“We need to stay off the trails,” Zane said, his tone still hushed as a precaution.Looking at Iyana, he asked, “Are you able to do that trick with the snow to cover our tracks as we go?”
Iyana nodded.It would take a significant amount of concentration to keep the magic following them, while also trying to keep herself warm and conserving her energy, but if it would keep them safe, then she would pull from Emmeric if she needed to.
The next several days were exhausting.They moved slowly, traveling within the trees as far away from the trails as they could, Iyana consistently wiping their tracks clean.Their heads all seemed to move on a swivel, hoping nobody could sneak up on them, and the nights were long and cold.None of them slept well, as anxiety and paranoia were constant companions.Neither Iyana nor Emmeric had the time or energy to bring up their previous conversation, and Iyana was so exhausted she wasn’t dreaming at all.The brief reprieve from the nightmares would have been welcome in almost any other situation, but at that point, she almost wanted them.At least it would mean she was sleeping.
Sometimes, out of the corner of her eye, Iyana would catch a glimpse of shadows.Her heart would always lurch, thinking of the astmina and the shadows that Uther had wielded against her, but whenever she looked more closely, there was nothing to be seen.Eventually, she assumed her mind was playing tricks on her, and it was probably from the lack of sleep.
Still, the feeling that they were being watched or followed persisted, and Iyana began to think she might go insane.
Chapter 22
Altair
“I’mdisappointed,Altair,”Rigilsaid while lounging on the throne.“I thought you would have left days ago.The Aztia won’t capture herself, you know.”He chuckled at his own joke.
Altair clenched his teeth.“I know, my lord.There’s been too much to secure here before I depart, and I thought that because the Aztia was behind Nyr’s wards as it is, my time would be better spent here.”
“Yes, those wards are troublesome.Try to find a way to bring them down, would you?”
“Those wards have been up for over a thousand years.We tried to dismantle them before our banishment and were unsuccessful.And we’re not as strong now as we were before.”
Rigil’s eyes sparked as he sat forward, resting his elbows on his knees.“Are you telling me you’re too incompetent for your job, Altair?I can easily find someone to replace you.”
“No, Alpha Centauri,” he said, his heart rate speeding up.“I’ll look into it.”
Rigil glanced behind Altair’s shoulder.“Scuti.What news do you bring me?”
Altair turned to glance at his cousin, who was bowing his head in greeting.“None, my lord.I simply came to remind Altair of our meeting.”Altair frowned.
“Anything of importance?”Rigil was asking.
“Nothing you need to concern yourself with, my lord.”
Rigil waved a hand at them in dismissal.“As you were, then.”His glare could have bored holes through Altair.“Be sure that you leave soon, Altair.My patience is wearing thin.”
“As you demand, my lord.”Altair bowed at the waist, then departed the throne room with his cousin by his side.
He glanced sideways at Scuti.“We didn’t have a meeting planned.”
“Not here,” Scuti said, his voice hushed.He dragged Altair into yet another alcove, glancing up and down the hallways before he teleported them out of the castle.
They landed within an abandoned shack, most likely in the outer circle of the city.Most stars wouldn’t be caught in this area of Athusia unless they were forced here by a superior.Still, Scuti scoured their surroundings before he began speaking.
“The Aztia is travelling towards Athusia.”
“What?”
There was no way she didn’t know the stars had congregated in Athusia.They hadn’t exactly been hiding, and some humans had slipped out of the city and escaped to Nyr.Altair may have looked the other way a few times as some families packed their belongings and left.
Why in the nine hells would Iyana choose to come to Athusia when she could have stayed behind the wards in Nyr and been safe?
Oh, he couldkillher for taking such a risk.She had to know that the stars would be searching for her.That she was the only one who could banish them back into the sky, and because of that, she was a threat.But—
Altair narrowed his eyes at Scuti.“Why are you telling me this here?Why wouldn’t you give this information to Rigil?”
Scuti was staring at a point past Altair, unwilling to look him in the eye.“I know, cousin.”
Altair was instantly on alert.“Know what, exactly?”
