CHAPTER NINETEEN
The vision was as clear as day. I need your help. I’ll do anything.
—Hidden correspondence from Bayne to Khato. 5th of Summer, 071.3E.
Asliver of morning sun crested over the horizon like an orange rind as we approached Ayla. I peeled my cheek off Tiberius’s warm neck as he banked and blinked against the frigid air. I suppressed a shudder and leaned into Ti’s warmth. Gods, he had to be exhausted.
The peel of orange gradually cast a net of coral and gold along the powdery clouds that met us on our descent.
I’m going to miss this,Ti murmured.
My stomach dipped at his words and the impending separation we faced. I’d be leaving in a couple hours.
I’m going to miss you, too.
A blossom of warmth spread down the bond that echoed the unsaid words in Ti’s responding nicker. We dipped into the clouds, a warm fog enveloping us in the dim light of morning.
Maybe we could just follow the clouds, I murmured, closing my eyes and breathing in the sweet mist that floated up from the Juniper Sea.How long do you think we could stay hidden?
Ti’s head stretched out in front, and he heaved a breath, as if tasting the air.
We’d get bored. Saving the realm is a more exciting existence, don’t you think? I also won’t mind fucking with the queen.
I choked out a laugh, playfully landing a smack on his neck.I’m serious! You need to be careful. Stick close to Bayne.
Warmth bloomed in my chest in anticipation of telling Bayne what I saw. Ti snorted and tucked his wings, hovering midair for a moment, before he dove. My heart leaped from my chest, and I clung to his neck as his body went vertical and began a tight spiral.
Level out, asshole!
We broke through the clouds, and a blanket of green yawned open in front of us.
Great black wings flared to the side with a gust of wind as we soared over the canopy, barely clearing its uppermost branches.
In the distance, an emerald bay stretched, slowly morphing to turquoise as the morning sun finally ripped through the sheet of clouds. A dark ship stood out among the golden Lotrennian fleet.
Hope snuffed out the lurking dread that had arrived with the revelations of the last day. It would all be alright.
My heart hammeredas we crossed theEvecta’sshield, and the smell of sickly-sweet honeysuckle shoved into my nostrils.I swung off Ti’s back into a running dismount as his hooves thundered down the main deck.
Marian aimed for me as I hurtled toward the captain’s quarters. Without thinking, I probed at the thread tethering me to Bayne and was met with a solid wall. I bristled as I swung open the cabin door and stopped mid-stride.
In nothing but a thin night shift that left little to the imagination, Queen Antares stood in front of Bayne’s desk, bent over a map of Lotrennia. Bayne straightened as I entered, shock replacing a look of concern.
“What’s going on?” I asked, stepping up to the desk, becoming keenly aware of how thin the queen’s nightgown was.
A muscle in his jaw feathered, and I caught his eyes drifting to the thick scar on my neck before snapping back to my face.
“You were right, Lyv. A plague is spreading.”
My stomach pitched.
“I came here as soon as news reached my doors,” Queen Antares continued. “The Awakening is a sacred celebration of light and life, and nearly eighty elves ended up dead.”
“From a plague?” I asked, turning to Bayne.
“Not all of them bore signs of an illness, but most of them did. The fire pox, as you suggested. But there were unexplained injuries as well, similar to your findings on the remains of the Lady of Tomorrow,” Bayne answered.
“But what could cause that? Did a fight break out?” I shook my head as I turned to the queen, whose eyes narrowed in annoyance.
