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She blinked, looking up at Pyetar. “He’s summoning me again.”

“Thelbiz?”

She placed her hand over the mark, just above her heart, feeling how the magic tugged there. “Yes, and he’s close.”

Chapter Thirty-One

“I won’t be long,” Iryana promised Hadima, her gaze lingering on her sister as they stood in the entry hall. She wished she had time to escort Hadima home before answering Thelbiz’s call, but she could feel the urgency.

“I’ll be fine,” Hadima assured her, waiting next to Vaneshta. “Are you sure it’s safe for just you and Pyetar?”

Iryana smiled at her sister. “I think Thelbiz is close.”

Hadima didn’t seem wholly convinced, though.

“Look out for my sister,” Iryana told Vaneshta, who flashed her a huge grin that made Iryana worry she’d regret leaving Hadima in her care for other reasons.

“Let’s go,” Pyetar said, resting his gloved hand on her shoulder.

She nodded, following him out of the estate, sparing a glance behind her. It was strange seeing her sister and her closest friend standing side by side.

“Do you drink?” Vaneshta asked Hadima as Iryana walked away.

“Not usually,” Hadima answered, voice unsure. “I’m water-forged, it’s harder to get drunk.”

Vaneshta laughed. “Challenge accepted!”

“We might regret this,” Pyetar said to Iryana as they headed toward the fortress’s gate.

“We should have sent her to Vabihn’s.”

“I doubt that would be much better.”

It was strange. They didn’t run into a single dakya while they hiked through the snow. It made Iryana wonder if Thelbiz had managed to keep them away from their path. If he was that desperate to talk to her.

The whole time they trudged through the snow and bitter wind, Iryana tried to calm the dread and hope that battled inside her.

Only two hours outside of the fort, Iryana felt the magic bond pulling tighter until it abruptly grew slack. A few paces away she made out the entrance to another cave, just as unnaturally carved as the last.

“That’s where we’re going,” Iryana said, pointing to it.

As they stepped inside, the wind died completely. The air was warm, and the stone floor devoid of any snow or debris. The cave twisted before them, a golden light emanating from around the bend.

“They’re here,” she heard a soft, breathy voice say from deep in the cave.

Goosebumps ran up her arms. She exchanged a glance with Pyetar and then leaned against the wall, suddenly nervous, to unstrap her snowshoes. She piled them lightly to the side beside Pyetar’s, pulling off her two coats, hat, gloves, and scarf so she wouldn’t overheat in the warm air.

They stepped slowly, cautiously, farther into the cave. The light and warmth grew brighter, as did the soft hum of magic. When they turned the corner, their steps faltered, taking in the sight.

Four figures sat in a circle around a fire that danced over the stone without wood or kindling as fuel. Their feet were tucked beneath them, their hands held out at their sides as tendrils of magic connected them to the ground. It was like the wisps of magic that came up from the wells, but brighter. Stronger. Their eyes were all shut, but furrowed brows and tense lines around their eyes betrayed their concentration.

Iryana looked between the four figures. The four gods.

Thelbiz looked the same as he usually did, though it was strange to see such intense focus on his face, which was usually so mild.

The moment her eyes landed on Mhakiza, every feeling in her body surged. Her fear, her hope, her impatience. It was so overwhelming that she tore her gaze away. Out of the side of her eye, she could tell the goddess was beautiful. Darker in coloring that Teshya, with dark, silky hair that curled all the way down to her waist. Her dress was beautiful too, a blue as dark as the night sky that slipped over her body like fine silk and was covered in small glass beads that reflected the fire’s light.

Limhiz was huge compared to Mhakiza’s slight form, muscles bulging beneath the simple clothing he wore. If it wasn’t for his size, Iryana would have struggled to tell him apart from any farmer working their fields with his sun-kissed skin. He had strong features, a thick, short beard, and shoulder-length brown hair tied at the nape of his neck.