“Oh.” She couldn’t hide her shock.
“You familiar?” He arched an eyebrow.
“I may have some friends there.” Erinna thought of Rexin, then of Nama Kellori and her family. They should be settled on one of the islands if they hadn’t encountered any trouble.
“Erinna Yarrow has connections on the Initian Islands?” Kane’s tone was playful, but his shock was evident.
“I’m a Yarrow, why are you surprised?”
“In my defense, you are full of surprises.” Kane let the words hang there, voice low. A half-smile tugged at his lips. “It willremain an open offer, Erinna. You are welcome to come along. I would be happy to have you.”
Erinna’s heart fluttered at the shift in his tone and the feeling that his offer meant more than it should have. Her hands wandered to the leather bracelet—a subconscious reminder of reality. She rubbed her thumb across the tight braid and thought of Damien and her father. The people back home, waiting for her to return.
“I need to go back.”
Kane nodded, eyed the band around Erinna’s wrist, and turned back to the fire. An intentional silence settled. There would be no offer of help from Kane—no assistance granted to bring her back. She wouldn’t ask either. He made it clear the first night that she would be on her own after this.
TheHellish Rebukewould not be going back to Tarth. But that left Erinna with limited options. She took in a calming breath. One problem at a time. Answers first. Escape plan second.
Erinna’s attention drifted toward the path that led to the cemetery. Part of her wondered if it was worth another try, but trying to summon a spirit with her current level of exhaustion would be borderline dangerous.
“Planning another trip to the graveyard tonight?”
Erinna’s stomach dropped to her feet. “What are you talking about?” She tried thinking of any way to deflect whatever course of questioning was about to happen.
“Whatever it is you’re doing, we don’t really care as long as it doesn’t bring us any harm,” Kane assured her, but she still couldn't quite grasp enough trust to show her cards. He didn’t bring it up for mere conversation; he was letting her know that whatever she did on the island, he would find out about it. She would have to be more careful.
Kane stood up to leave, eyes darting once again to the bandage around Erinna’s head.
“Try not to kill yourself, please.” With that, he turned toward his own room, leaving Erinna alone by the smoldering embers.
Chapter
Twenty-Six
They had days left.
Half a week at best before the academy was on the island. They were running out of precious time with nothing to show for it.
Erinna trudged through the cemetery until finding a suitably barren patch of dirt to sit on. Sitting among the old, crumbling gravestones she reached into her pocket, fingers curled around a small bit of material wealth she’d snatched the night prior.
She dug a small hole in the dirt and placed a shell bracelet inside. A gift for the dead. An offering to draw some talkative soul from the Realm Beyond.
Acolytes of The Reaper were known to bury their dead with small gifts and trinkets. Something they could bring with them across the river of souls and to their final resting place. Perhaps it could be used in reverse. She heard Madds whisper such things on nights when the brandy was strong and her lips a little looser among friends.
“Please, accept this offer as a token of my respect for your life and the eternity beyond,” she whispered the statement followers of The Reaper used to pay respect to the dead.
An unnatural chill settled into her bones as she searched for her Talent. Erinna took in a steadying breath and tried to ignore her fear. She wondered if her Talent would be tainted once again with the Weeping Queen from her nightmare. To avoid a repeat of last time, she searched and pulled at her power slowly, careful not to go too far into the threads of arcanum. She had never practiced with her power, and there were bound to be issues.
It felt like digging through mud and murky water. Her fingertips buzzed for a moment before becoming numb and frozen. She found the Talent and pulled harder than before. Arcanum slammed into her as she reached for any lingering spirits. The force nearly brought her to her knees.
Ice crept through her veins until it settled completely beneath her skin.
“I call anyone that can hear me.” Her request was met with silence.
She dug herself further into the ground, reaching deeper into whatever pool of magic she contained. Power thrummed again, licked at her fingertips as she reached out once more.
“I call to any who can—” Ice-cold fingers wrapped around her throat. Tight.
