She stopped, looked at me, then sighed. “I am in a tricky position. The king made it clear that certain details cannot be shared. There are some things I can say, though.”
Just as I suspected, this storm was part of the king’s bloody visions. That could only mean we were back on the right path, at least partially. I knew I should be glad for it, but all I felt was dread.
I followed her back over to the map, where she pointed at the coastal city we’d been sailing toward. “What I can tell you is that Sunport will be surrounded by beasts now. We can no longer go there.”
“So we’re sailing to Albyria instead.” I nodded. “Fine with me. That’s where the storm is.”
“Yes, the storm.” She cleared her throat. I narrowed my eyes. Mostly, that smelled like the truth, but there was something a little off about it, like it was fresh meat left out in the sun for too long.
“You certainly changed your tune quickly.”
“I was only doing what I thought the king would want me to do. You have to understand he left instructions in place to ensure our survival. I thought everything had gone wrong.”
“But the storm appeared,” I said, testing her to see if she’d spill a half-lie again.
She cut her eyes my way. “It’s not the storm that’s tipped me off. The king warned me of a booming sound and a dark sky. It would begin in Aesir and echo through the world. It is a signal that things have turned in a certain direction.”
“Are you going to tell me that direction?”
“All I can say is there’s a fight ahead of us.”
Interesting. That bit was fully the truth. “And did your king see his own death?”
“No,” she said vehemently. “That’s why we’re still searching for him. In any case, we have to move on now, as much as I hate it. He was clear we should sail to Aesir immediately if I heard that sound. If we don’t, your kingdom will fall, and so will ours.” Her neck bobbed as she swallowed hard. “This is it, Niamh. What our king and his ancestors have spent their entire lives preparing for. This is when we win or we die.”
Thirty-Seven
Kalen
Iheard it through the bond before I heard it echoing through the night. Tessa screamed my name. Motioning to the others, I sprang into action, hauling myself over the rim of the chasm. We’d been waiting here for Nellie and Tessa to face the gods. Boudica was scouting the skies, but the heavy rain made it difficult for her to fly.
“Go, now!” I shouted at the others without casting a glance in their direction. If Tessa was screaming for me, she needed me. As I ran through the wind and rain, I couldn’t resist fearing the worst. All I could picture was Andromeda’s wicked face as she wrapped her arms around my mate and dragged to her back to Malroch.
I clenched my jaw. She would be taken from me once more. And our last conversation had been fraught with so much frustration.
I never should have doubted her.
“Kal, wait!” Toryn shouted from behind me. “We need to approach in Mist Guard formation!”
But I ignored him and just kept running. We didn’t have Niamh or Alastair, and their absence was like an aching wound in our Mist Guard. We would be no better off in formation, not without them by our sides.
Tessa’s scream still echoed in my mind. She needed me now. We didn’t have time to waste.
Sounds of fighting rose before us. Beasts roared, then whimpered in pain. Rain sprayed into my eyes. It was almost impossible to see what was happening up ahead. Now and then, steel blades caught the glint of the lightning, but whoever was fighting was nothing more than a moving shadow.
“Tessa!” I shouted. My voice got snatched away by the wind.
This was no normal storm. It never rained like this in the Kingdom of Shadow. Fear gripped me. I kept running.
Aboomshook the world. The ground beneath me cracked, knocking me off my feet. My body slammed into the dirt. Roaring filled the air, and screams rose in answer. The world shook and rattled and quaked. I climbed to my knees, stunned from the sudden impact.
Several beasts ran past me, scattering in every direction. I barely paid them any attention.
Through the rain, I saw two figures. A girl, whose brown hair was plastered to her rain-soaked face, hunched over another. My heart fractured as the wind gusted, blowing the rain off course and providing me with a better view.
Blood painted the ground around her head. Her eyes stared up at the stars, unseeing. I stumbled forward, choking from the pain. This couldn’t be happening.
“Kalen!” Toryn ran up behind me and grabbed my shoulder. “What’s—oh.”
