I open the double doors for her. With a glance back at the guards, I step outside. They don’t stop me, so I escort Eliza to the top of the grand stairs that slope down the small mountain.
I pull her in for a hug. Tears threaten to spill, but I swallow them down. Later.
“She’s alive,” she whispers into my hair, so quietly that it could have been the whisper of the wind. She pulls away, and I have to remember toact normal. To act like those two words didn’t just change my life. Like they didn’t just spring a well of hope into my chest.
She’s alive.
I wave goodbye to Eliza—Asmo—and resist the urge to sprint up the stairs and into my wing, lock myself in the bathroom, and unfurl the note still burning a hole in my sleeve.
“Your Highness,” a guard says drily behind me.
I turn and walk back inside. They watch as I walk up the stairs and enter my wing, every step torturously slow.
When I enter my wing, the guards stationed inside don’t even glance at me. I enter my private bathroom and lock the door behind me. I take a deep, shaky breath and sink to the marble floor. Slowly, quietly, I pull the folded note from my sleeve. I throw a small sound barrier up and unfold the note, the paper crinkling as I do.
I let loose a sob as I see the handwriting.
I would know it anywhere. I’ve seen it on official documents and on countless Herd meeting notes, his neat penmanship something I always admired.
Ivan.
We’re okay.Everyoneis okay. Stay strong.
That’s all there is. I summon a small flame to the palm of my hand and burn the note.
Mae is alive.
And they know I’m here.
Chapter 16
MAE
The portal spitsus in front of a quaint cottage nestled in the middle of a forest, filled with gargantuan trees with trunks as thick as the bears that climb them. Birds chirp, and brilliant beams of light cascade through the canopy. To the right, a massive wall of rock juts upward, small collections of trees and bushes adorning its granite surface as it stretches toward the sky. A chipmunk dashes past us and races toward the cabin, slipping into a hole where the forest floor meets the cabin wall.
“This is it?” I ask, eyeing the small cottage skeptically. The front door is the largest feature, its wooden façade almost reaching the roof.
The corner of Asmo’s mouth twitches. “It’s more of a grower than a shower.”
My jaw drops as I burst into a laugh. He turns and heads toward the cottage, but I reach for him and grab the back of his wool coat. “Wait!” I say with a huff. “I know August said it’s okay to come as ourselves, but should we put our marks on? Just to be safe?”
Asmo frowns. “I?—”
The wooden door opens before he can answer the question. Asmo shifts to step in front of me, shielding me behind him. Over his shoulder, a mop of brown, curly hair comes into view.
Barrett.
He looks the same, but his normally tidy hair is loose, wavy locks curling just below his ears. I shove Asmo to the side and close the distance between us, slamming into Barrett and crushing him in a tight hug. The last time I saw him was at my wedding, his bear form vicious and cutting through cambions and dark creatures as he fought to defend me and my kingdom.
“It’s really you,” he whispers into my hair. He smells of clay and dust and I cling to him. He gives me one final squeeze before releasing me. “When August told me…” He trails off with a shake of his head.
I step back to Asmo’s side.
“I can’t believe it. I really can’t believe it,” Barrett says, pulling the front door open. “Come in. Let’s get out of the cold.” He ushers us inside and I freeze when I see what exactly is hidden inside this quaint cottage.
“Told you,” Asmo mutters in my ear.
We stand at the top of a large stair landing. Beneath us, a wide stone staircase winds in lazy circles into the depths of a massive cave. The stairs lead to different levels, each entry alcove bright with lit candelabras embedded in stone walls.
