“Is she okay?” I asked, hating how weak I sounded. It was shameful for a maiden to break down the way I had. But damn it, I was trained to handle combat, not medical emergencies. Something I’d be addressing with the head priestess next time I saw her. Not all our charges were wolves with perfect healing. Weshouldhave more medical training than just how to apply a pressure dressing and a tourniquet.
“She’s resting now. It’s done. She’ll probably be groggy and tired for a while, though. I’m not sure how her djinn powers affect her recovery compared to a human with a seizure disorder. Maybe she’ll recover more quickly, but I’d like her to rest either way.”
“Thank you, Oli. You saved the day when I lost it.” I reached over to squeeze her hand. She thought of herself as weak, but damn if she wasn’t strong as steel when it counted.
“You didn’t lose anything until I had her. You did well,” Olivia insisted. “In fact, if you’d like to know more about seizures, we can get Bri on the phone and go over the protocol in more detail, but you handled things perfectly, I promise.” She squeezed my fingers, punctuating that I’d done well with simple physical reassurance.
“I’d like that. As soon as we can, actually. For all the maidens,” I added, turning to Galyna.
“I agree. We should all know how to help her in case of emergency,” an unexpected voice called from behind us. I turned, and there was Dakota, guarding the door.
Bitterness rushed up in my throat with strangling force, but I pushed it down.
It wasn’t her fault either. She was one of the sisterhood, doing as she was ordered. And Iwould notmake the mistake of taking my anger out on her too.
“I’ll let Marciana know and see about getting us all some more training.” Galyna patted me on the shoulder before turning and walking into her room, possibly to go make the call right then.
“Oh no, not again.” The angry whisper stopped us all in our tracks.
“Fi! I’m so glad you’re awake.” I squatted next to where she lay on the couch. “How do you feel?” I wanted to squeeze the stuffing out of her, but that might hurt, given what she’d just been through, so I opted to take her hand instead, rubbing my thumb soothingly over the back of her knuckles.
“Like hammered shit. But I’ll live. There’s—” She cleared her throat.
“I’ll get you some water,” Valens offered, darting to the kitchen.
A minute later, he was back and pressing a cup into my hand for her. I helped her take an awkward sip. “Better?”
“Yes, thanks. There’s something I need to tell you all.”
“It can wait until you’ve rested, healer’s orders,” Oli scolded from my side.
“No, it’s urgent. I had another vision.”
Chapter 30
Valens
Vision? I glanced around the room and clocked the fact that no one was surprised except me. I knew Fiona haddifferenttalents and that she was part djinn, but visions? Like honest-to-Goddess, seeing-the-future visions?
“I know when the war is going to start,” Fiona said, weakly struggling to sit upright. Reed was there in an instant, supporting her and helping her slowly get where she wanted to be. She smiled up at him, then patted the couch for him to sit next to her.
“What did you see?” Elodie asked, concern lacing her question.
“I wasn’t sure at first. Things can be… chaotic. Sometimes I get dropped into the middle of something I don’t understand, like with Kane’s father. But not this time. It was all the wolf packs, in a grassy area near Pack Caelestis’s castle. It almost looked like a bowl?”
Reed sighed. “I know the place. It’s the same place Kane held the trial for the late Varga. It makes sense they’d be coming for us here now that we’ve finally stopped running. They can sense Brielle.”
“Good, that makes it easier. Anyway, we were all lined up, waiting for the battle to start. And just as the other side stepped out of the forest and started running toward us, everything went dark. I thought at first someone had cast a spell of some kind, but when I looked up at the sky, I saw a blood moon. Total lunar eclipse. That’s when they’re coming.”
“That’s in less than three weeks. We don’t have long to gather allies and supplies, let alone prepare the castle for so many people, if you’re sure that’s what it was?” Lucien asked, worry etching lines between his eyebrows.
“I’m sure. They’re coming, and they’re going to get here when the blood moon hangs in the sky.” She paused, wrinkling her brow. “But… that’s not all. There’s another force coming that I can’t seem to see, no matter how hard I try. I don’t know when they’re coming, only that they’re dangerous.Dark.” Fiona sagged into Reed’s side, completely spent.
“We believe you,” he said, gently brushing the hair away from her face. “But for now, I need to get you to bed so you can recover.”
She nodded, then glanced sheepishly at Elodie. “Sorry to give you a scare. Usually, I havesomeidea a seizure is coming, but that one hit me hard and fast.”
“Don’t you dare apologize. We’re all going to read up on how to help in the future. Just in case Oli or Bri aren’t around next time.”
