Seraiah studied her room in the early hour before dawn. She’d collected all of her belongings and stuffed them into her saddle bag—well, nearly all of her belongings.

The journal sat where she had left it; Ariya’s green hair ribbon discarded next to it on the table she used for a desk. She’d never finished reading the book that night. She’d been too shocked by the idea she would go mad if she kept using her visions and couldn’t help wondering again if perhaps she was mad already.

She ran her fingers lightly over the worn leather of the cover. Seraiah doubted there was anything else the journal could offer her in the few pages that were left. It was clear the writer’s mind had no longer been whole.

Still, she didn’t feel she should leave it behind. In case someone returns, Seraiah told herself. She didn’t want anyone else to know the secrets inside the book.

She tucked the green ribbon between its pages like a bookmark and added it to her saddle bag, burying it under her spare clothing. She didn’t want anyone returning to the city to find it, but she didn’t want her travel companions to read it either. It was only by sheer luck Kai hadn’t gotten far enough to discover the warning of madness, and she didn’t intend to give him another chance—at least not until she was ready.

She would tell them, she reassured herself, eventually.

With one last look around the room and a strange sense of having done all this before, Seraiah slung the bag over her shoulder and headed for the stairs.

Despite the early hour, Kai and Kestrel were already waiting for her in the front room. Kai still had a sleepy look about him, eyes half-lidded as he stared at the fire in the hearth, but Kestrel seemed wide awake as she leaned against the counter, playing with one of her many knives.

“Is there anything else that needs to be done?” Seraiah asked, surveying the room. More saddle bags were piled next to the door.

“Not that I can think of,” Kestrel said, flicking the knife in the air and catching it again. “Horses are saddled and waiting, and Kai took care of our food supplies last night. As soon as Sterling comes down, we should be ready to go. I can go see if she’s awake.”

“No,” Seraiah waved Kestrel off, “leave her be. I have one more thing I’d like to do before leaving Ratha. I should be back within the hour, if that’s all right.” She didn’t wait for a response as she crossed the room and added her bag to theirs. Then she reached for the door.

Someone else got to it first.

It seemed Kai had been more awake than he’d appeared.

“I’ll go with you,” he said, holding the door open for her. Unlike last night, it wasn’t a question.

“All right.” The bite of the icy air was quickly leeching the warmth from the room as she looked past Kai to meet Kestrel’s gaze, hoping she might volunteer to come along as well.

One corner of Kestrel’s mouth turned up in a smirk, and she wiggled her fingers in a wave before turning away.

Looked like it would be the two of them then. Right. That wasn’t a problem. The company would be nice. Seraiah squared her shoulders and ducked into the cold.

The ten-minute walk to the market was silent, except for their footsteps crunching over the snow. Kai kept pace at her side, but didn’t ask where they were going or why. Occasionally, he stepped close enough that the back of his hand brushed hers. She wore gloves, but he didn’t, and every little touch sent shivers up her arm. She wasn’t sure if he was doing it on purpose, but it almost succeeded in distracting her from her mission—almost.

She wanted to visit Papa’s stall to see if anything had been left behind. All the animals in the city were gone, so it wasn’t like she expected to find their mule, Daisy, still tied to the stall, but last night, she’d noticed the wagon Papa used to move his wares wasn’t at the house. It meant he’d likely disappeared with everyone else some time during the day, but she wanted to check the market to be sure.

The last time Seraiah had been to the market had been right after Sterling disappeared. She still vividly remembered the night Nissa had come knocking on their door and delivered the news. Freya had told her Sterling might have been taken by faeries. Seraiah snorted as she thought about it now. If only she could tell Freya it hadn’t been faeries at all—she’d met them herself—but humans working with an elf. The flabbergasted look on Freya’s face would be priceless.

This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

“Something you want to share?” Kai asked, one brow raised. His breath fogged in the air when he spoke.

Seraiah shook her head. “I was just thinking. Remembering what it was like before. That’s all.”

“Good memories?”

She bit her lip, unsure how to answer. The time after her sister had disappeared hadn’t exactly been the happiest, but remembering Freya’s suggestion of faeries being involved made her smile now.

“Are you sure you want to leave?” he asked.

Seraiah gave him a sideways glance, but Kai wasn’t looking at her anymore. “It’s necessary.”

