I clenched my fists, then started pacing, knowing that exerting more energy when my crown was waning in Sunveil charge really wouldn’t help, but also needing to expel my frustration and upset in some manner.Curses!
I was losing my ability to think straight.
Movement across the beach startled the three of us, bringing me to a jolting stop.
Zayn spun around.
Evira called her glacial magic to both palms.
Violent wind whipped through the area, then tore around us, the sand shifting and spitting at us, before I caught sight of four figures.
Everything abruptly stilled as they came to a stop right before us.
Remnant. Ketheron. Ambrose Wisteryn. And Sylas Morgrave.
Zayn eyed me, mirth shining forth in spite of everything. “More power, you say?”
I tensed.
Power that could come at a steep price.
Winter hadn’t wanted anyone to know about hisglitching, hence him going to Ketheron in secret, hence the very meeting he’d been headed to that had led to this subsequent disappearance. And he especially hadn’t wanted Sylas to know.
Remnant eyed me studiously, then turned to Ketheron beside him. “If you will.”
Ketheron glanced at my crown.
He stepped up to me and smiled kindly. “All will be well, little lord,” he spoke, a moment before his golden magic sparked. He swept his hands the length of me, and then a heavy weight lifted, and I looked to see a near-translucent film identical to Remnant’s encompassing me. “It will maintain until nightfall,” he informed me.
“Thank you.”
“Of course. You have expended a great deal of power in aid of my tiny god.”
“Tiny god,” Evira uttered. “That’s unbelievably sweet.”
“Crown Heir,” Remnant greeted Evira with a polite nod, and then what looked like a smile in his eyes as he looked at Zayn, although his mouth was obscured by the metal mask covering most of his facial features.
Evira tensed at his utterance of her title.
