Hopefully.
They hadn’t heard anything from Nyr yet, basing their destination on Kaz’s repeated assurances that they’d be safe and welcome in her kingdom.However, they also hadn’t seen any of the stars.The celestial beings hadn’t yet reached Curth while Team Save Arinem was there, and from the refugees they’d encountered, it seemed like the stars were staying within the capital.
There were times when Zane questioned what the stars’ plans were—if he’d be able to get a contingent of soldiers together and take them on in Athusia before too much of his empire was overrun—but then he’d remember the might of only one star and how easily Altair had bested all of them.Brute strength was not going to be how this war was won.They would need to use strategy and stealth.One cunning star had been enough to bring the Aztia to her knees.
What would they do against thousands of them?Millions?
Looking up at the night sky with only a waning moon was unsettling.Zane was accustomed to using the constellations to find his way and track his prey.Not having that resource on a cloudless night left him with a deep sense of dread.
After several days with the refugees, they decided to leave them behind and travel on ahead.A party of five people could travel infinitely faster than a large group of tired and hungry people who had been displaced from their homes.Iyana ensured she’d healed as many as she could and then they left—the thanks of Zane’s own people ringing in his ears.
He didn’t deserve their gratitude.Perhaps if he was able to defeat his father sooner, none of this would’ve happened.If Zane had realized his own strength—both mental and physical—years ago, then Iyana never would have called down Altair.The fact he was thinking of murdering his own father only disturbed him slightly.Zane knew when it came down to it, he would have faltered—just like he did on the battlefield in the Dead Lands.
No, he wasn’t worthy ofanyone’sthanks.
But the man beside him always seemed to know when Zane spiraled down a dark hole, because he reached over and squeezed his hand gently.
As they inched closer towards Nyr, Talon began to evoke more of his previous self.His hair was now washed, the gentle red curls falling down his back, and his skin wasn’t appearing as wan.His warm blue eyes were still missing most of their spark, but Zane noted the slight changes and believed things were beginning to improve.
When Kaz said they were less than a day away from the border of Nyr forest, and they were setting up camp for the night, Zane saw a shadow flicker in the trees behind the wagon.Focusing harder on the area, he didn’t see anything out of place, but the hairs on the back of his neck prickled as though he was being watched.As a tracker himself, he’d learned to always trust these instincts.He glanced at Talon.
“I think there’s someone following us,” he said, his voice hushed.
To Talon’s credit, he didn’t immediately glance around, instead looking towards Zane and smiling like they were carrying on a conversation.
“Where?”Tal asked.
“I thought I saw a shadow over by the wagon, but now I’m not so sure.”
“Perfect,” Talon replied.“I need to use the little boy’s room, anyway.”Throwing a wink at Zane, Tal walked towards the area behind the wagon with an unconcerned strut.
“Where are you going?”Emmeric called from where he was setting up the bedrolls.
“I have to piss!”Talon yelled over his shoulder, laughing.
Zane joined the others around the fire while carefully monitoring the trees Talon had disappeared into.He caught Emmeric’s eye.“I think someone is following us.He went to check.”
Worry flitted over the other soldier’s face before he nodded and resumed his tasks.The two friends had spent the past ten years doing this exact thing—putting themselves in front of a dangerous situation and dealing with it, while the other did what they needed to do.But since Talon had died…It was nice for Zane to know someone else was worried about Tal, too.
When Talon reappeared in the treeline unharmed, Zane breathed a sigh of relief.He joined the rest of their group around the fire.
“I didn’t see anyone,” Talon said, “but they could have come and left.Didn’t you say Altair just disappeared once Kaz leapt at him?”
Emmeric nodded.“So you’re thinking maybe a star was out there spying on us, then poofed away into thin air?”
“It’s possible,” Tal said, shrugging his shoulder.“We should make sure we take turns on watch and keep our eyes open until we get to Nyr.”
Luckily, that night was uneventful.The next morning, they decided to ditch the wagon and walk into Nyr on horseback.Emmeric and Iyana sat atop Pryn, while Zane and Talon were on his own horse, Ryunn.He was glad they’d thought to board the horses; Zane would have hated to be parted from the magnificent black stallion.Kaz trotted along next to them in her leopard form.
Zane wasn’t exactly accustomed to riding a horse with a large man seated behind him, but he couldn’t say he was opposed to the situation—especially not when Talon’s arms encircled his waist.Or when his head rested on Zane’s shoulder as he took a nap.Any time he thought of the casual touches between them, his breath caught and his stomach swooped with excitement and fear.He still wanted Talon desperately, but he didn’t want to push the issue.In all honestly, he didn’t want to talk about it in fear that Talon had changed his mind about being together.Zane decided to reevaluate later, as there were certainly more important things to tend to.
It was abundantly clear the second they crossed the border from Athusa into Nyr.An oppressive heat and humidity bore down upon them all, and they took a minute to shuck off their winter gear, Kaz shifting back into her human form.Zane appreciated the change in weather, feeling it warm his body down to his bones.
“How is it this warm when it’s winter?”Iyana asked Kaz.
“Oh, it’s the wards.”
“Wards?”Emmeric asked.
