The warmth of Seraiah’s skin lingered on Kai’s fingers as he returned to his room. In the flickering light of a single candle, he could make out a smear of blood from the cut on her throat.
Something had come over him when he’d seen the blade bite into her, her eyes wide with fear and something else. He hadn’t intended on using his magic against her attacker with how unstable it had been of late, but seeing her hurt had changed his mind.
He was lucky he hadn’t lost control and caused her further harm.
Perhaps he should have let Kestrel go after the intruder, or gone after them himself, but the only thing he’d cared about in that moment—cared about now—was Seraiah’s safety.
Kai washed his hands at the basin and gathered his things. He and Kestrel had been going over what he’d learned when he’d heard sounds coming from the room next door. Kestrel hadn’t seemed worried, but he was glad he hadn’t ignored it or their seer would have fallen into the wrong hands.
He had no doubt the mages were behind the attack tonight. There had been rumors of them spotted in the city, but no mention of Sterling. If she’d ever been brought to Baromund, she wasn’t here now.
Kai shouldered his bag and looked around the room one last time. He could hear Kestrel and Seraiah moving around next door. He’d give them a little extra time while he collected their horses. At this hour, the stable boy was likely dead asleep, so he’d have to saddle them himself.
Downstairs, the fire in the main hearth was nothing but coals and all was silent. If the innkeeper had heard the commotion, he hadn’t bothered to check on it. Even though Kai had paid for his silence, he suspected the mages might have paid more to stay out of their business.
In the stable, Kai quickly saddled his horse and then moved on to Kestrel’s. The faster they got out of here, the better. Now that the mages had discovered Seraiah, Kai knew they’d continue to chase them. Continuing the search for Sterling would not be an option as long as Seraiah was with them.
There was only one place he could take her where she might be safe from their reach.
Home.
Kai dreaded what might await him there.
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“You should clean that,” Kestrel said as soon as Kai left.
Seraiah was still standing in the center of the room with a hand pressed to her neck—the same place where Kai’s fingers had touched. At Kestrel’s words, she sprang into action, grabbing a towel from the washbasin and wetting it before using it to dab at the cut. It barely stung anymore.
Kestrel picked up Sterling’s book from where it was splayed open on the floor and shoved it into Seraiah’s satchel. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have left you alone. If I were here, he never would have been able to grab you.”
“I thought he was you at first,” Seraiah said, watching her move around the space.
Kestrel shook her head. “You were asleep when Kai came back, and I didn’t want to wake you, so we went to his room to speak about what he found. I assumed you would be fine.”
“It’s not your fault,” Seraiah said, glancing down at the towel. It was tinged pink now. “Did Kai hear anything about Sterling?”
“Unfortunately, no. He only heard rumors about the mages, who it seems have now heard about you.”
“Is that who . . .” she trailed off, gesturing to the window that was still open to the night.
“Afraid so,” Kestrel said, “so get dressed because now we have to run.”
Seraiah set down the towel and hurriedly put on the new clothes and boots Kestrel had gotten for her. When she was done, Kestrel led them downstairs, where Kai waited for them with the horses.
While Kestrel got their packs situated, Kai helped her onto his horse. Then they were off, heading back down the same streets they’d arrived on less than twelve hours ago.
“Where are we going now? Do you have another idea where they might have taken Sterling?”
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“We aren’t looking for Sterling anymore,” Kai said.
“What? But why?”
“Because now that you have been discovered, you aren’t safe anymore.”
“You can’t abandon the search. Sterling is your queen. You need her.”
She needed her. The whole reason she’d left Ratha with them was so they could help find her sister. If they were no longer going to search for her, then maybe it was time for them to part ways.
Seraiah didn’t like the thought of being alone. Not after tonight.
“I don’t think you quite understand the danger you are in.”
“I understand perfectly,” she said, “but I’m not the one you should be protecting.”
Kai remained silent. She could feel the tension in his body beneath her hands.
“Please. You said you would help me find her.”
“And I will, but right now, your safety comes first.”
It felt like she was arguing with a wall and getting nowhere. She should tell him she wouldn’t go any further with him if they weren’t going to look for Sterling, but she couldn’t make the words come out. Instead, she said, “Then at least tell me where we are going.”
“I’m taking you home.”
“To Ratha?” A part of her loved the idea of returning to her own familiar space in the world, but another part dreaded the return to snow. She’d be right back where she started—no, further from where she had started, because Sterling was long gone, and she’d have no hope of catching up again, especially not alone.
