Still gently holding onto Mother, I guided her towards the exit. The clinking sound of thealychitecuff still around her ankle echoed throughout the space, but I did my best to block it out. I wanted to trust Mother, but Father’s voice haunted me from the corners of my mind, causing me to still be a tad hesitant. With thealychitestill touching her skin, at least I knew I could get her back to Hollis with little to no disruptions.
When Mother caught a glance of Val in the dim lighting, she said softly, “Thank you.”
Though theyhadn’tofficially met,I’dfilled Mother in on who Val was, howwe’dmet, and her newfound position as my Right Hand. With that fresh in her mind, Motherdidn’tneed an introduction to know who the female before her was.
Nor did Val need one to know exactly who I was helping to hold up.
Val dipped her head in response, though Iwasn’tsure Mother could make out the movement with solittle light. As we came to stand beside Val, she slipped out of the tower to ensure we could get out of there without causing a commotion.
I didn’t want to be present when the guards realized their mostdangerousprisoner had gone missing.
Besides, I’d left a note.
Good enough,I thought.
It wasn’t as though I owed those fae anything, anyhow.
“Did everything go as planned?” I directed my question towards Val.
“Yes.”She nodded. “The griffins were easy enough to slip out of the stables, and we should have another few moments before the next set of guards shows up. After that, nobody should enter the tower until after the sun rises. By that time,we’llbe well on our way back to Hollis.”
“Perfect.” I kept one arm around my mother as I guided all three of us out of the tower for thefirst, and last, time.
Outside in the brisk mountain air, Mother and I stuck to the shadows as we made our way over to Ziana. Looking back briefly, I noted that Val was diligently on task as she secured the door to thetowerso it looked as thoughwe’dnever been there.
A few feet from my griffin, though, Motherpaused,her feet no longer helping to carry her forward. Just as I was about to express how important it was that wekeepmoving, I saw the look on her face, which was pointed up towards the sky.
“Mother?”
“Iwished tothe Stars every day to see them again,” she said, her voice shaking. “I guess they heard me after all.”
I swallowed thickly at her words, pushing down the emotionsI’dbeen avoiding since the last timeI’dseen my twin.
Clearing my throat after a moment, I murmured a soft,“Let’s go,”and continued walking Mother toward Ziana.
By the timeI’dgotten her settled onto the back of Ziana’s saddle, Val was heading our way.
“We’re all set to head out,” she said as she approached.
“Good.Let’sget flying, then.There’snothing left for us here, anyway.” I turned to face Ziana, but when Ididn’thear Val moving to mount Dax, I turned back towards her.
I was correct—shehadn’tmoved. She was looking back over her shoulder, in the direction of the tower and the cabins beyond it. Her expression appeared sullen, though Icouldn’tbe sure why.
“Valenia,” I hissed suddenly, causing her to jump as whatever tranceshe’dbeen trapped in was broken by the sound of my voice.
“My apologies,” she responded quickly, shaking her head slightly as though the movement would help her refocus on the task at hand.
With that, she made her way over to the griffinshe’dborrowed from my castle stables back home and hopped up into the saddle.
As I did the same, Mother looped her arms around my middle andheld onfirmly despite her thin stature. Her face was still tiltedtoward the sky, and a small part of me was a bit excited that we were about to be airborne, so she could be that much closer to the Stars she seemed to adore so much.
“Hold on tight,” I advised Mother, then dug my heel into Ziana’s flank, causing her to leap into the air and soar upward.
I knew the journey would take longer than it usually did, as I assumed Mother would need more frequent stops than I was accustomed to. But the resounding awe in herwatering eyes each time I looked over my shoulderseemed to makeit all worth it as I watched her rediscover the world that had missed her for over a decade.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
The only thing keeping me calm was the sound of the water gently lapping against the ship as we sailed the Sisrym Sea.
