Oh, it’s dank and copper-filled and reeks of death, but it’s practically sweet compared to the suffocating darkness that looms so close behind us.
I don’t understand what just happened—or who the girl who crashed into us is—but my concern now is for Galeia.
She’s limp in my arms, her little limbs loose. Her head would be lolling if I weren’t supporting her.
“Galeia?” I can’t tell if she’s breathing. It’s all I can do to stay secure on Blackbird’s back while we’re moving so fast. “Galeia!”
She gives no response.
No, no, no…
“Galeia!”
In the next heartbeat, I detect the smallest rise and fall of her chest.
“She’s alive.” I can’t stop my sob of relief, but it’s short-lived. Galeia might be alive, but she isn’t conscious, and the longer she remains that way, the more worrying it will be. “I don’t know what’s wrong.”
“My magic hurt her.” The girl speaks behind me. “I’m sorry. She is dark magic, and I… am something else.”
I don’t have time to wonder what ‘something else’ could be. This girl certainly came out of nowhere, and her power is immense, but I’ll figure out what her ‘something else’ is later.
“We have to set down,” I say. “I need to know where she’s hurt and figure out how to help her.”
“We must not land,” the girl replies firmly. “We must fly straight and true to my home in the west?—”
“The west is hours away!” I can’t turn to the girl, or I’ll upset my precarious balance, but I need her to understand how worried I am. “Galeia can’t wait that long.”
“Galeia?” The girl’s voice is soft but carries a clear note of curiosity. “That is an unusual name for such a dark creature.”
“She isn’t a creature,” I snap. “She’s a person, and she’s very important to me.”
How did that become so true so quickly? How did Galeia burrow her way into my heart in such a short time?
Blackbird’s ears are pricked. He’s clearly listening to what we’re saying, but for now, there’s an extended silence behind me.
No immediate retort from the girl.
Then she leans forward, reaching past me to point into the distance.
“Do you see the thunderbirds up ahead? The fae have spread their defenses wide. We must evade them at all costs. Even if you weren’t already their enemy, this child isDarkness. They will sense her nature and attack you on sight.
“That means we have two choices. We must either head due west along that mountain ridge where they do not yet patrol, or we must turn sharply north, circle around them, andthentravel down along the coastline.”
If we travel west from here, we’ll fly through the airspace above human territory. They’re allied with the dragons, who will also no doubt carry out air patrols, and most likely react even more badly to Galeia’s presence.
But if we go north first…
My eyes widen. The deep north belongs to the Einherjar and the Valkyries. They are Galeia’s people. Her mother lives in that direction. She told me to protect Thaden, so I assume she will want to protect her daughter, too.
Even if we don’t reach her, the north is still far safer for Galeia than the west.
But first, I need to know more about the girl’s intentions. She got us out away from the blight and Blackbird clearly trusts her—even if I have no idea how they crossed each other’s paths. I don’t want to dismiss the possibility that she has good reasons for wanting to take us directly west.
“Why do you want me to come to your home?” I ask.
“Because that is where the end begins,” she replies.
“The end of what?” I ask, my heart suddenly beating harder.
