“Oh.” Her face brightened once again. “That sounds like she’s the killer to me. Who else could itbe?”
“All evidence certainly points that way.” My voice was dripping with doubt, but Sophia didn’t appear to notice. ShewantedShai to be the killer, and I couldn’t blame her. It would mean all of this was over, something I could tell she desperatelyneeded.
“What will they do with her when she wakes up and confirms she’s guilty?” Sophia asked. “I don’t know how that kind of thing works here. Will there be a trial? Will she get some jail time? I know she’s in the dungeons now, but will they keep her there or send her somewhereelse?”
“Do you know what? I honestly don’t know how they handle trials and imprisonment here in Otherworld. Maybe it’s worth asking Alwyn about that next time you see her.” For a moment, I’d almost saidyour instructorbefore I caught myself. Because Sophia didn’t have an instructor anymore, much less a mate, as much as I knew she yearned to meet hermatch.
And maybe she had. Maybe, in Boyd, shehadmet the one fae she was truly fated to find. And now, she would never have the chance to walk down the aisle and celebrate their love under a glowing faerie moon. She’d never wake up by his side or curl up against his chest. My heart hurt just thinking aboutit.
Nothing about his death felt logical, and it certainly didn’t feelright.
Maybe I really had found his killer. Perhaps Shai had gotten angry at the Hunters who had been tracking her down. Maybe she’d lost control, and she’d simply lashed out. Maybe, just maybe, things could go back to normalnow.
Even though Otherworld was nevernormal.
Chapter Eight
My sleep was disturbedby vicious dreams. I was standing in the middle of a bloody field, torn green-and-black flags rippling in a harsh wintry breeze. Snow poured down from the hazy sky, clinging to my hair and my black cloak. All around me, bodies littered the ground. They wore cloaks in every shade, from red to black to green to gold. A sword was in my hand, one I’d never seen before, and daggers were strapped to my sides. In the distance, a horn sounded and four riders strode intoview.
My heart beat hard. Even though I couldn’t see them through the haze of the falling snow, something about the way they sat there in the darkness made everything inside me yearn to scream and run. Their vague figures were menacing. Their bodies rippled with visible violence. There was something wrong aboutthem.
They felt likechaos.
I opened my mouth andscreamed.
* * *
Iwokeup in my bed at the Academy, kicking and flailing and tossing the heavy covers to the floor. My entire body was drenched in sweat, and my hands were trembling from the force of my own dream. Heart rattling, I pulled my knees to my chest and took in deep breaths through mynose.
One.Two.
I closed myeyes.
Three.Four.
The door cracked open, but I didn’t lookup.
Five.
I’d had this feeling before, usually when my step-father got angry. Fear andpanic.
Six. Seven. Eight. Nine.Ten.
My frantic breathing steadied, and my heartbeat began to slow. The bed creaked as someone eased onto the mattress. Soft arms encircled my neck and Sophia pulled meclose.
“You alright?” she whispered against my hair. “I heard youscreaming.”
“I’m sorry I woke you,” I said, my voice shaky. “I’m okay. I just had a baddream.”
“Sounds less like a dream and more like anightmare.”
I shook the images out of my head. Blood everywhere. So many bodies. And that chaos…it felt as though it had creeped into my bones. “It was so strange, Sophia. It was the most realistic dream I’d ever had. I honestly felt like I could smellthem.”
“Them?”
“Yeah, there were these four riders. I’ve never seen them before in my life, but I recognized them in the dream. They’d killed everyone, and they were coming for me next. I wish I could describe what they looked like, but it’s all starting to drift away from me now.” I shook my head and laughed at myself. “Obviously, I had way too much to eat before bed, and the food made my brainwacky.”
“I’ve had those kinds of dreams before,” Sophia said quietly. “I know it sounds insane, but I swear I had a nightmare right before Boyd’s death. I dreamt I was in the forest, and a Redcap was coming straight for me. I woke up just before it sliced its claw across my throat.” She shuddered. “Across my throat, Norah. It was like my subconscious somehow knew what was going to happen. Can you believe that? If I’d just realized what it meant, maybe I could have done something to warnhim...”
