Soldiers marched through the cobblestone streets between rows of white-washed buildings. The roar of their footsteps drowned out the caws of the seagulls overhead. I’d been watching them for days, and their numbers had multiplied. Andromeda must be calling upon every corner of the storm fae lands. She would find few soldiers from the Kingdoms of Shadow and Light. I could only hope she hadn’t tried. Dubnos would need a brief respite from war.
As I turned away, something from beyond the city caught my attention. Heavy mist thickened the sky beyond the gates, but the sun over Malroch cut through the darkness enough to reveal the nearest field. It held at least a hundred beasts.
They stalked toward a wooden cage. My stomach twisted as I realized what was trapped inside it. A man curled against the bars. Fae or human, I couldn’t tell. It didn’t matter either way. Regardless of who he was, he didn’t deserve to be fed to a flock of monstrous beasts.
My back twitched at the instinctual need to spread my wings and fly to this man, to take that cage and carry him far away from here. If I didn’t do something, the beasts would destroy the cage and eat him alive.
I moved to jump out the window, but then a thought shuddered through my mind.
What were the fucking odds? After days, Andromeda had released me from my makeshift prison. Sirius had taunted me. He knew I’d see this. Light be damned, Andromeda had probably set this up to test my resolve.
I ground my teeth. I couldn’t turn my back on this man. If there was a way to save him, I had to try.
But there isn’t a way, my thoughts echoed back at me.As soon as Andromeda sees you flying toward him, she and the other gods—because they are watching—will stop you.
My hands shook as I latched my fingers around the window. I couldn’t save him. There was nothing I could do, not unless I hadsomethingagainst the gods—anything. But I had nothing. No weapons, no information. Nothing but my power, which wouldn’t work against them. My marriage bond nullified part of the vow, but not all of it, as far as I understood.
Andromeda given me an impossible choice, knowing it would destroy me. I could fly to this man’s aid and doom any chance I had of escaping, reuniting with Kalen, and helping the world fight against the gods. Or I could let him die.
It was him or everyone else.Again.
Another flash of movement caught my attention. I turned toward the gates. A gray horse charged toward the city, his mane blowing in the wind.
My chest tightened. Hope and fear tangled together in my gut.
Silver had found me.
Ten
Tessa
Irushed down the corridor. Silver was here. And if I wasn’t mistaken, he still had my weapons. He’d found me, and he’d come for me. My footsteps quickened. If the gods knew who he belonged to, they’d kill him. I couldn’t bear the thought of another innocent dying because of me.
Silver deserved better.
Midnighthad deserved better, too.
I flung the doors wide and raced down the tower steps. Sirius loomed before me, blocking my path. His eyes flashed as he held up my leather strap, the Mortal Blade dangling from its sheath. He must have gotten it from Silver.
“Looking for something?” he asked in a voice too dark, too deep to be from this world.
“Please,” I whispered. “Let Silver go. He’s just a horse. He doesn’t deserve to die because he came here looking for me. It’s not as if he knows what he’s doing or can fight against—”
“Just a horse?” he asked with an arched brow.
“Y-yes,” I stammered. “He was one of Oberon’s horses, but now he belongs to no one. Just release him back into the fields. He’ll find his way to shelter.” Though, deep down, I wondered if that was really true. He’d come looking for me. If Sirius let him go, would Silver actually leave?
Sirius unsheathed the Mortal Blade and shoved the belt into my hands. He slid the dagger into his own belt, then folded his arms. “The one you call Silver is no mere horse. He’s a joint eater, which means hecanfight and he knows what he’s doing. However, he cannot leave the mists without getting burned, so he can’t come into the city. He is no threat to us. For now. I took your weapons and left him at the gates. He seems pretty agitated, I must admit. Strange that you have a joint eater who cares for you.”
“A joint eater.” That was impossible. When I’d first found him, he been with Oberon, which meant he would have had to belong to the Kingdom of Light, except…that wasn’t necessarily true, was it? Oberon had been stuck in a cave for days before I’d found him—or rather,he’d found me. When he’d fled Albyria, he’d taken nothing with him. So wherehadSilver come from?
My lips parted.
He must have found him in the mists.
It explained so much. Silver had practically shoved me toward Albyria that day, when I’d been lost in my dark thoughts on the beach. If he hadn’t interfered, I might have run from Aesir. If he hadn’t encouraged me, I might have never again seen Kalen. Silver had even accompanied me on the long trek across Aesir, insisting to continue with me on the journey, even when the other horses had needed rest.
Midnight had been the same. I should have seen it.
