I don’t put voice to any of that, asking simply, “What does this have to do with me?”
Gliss shivers visibly and wraps her arms across her chest. “He cried out for vengeance, but his cry was… confusing. Extremely difficult to decipher. What I can say for sure is that he wantsyouto avenge him. He said that you ‘heard his heart.’”
There’s a slight question in Gliss’s voice.
“Heard his heart,” I whisper, remembering the pain I felt when I came into contact with that medallion for the first time after it had been imprinted.
I felt grief and fear. I sensed a life cut short too soon.
I take a deep breath and set my intentions. “It’s my oath to kill Milena Ironmeld, so the dragon will be avenged. At least it confirms that she betrayed him.”
Gliss is reaching for me. “No, that’s one of the confusing things. I’m certain that the dragon said:Hebetrayed me. Notshe.”
“He?” I stare at Gliss in surprise. “Who was the dragon referring to?”
“I couldn’t tell.”
I narrow my eyes at her, but she looks to Erik. “If you can hear my heartbeat, then you’ll know I’m not lying.”
He nods. “She seems to be telling the truth.”
“But that doesn’t make sense.” My brow is deeply furrowed now. “Thaden Kane said that Milena changed him.”
“Maybe she wasn’t the one who initially trapped the dragon,” Erik suggests.
I don’t like this possibility. “Do we have another powerful enemy we don’t yet know about?”
“Maybe,” he says. “Or it was simply a clever human the dragon trusted.”
“Yes, it could have been.” I exhale my sudden tension, even as my questions build.
Gliss casts glances around us. “I’ve stayed too long. I’ve delivered the message to you. I won’t be able to withhold this information from the Queen for much longer.” Her shoulders hunch. “I can’t be sure that what the dragon said will make any difference to her. It might be for nothing, but my instinct is to conceal the dragon’s meaning.”
She steps back as she speaks. “I wish you well, Asha Silverspun. May the eventide light bless you and keep you safe.”
With a brief press of her hand to her heart, she disappears back into the trees before I can reach out for her. “But?—”
“You can’t help her.” Erik is solemn beside me, his face partly shadowed now. “The Fae Queen rules her life. You owe that queen a debt. You can’t intervene.”
He’s right and I fucking hate it.
“What about my family?”
He gives me a sudden smile as his head tilts to the side. “They’re already on the move. I can hear their voices. They’ve just picked up the remaining packs.”
I rub my forehead with relief. “Okay, then. We have a lot of ground to cover.”
I shake off my misgivings, needing once more to keep moving.
* * *
We travel cautiously for the rest of the night, but once the sun rises and visibility improves for me, we break into a jog, heading for a water supply that takes us only slightly off course.
We keep pace with each other, quickly navigating fallen branches and uneven undergrowth as we run through the thickening forest. I use the onyx spear to my advantage, vaulting over some of the larger fallen branches, and before long, I’m comfortable carrying it.
By the time I hear the flow of water ahead of us, the canopy overhead has become so thick that it’s hard to believe we’re weaving our way across a mountain range. The earth here appears richer than any I’ve ever seen, the tree trunks a deep reddish brown and the leaves are a bright green, even though the air is cold.
Finally, Erik indicates we should slow our pace and a few minutes later, we reach the edge of a shallow ravine with a narrow stream flowing through it.