“No,” Kai said softly. “Not your home. Mine. I’m taking you to the one place the mages won’t be able to reach you. We’re going to Nyrene.”
Seraiah sat back.
Nyrene. It was a name she only knew from faery tales. He was taking her to the capital of the Elven kingdom.
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Once they were out of Baromund, they pushed the horses into a flat-out run, only slowing when they tired. The sky remained dark except for the moon.
“Did you see anyone following us?” Kai asked.
“No, no one,” Kestrel answered.
“I’m sure it won’t be long before they send someone after us. We’ll give the horses a break for a few hours and get some sleep. Then we need to be moving again.”
At the mention of sleep, Seraiah realized she was exhausted and yet she was the only one who had gotten any rest that night.
They tended to the horses and set up a small camp. Even though Seraiah tried to volunteer to keep watch, Kestrel wouldn’t hear of it.
“You look dead on your feet,” she said, “and it’s not as though I’ve never spent long periods of time awake before. I’ll be fine taking first watch. You can have my bedroll.”
Too tired to protest any further, Seraiah laid out the bedroll while Kai placed his right next to it. She would have made a comment about it, but she didn’t have the energy. Instead, she curled up and went promptly to sleep.
And for the first time since learning she was a seer, she dreamed.
This dream felt different from the others, but still familiar.
Seraiah found herself standing in a dark room. The air smelled damp and musty, like it was underground. She brushed her fingers against the wall. Stone. Same as the floor under her feet. Looking around, she noticed someone huddled in a shadowed corner. The soft sound of crying reached her ears.
Curious, Seraiah moved closer to the figure to investigate, but she had a feeling she already knew who it would be.
Sterling.
Her wrists and ankles were encircled with metal manacles, and her wool dress—nearly identical to Seraiah’s own—was torn and dirty. When Sterling lifted her head from where it rested on her knees, Seraiah gasped.
Sterling’s nose was swollen and looked as if it had been broken. A bruise bloomed across her right cheek. Her silver hair fell forward, covering the left side of her face, and Seraiah could see something dark matted in it.
She crouched in front of her sister and reached for Sterling’s hand. Normally, in her dreams, she couldn’t touch anything. Her hand would pass right through. She expected this time to be no different.
Then her fingers grazed the back of Sterling’s hand. Her skin was cold to the touch.
Sterling pulled her hand away, and her head jerked up. For a second, Seraiah thought Sterling had felt her touch, but then she heard the door swing open behind her. She stayed crouched in front of her sister, waiting.
“Hurry up and get the girl,” a voice instructed. It sounded like a man, but his accent was unfamiliar to her. “We can’t keep them waiting.” A figure entered the room, but the voice continued speaking from somewhere outside the doorway. “Bring her to the meeting room.”
A figure approached them, while sharp footsteps retreated down the hall, echoing through the open doorway. Sterling curled in on herself as the figure got closer.
“Come on, girl. Time to meet your new family.” This man had the same unfamiliar accent the other voice had. He grabbed the chain attached to the manacles around Sterling’s wrists, his hand passing right through Seraiah as if she weren’t there, and yanked, forcing Sterling to stand.
Seraiah stood as well as he pulled Sterling toward the door. Her sister had no choice but to follow or be dragged. Staring at the floor, Sterling followed behind the man, not even putting up a fight. She looked so sad and broken.
“Sterling,” Seraiah called her name, even knowing her sister wouldn’t be able to hear her. She never did.
Then the second strange thing happened.
Sterling lifted her head slightly, as if she’d heard Seraiah call out.
“Sterling.”
This time, Sterling’s head came all the way up, and she turned to look over her shoulder at Seraiah, just as the man pulled the door shut between them.
Seraiah ran to the door but found it only opened from the outside. Pounding her fist on the rough wood, she screamed Sterling's name over and over. There was no doubt in her mind that Sterling had heard her the second time. She had to get to her sister. She had to stop them from taking her sister to whoever they were meeting.
“Seraiah. Seraiah, wake up.”
Someone gave her a hard shake, and her eyes popped open as the dream released her, and she returned to the world.
She found herself looking up into Kai’s concerned gray eyes. “You were having a nightmare, and you were screaming.”
“No,” she whispered, her throat raw. “I was having a vision. I saw where they were holding Sterling.”