And something inside me breaks.
Crud. This is so not good.
“Will you come?”
My stomach churns, whether from the slightly rocking ship or the feelings of betraying Joshua, I can’t tell. Yes, I’ll come.
He crosses to the window beside me, grins into his reflection. “Good. We sail for the Fourth at dawn.”
If I stay, one thing has to be clear.
He turns his regard on me. Folds his arms.
If I come, you will keep your distance. No trying to sway my decision or cloud my judgment. This is about the Reflections. The Callings. No more hand holding. No more brooding looks. I lower my gaze to his lips and snap my eyes shut. And definitely no kissing.
Ky laughs. He actually laughs. “Oh, there will be kissing. But it’s not I who will be kissing you.”
Eyes open. Brows pucker.
“You’re going to kiss me, Ember. And when you do, it’s going to be because you’ve finally admitted to yourself you’re in love with me. Not because a Kiss of Infinity tells you to. Not because the Void split and half of it entered me. Because even without those things, in the end, it will still be me.”
A little sure of yourself, aren’t you? I can’t help but crack a smile, enjoy this easy banter between us. I’ve missed this. Missed him.
“Haven’t you learned by now?” He elbows me. “I am always right.”
Hardly. I roll my eyes. I’m getting used to him hearing my silent dialogue. I almost like it.
He winks. “We’ll see, Em. We’ll see.”
TWENTY-SEVEN
Joshua
Move.” I sit atop my steed Champion, reins clenched in one hand and my sword’s hilt fisted in the other. I press my blade’s tip into Gage’s back, nudging him forward. It’s been this way an entire day, and I’ve had about enough of his dithering.
But Gage continues through the brush with the same apathetic pace as usual. It’s a wonder he can even walk. The Physic on staff at the castle did what he could, but Gage’s wound was infected, and without the healing touch of a Physic, or my Ever blood, Gage should not have survived.
Suspicion escalates. Perhaps this Fairy Queen Isabeau spoke of does exist. And if so, has she granted Gage a wish? Enhanced healing of some sort?
He jerks against the rope binding his wrists. “Perhaps if you didn’t insist on treating me like a slave, I’d be able to take you to our destination in a timelier manner.”
I poke his back again. Champion whinnies. “I seem to remember you doing the same thing to Eliyana during our journey to Wichgreen Village.”
He glances back at me and leers. “And I seem to remember you supporting that decision. In fact, wasn’t it Kyaphus who stood against it?” One eyebrow arcs.
I grunt under my breath. My hands clench the reins and hilt tighter.
Gage’s upper lip curls. “Thought so,” he says before facing forward again.
Shame falls over me like an axed tree as I shift in the saddle. I’ve made mistakes, yes. Too many to count. Too many to make up for, if I’m being honest. But I’m right for her. She needs me. Kyaphus may have won the battle for her heart.
But the war’s victory belongs to me.
“Here we are.” Gage stops.
I sheathe my sword and dismount. Then I slap Champion’s rear, and he trots off in search of water and sustenance. No need to tether him to a tree. He always returns when I need him.
Taking my spot beside Gage, I place a firm hand on his shoulder to assure him a sleeping weapon does not mean I’m going soft. Pireem Mountain stands before us, five times the height of New York’s Empire State Building. Maples a brownstone deep create a ring around the mountain’s base. High above, jagged rocks and narrow paths reside, but legend says a treasure awaits at the top for any man brave enough to venture there.
I’ve not met any such man. I do know this is the only place in all the Second where the Oden Lily grows—a rare red flower and the key ingredient in the painkiller Illusoden. What other secrets might Pireem hold?
I widen my stance, digging my boots into the sandy earth. “This is where Isabeau’s been hiding? The Guardians searched here. They uncovered nothing.”
“Because they didn’t investigate enough.” With a slanting glance he adds, “Perhaps you need a new Commander. Your men are slacking.” Bitterness coats his words, and I have to wonder if he misses being a Guardian. He was one of the best. A shame his talent went to waste.
“Where to then?”
“The Mines.”
Maple Mine entrances are stationed every fifty feet or so around the mountain’s perimeter. Thorny brambles block the way to the nearest one, forcing me to hack at them with my sword. Every swoosh and slice dulls the blade, and I make note to sharpen it at the earliest opportunity. When the path to the entrance is wide enough, I gesture for Gage to go ahead.
Silence settles the deeper we journey. The tunnel slopes downward, but even so the air is breathable due to the shafts above. Once we’re well within the mine, the outside light a pin in the distance behind us, my eyes begin to adjust. On either side of us the ends of tree trunks and roots border the walls. The Mine Fairies are busy at work, extracting maple syrup from each tree. The illumination provided by their fluttering wings leaves no need to draw a flashlight.
As Gage continues on, I remain aware of our surroundings and the directions we take. Right, left, left, left, right. The Mines are set up as a grid, not too far removed from the subway system of New York. It makes things easier, at least. A grid, I can navigate. Lines and squares, corners and angles. It’s El I’m having trouble with these days. She’s unpredictable, a scribbled mess with no starting point and no end.
Hour by hour the gap between us widens, and not just physically. It’s as if the longer we’re apart, the greater the distance grows. Is she with my brother now? What will he say? The more time they spend together, the more I become the bad guy in all of this. But in the end it changes nothing. According to Rafaj, one sip of the Unbinding Elixir will reverse everything.
Let’s hope he’s not wrong.
It wasn’t too long ago we traveled through the southernmost mines on our return to Haven Island. I suppose I should’ve noticed the warning signs then. If anyone is to blame for the closeness El and Kyaphus share, it’s me. I pushed him on her, insisted he take on the role as her Guardian. I never dreamed they’d fall for one another. Then again, she hasn’t truly fallen for him. Her heart is confused. Misled.
I must make this right.
We take another right.
Gage freezes. I halt beside him, fingers twiddling over my weapon’s hilt. “A dead end?” Frustration brews. “I thought you knew your way.”
“Tell me, are your men so dimwitted they wouldn’t think to check for façades?” He snorts and then walks forward, through the mine wall, disappearing from view.
I scratch the back of my head. Exhale. Of course they checked, but they have a full Reflection to cover. The Guardians are running on little sleep, working in harsh weather with only the rations on their backs to sustain them when they’re in the wilderness. Perhaps I need to have a word with Makai about thoroughness. The Amulet Calling remains in full force, it seems. We need to make every effort to do our best as we move forward, and that includes better reconnaissance.