“How am I supposed to lead you to your king?” This is so much more than I bargained for. All I want is to rescue Mom and get as far away from this place as possible. Is that what she wanted? Is it why she took me? Hid me away?
I can’t blame her for never sharing any of this. I wouldn’t have believed her. I would’ve thought it was her well-meaning way of making me feel like my birthmark was a blessing, not a curse. That my deformity served a purpose. Which is crazy. Look where this thing has gotten me.
Joshua is dead. Mom is in danger.
I’m dynamite. I should’ve stayed home. Holed up. Nonexistent. Invisible. I’m a danger to anyone who gets close.
At some point I’m going to explode.
Bang!
Robyn and I jump.
Wade bends, snatches a pot from the floor. “Apologies. Carry on.”
“As I said, bound souls always find one another.” She offers a knowing look. In this moment her eyes hold the wisdom of a woman well beyond her teenage years. Taking my still-full bowl, she retreats, her footsteps cat quiet. I feel the absence of her calming presence instantly.
I relax into the hammock, close my eyes, even if for just a moment. Bound souls find one another? How? When? If I’m attached to King Aidan, wouldn’t I feel . . . something? Anything? A nudge. A pull. A voice in a dream?
Instead I feel nothing.
“It’s time.”
I open my eyes. Funny how you never realize how tired you are until you need to sleep and can’t. A dim lantern burns on the windowsill, twilight in full swing beyond the glass. Robyn and Wade stand by the door along with a figure who is unmistakably Gage.
“We’ve done all we can,” Wade whispers. “It’s up to you now.”
“The team is ready.” Gage doesn’t bother hushing his response. “Five in all, including the girl. The smaller our caravan, the better our chance at success.”
Pain-free, I sit, the Illusoden still working wonders.
Robyn joins me, my boots and a jacket identical to Wren’s in hand. “These are pretty dry now, thanks to the fire.” She sets the boots on the floor beneath my dangling feet. “This is my sister’s. She won’t miss it.” With a wink she helps me shrug into the sleeves.
“Thanks.” I slip on Mom’s Uggs.
We walk out together, and Robyn gives me a small hug. Her touch is a sunbeam in the night. “Be careful. You may feel better now, but you aren’t healed. Don’t make any big movements to speed up the internal bleeding and absolutely no running.” She hands me a tiny vial tied to a loop of string. “More Illusoden. It’s all we have left. Don’t take it unless you absolutely must.”
I nod, sliding the string over my head like a necklace and tucking the vial beneath my shirt.
“These too.” She hands me a bulgy satchel and a canteen. “Promise you’ll eat a little something every hour. I will petition the Verity for a safe journey.” Her hand palms her heart. “With any providence, you’ll find Nathaniel and he’ll heal you. I can’t imagine he would refuse when he sees you are his granddaughter and the greatest hope for our people.”
An internal groan. No pressure or anything. “Okay.” I descend the porch steps and inhale, but compost and smoke taint the air, making the breath less satisfying. Three men stand several yards away dressed in clothing similar to Wren’s. They all have a satchel or pack of some sort. The short, pudgy one carries a bow and quiver of arrows like Makai. I join them, then look back at the cabin. One last glimpse of the Physic and his kind daughter wedges a lump in my throat. I might never see them again.
Answering my heart’s cry, Robyn waves. “We’ll see you soon.”
How can she be so optimistic?
Gage shakes Wade’s hand. “We’re traveling by land and sea. Not as fast, but safer. I don’t dare risk having her moved by air again. If I thought we had time, I’d retrieve the Physic and bring him back to heal her. Taking her with us is our best option for a positive outcome on all counts.”
Moonlight washes the forest floor, exposing Wade’s worried frown. “She informed me she’ll be eighteen in three weeks. That gives us a very small window—”
Our leader nods. “It’ll be fine. Three weeks is plenty of time.”
When Gage reaches me, I touch his arm. Swallow. “Gage? About my mom . . .”
“Wade filled me in. I’ll do my best to form a rescue mission once you’re well and safely returned to our hideout. I won’t make any promises, but I will try.”
I bite back my argument. She needs rescue sooner, not later. But what can I do? I’m bleeding internally. Gage’s answer has to be good enough. For now.
Then we’re leaving. Gage takes the lead and two others follow, one stout, the second massive. The last man, petite and boyish, falls in step behind me. This is a sandwich, and I’m the butcher’s special.
I squint toward Wade and Robyn, standing huddled on the porch, watching us. My heart cinches. I was wrong. Because I do feel something. I gaze without seeing the back in front of me, dwelling on Robyn’s gentle voice and Wade’s warm smile.
For the first time today I wonder if maybe Mom’s not the only person who needs saving.
TWELVE
Hearts Leap
Crunch, crunch, crunch. My entourage’s monotonous march drones on. Like listening to Joshua eat Oreos.
I miss him so much. Has it only been half a day since he held me in the subway? Feels like decades. If I hadn’t taken an involuntary bath in the Threshold, his scent might linger in my T-shirt. I lift my collar and sniff. Nothing but dirt and mildew. Not a trace of him remains.
“Everything I’ve done is because . . .”
Because you what, Joshua? Because you wanted to see King Aidan returned to the throne? Because you were doing your duty? What were you going to say?
I’ll never know. I want to curl up in a ball and mourn him properly. I want to go back and kiss him before I was yanked away. I want to tell him I love him. I want him to say it too.
I want what I can’t have. More time.
It’s odd. My brain’s aware my life is draining, but aside from a broken heart, my body feels fine. Better than fine, really. I feel eight-hours-of-sleep, don’t-even-need-coffee good. What’s in that Illusoden stuff anyway?
I finger the vial hanging from my neck.
“Don’t take it unless you absolutely must.”
The way I feel now, I doubt I’ll need to.
The only person here I sort of know is Gage. No one else has bothered introducing themselves. We’re well past the populated area. Storefronts and cottages with lantern-lit windows no longer dot the path. No tromes either. Just boring, Third Reflection–type trees. Still, there are oddities I’d never see at home. Spanish moss dangling in copious swags from evergreens. Vibrant wild roses, alive and thriving even in late autumn, carpeting fallen logs. Shallow streams bustling with glowing purple fish, creating bright runways for birds of prey. Mysterious. Beautiful. Clearly an area not taken by the Void.
Yet.
When we finally halt, I almost run into the very tall and wide Samoan-looking dude in front of me. Thankfully, I stop inches before my face meets brawny muscle. I make room. Lean to the side. Peer down the line. A cluster of boulders rises ahead. A cave yawns at their center. No, not a cave. A tomb. Two statuesque guards stand on either side of its mouth.