“Naito,” Lena says, pulling her sword free from another remnant. “What are you doing?”
“It’s okay,” Naito says.
“What’s okay?” I ask, climbing back to my feet. If he’s not going to draw the shadows, I need to. Now. They’re going to fade away if I don’t.
I try to take back my sketchbook, but he holds on.
“McKenzie,” he says, keeping his voice low. “Kavok found a fae who can bring her back.”
“He found a…” A banek’tan, he called it. A fae who can bring Kelia back from the ether.
“He’s been helping me research. He traced the lineages. He found someone who can resurrect her, but he won’t give me the name unless they all make it out.”
“Finish the map.” Aren’s here now. He yanks back the sketchbook, shoves it into my hands.
“Don’t do it,” Naito says. His voice is low. It holds a warning I’d have to be deaf not to hear.
Could Kavok be telling the truth? Is this just desperation on Naito’s part? It’s clear he believes it. God, I want to believe it, too.
“McKenzie!” Aren snaps.
I stare back at the shadows. Shit, they’re almost gone. I drop to my knees again, start to draw a bend in a river, and then Naito loses it.
“I’ll kill you!” he snarls as he leaps at me. “I’ll fucking kill you if you read them!”
Naito’s almost on top of me when Lena steps between us. A slight wave of her hand, and a gust of wind changes his trajectory. He crashes to the ground just two paces in front of me. He’s blocking the middle of the fading shadows, but Tylan’s taken Paige to the same place Kavok took Lee. I’ve seen enough of both to finish the sketch.
“Please!” Naito screams. The desperation in his voice rips at my heart. I know how much he loves Kelia. He’ll do anything to bring her back. I’d do almost anything to help him.
I watch as the last wisp of shadow disappears. It’s been too long since Kavok fissured out. Aren won’t be able to capture him; he’ll have to kill him. What if a fae really can do what Kavok claims?
I want to let them escape. I want a fae to bring back Kelia. I want her and Naito to have their happy ending.
But I can’t put that before everything else.
“Coen.” The city’s name is just a whisper, but it’s loud enough for Aren and the nearby rebels to hear. They fissure out, going to the west coast of Australia.
“No!” Naito yells.
Lena places her hands on his shoulders, shakes him. “Look at me, Naito. Look at me! No one can bring fae back from the ether. Those books you read? Everyone knows about them. They’re fables. They’re fairy tales, Naito. Kelia is dead, just like Sethan is. Kavok tricked you.”
“No.”
“She’s not coming back, Naito. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
“No.” This time, the word cracks into a sob. I’ve never seen Lena do anything remotely tender, but she pulls Naito into her arms, holding him as he cries.
TWENTY-ONE
THE HAIL STORM dispersed as soon as Kavok fissured out. A bright sun lights up the sky now, but it does little to warm the air. I’m waiting with Trev for Aren at the silver wall. Naito’s here, too, staring at the ground. He hasn’t said much since Paige and the others escaped, just that Kavok approached him this morning, offering the name of a banek’tan in exchange for help breaking Tylan out of prison. Tylan wouldn’t leave without Paige, though, and the remnants need Lee if they want to get the Sight serum.
I still can’t quite believe Paige is siding with the remnants. I knew everything wasn’t perfect. She wasn’t telling me the whole and complete truth, but I never thought she’d run off like this. I thought I’d have more time to ask her about the remnants and to tell her about the rebels. I mean, I should have had more time. I’ve been shadow-reading for the fae for ten years. She’s known they’ve existed for, what? Maybe ten days? And she’s just going to choose her allegiance without consulting me?
I can’t help but be angry.
And I can’t help but feel like a fool for letting Tylan steal her away. Never mind that it’s not plausible for me to recognize every single fae who supports Lena, but I should have been suspicious. I should have picked up a clue when Paige interrupted Lee, telling him he could stay the night with her. It’s not like Paige to forgive a guy without making him grovel a little.
I sag against the wall next to Trev. The betrayals hurt, Paige’s and Kavok’s both. I keep trying to make excuses for them. Maybe Paige was under the influence of some magic I’ve never heard of. Maybe the remnants found some way to blackmail Kavok.
“Maybe I’m just the world’s biggest idiot,” I mutter.
Beside me, Trev snorts. I throw a glare his way, a glare that doesn’t faze him one bit. He’s leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his jaedric-armored chest. His sword is loose in its scabbard, not clicked more securely into place, and no less than three knives are within easy reach in their pockets in his belt. He might agree with my statement, but he’s here to keep me safe. He’ll be coming with us to Boulder, too. We’re leaving for Nakano’s compound sooner than we planned in hopes of beating the remnants there.
I tighten my grip on the strap of my sketchbook. If the remnants do make it to Boulder before us, there’s a chance I might need to map their shadows. There’s a chance Paige and Lee might be with them. There’s a chance the rebels might have to kill them.
We haven’t talked about that, Aren and I, but I know it’s a possibility. This is a war. The remnants are our enemies, and it doesn’t matter that I don’t understand her decision—Paige has chosen her side. There are consequences to that. There are consequences to everything.
A lump forms in my throat. I swallow it down as Aren approaches. Nalst and the illusionist, Brenth, are with him. If we need reinforcements, one of them will fissure back for help. We don’t want to leave Corrist vulnerable while we’re gone. With Shane still missing and Naito and me going to Boulder, Lena’s already short three humans, and even if everything goes perfectly at Nakano’s compound, it will take Naito and me a while to get back to the Realm. Boulder doesn’t have a gate, so we’re going to rent a car—rent, I insisted, not steal—and drive to a small town called Wiggins. The nearest gate is on a reservoir near there.
“Are you sure you’re okay to do this?” Aren asks, stopping in front of me. Whether he’s asking if I’m willing to be involved in the death of my friend or if I’m physically okay and ready to go to Boulder, I don’t know, but the answer is the same either way. I’m going to do what I have to do to help Lena secure the throne.
“I’m ready,” I tell him.
“You don’t have to go,” he says. “Naito will help us get the serum and the documents.”
I focus on Naito, who’s still staring at the ground with his hands shoved into his pockets a few paces away. Neither of us knows how dependable he will be in Boulder. When Lena ordered him to go with us, he didn’t respond at all; he just showed up when Trev and I left the palace.
“I’m going,” I tell Aren. “And I’m sorry about earlier. I’m sorry I hesitated. I wanted…”
“I know,” he interrupts. “I want Naito to be happy, too.”
Aren wasn’t able to capture or kill Tylan and Kavok because I hesitated. The fae double-fissured with Paige and Lee. It didn’t surprise me to learn that. I was pretty sure the maps led to the gate in Coen. When fae are running from a shadow-reader, they try not to go to their final destination. Most fae have to wait a few minutes to recover from their first fissure, but some of them have conditioned themselves to be able to fissure quickly two or three times in a row. That’s what Aren did when he abducted me from my campus. He didn’t wait more than a few seconds before pulling me into another gated-fissure. Even Kyol can’t pop in and out of worlds that quickly.