“Even though you wanted to come here? To be home?”

He must have caught the touch of wistfulness in her voice, but he was mistaken. It wasn’t the place she’d yearned for, but the people.

She tried to explain. “I’m not sad about leaving. A home is nothing without its people, or rather my home is wherever the people I love are. If that makes sense.”

A smile softened his features. “It does.”

Seraiah was about to ask him if he felt the same way about Nyrene when, out of the corner of her eye, she caught the flutter of a colorful tarp rustling in the light breeze.

“We’re here.” She pulled away from Kai, forgetting all about her question.

Her heart in her throat, Seraiah stepped into the market.

In a few places, the snow had broken through the tarps and planks of wood that formed a roof over the stalls, but even beneath the layer of white, she saw that many of the stalls still held their wares.

She hurried down the aisle.

From where she had entered, there were only a few stalls between her and Papa’s.

First came Freya’s, which was empty like it had been in her vision. Something must have happened to the woman and her family some time before everyone vanished. Seraiah hoped it wasn’t the fever, but there was little else that might have stopped Freya from coming to the market.

Seraiah took a few more steps and then there it was. Larger furniture pieces took up the back of the stall while near the front . . .

She brushed away a layer of snow, revealing the wooden children’s toys. Everything from blocks and dolls to ring toss games. It was all here.

Papa would never have left it like this even if he had come down with the fever. No, seeing this here meant he must have vanished with the others. It meant he was still out there somewhere.

She checked the other tables, uncovering eating utensils, bowls, and plates. Another held vases and small decorative objects. It was all here.

As she looked around at the products of her father’s work, Seraiah considered taking a piece with her. Something small, like one of the children’s toys, wouldn’t take up much space in her saddle bag.

She plucked a figure of a horse from the collection of farm animals. It was small enough to fit in the palm of her hand. She closed her fingers around the smooth wood and slipped it into her pocket. This wasn’t for calling visions—she already had Papa’s carving knife for that—this was for her.

Wood creaked behind her, loud in the silence.

Seraiah jumped, hand dropping to her dagger as she turned toward the sound.

Kai held up his hands sheepishly. “Sorry. It’s only me.” He’d leaned against the front of Freya’s stall.

She’d nearly forgotten he’d come with her. “It’s all right,” she said. “We can go now.”

His brows rose. “You’re sure? You’re done already?”

She nodded. “I told you it wouldn’t take long. I got what I came for.” Seraiah smiled. “I’m ready to leave now.”

----------------------------------------

Kai didn’t quite understand what had happened in the abandoned market, but he wasn’t about to ruin the mood by asking. If Seraiah wanted him to know, she would have told him. All that mattered was that she had smiled.

A real smile.

He hadn’t seen one of those since before they’d arrived in Ratha, and he’d missed it.

When they returned to the inn, Kestrel and Sterling had the horses out front, and they were securing the last bag in place.

“Everything good?” Kestrel called.

“Great,” Seraiah chirped, going to help Sterling.

Kestrel raised an eyebrow at him, a silent question in her eyes.

He shook his head. No, he didn’t know why Seraiah was happy, and he’d had nothing to do with it.

Kestrel narrowed her eyes in a way that said he’d hear about it later. She was still after him to tell Seraiah how he felt. Kestrel insisted he shouldn’t make the same mistake she had, but there hadn’t been a right time. Before they reached the human capital, though, he would do it.

“So, who am I riding with today?” Sterling asked.

If either sister had noticed the silent exchange, they didn’t let on.

Kai had been hoping to pick up another horse, so they no longer had to share, but unfortunately, people hadn’t been the only thing missing from the cities they’d passed through.

“Take your pick,” he said. He knew she would choose the one least likely to try to make conversation, which meant she would be riding with—

“Kestrel,” Sterling said without hesitation.

“All right then. If everyone has everything, let’s get moving.” He swung easily into his saddle while the others did the same. He still wasn’t convinced going to the human capital was the best idea, but if Seraiah thought it was fine, then he wasn’t going to argue. It wasn’t as though his sense of judgment could be trusted, anyway. Seraiah wasn’t the one who’d lost an entire kingdom.

Kai let his horse take the lead and, without a backward glance, left the city of Ratha for the second time.

Maybe this time, it was for good.