Page 155 of Blood of the Stars

Aeliana slumped. “That would make him the happiest winex in all of Rhystahn.”

“You think he’ll be the same in his new life?” Gaeren asked.

Aeliana opened her mouth, but her words were drowned out by voices in the distance.

Gaeren’s hand tensed in hers. “Run,” he whispered before shoving her away.

“Who—?”

“Please—go!” He shoved again, and she tripped, catching herself on a mangrove root. Before she could get too far, Lukai’s arms were around her, pulling her into a crouch. The occupants of the camp disappeared in a shimmering wave as Jasperus’ face scrunched in concentration, and the voices became clearer as they called Gaeren’s name.

“I’m here,” Gaeren called, his voice miraculously dozens of feet away, beyond a cluster of mangrove trees. Still, it was too close. How long could Jasperus hold the illusion?

Aeliana squeezed her eyes shut, hoping it was just Riveran and Marnok.

But the voice that answered him was too soft and feminine.

“What are you doing out here, brother?”

CHAPTER 62

“I thought I told you to stop sifting through my future.” Gaeren let his lips curl up as he nudged his sister’s ribs. His heart pounded so hard that he felt certain Enla could sense it, even hear it. He itched to glance back through the trees to make sure Daisy couldn’t be seen, but that would only draw Enla’s attention more.

“Who were you talking to?” Enla’s voice held the same teasing lilt as Gaeren’s, her guards listening in on every word, but there was an edge of disappointment.

“Just Skunk.” He patted the horse’s flank, earning a whinny from the beast.

She sighed as if he were an impertinent child. “Why didn’t you go to Lenda?”

“You followed me out to the woods just to ask me that?”

“No. There were plenty of people willing to report you leaving the city to Lenda, who then reported it to me. As her future queen, I couldn’t stand by and ignore a report of possible treason.” Her words came out stilted, like she was saying what she had to instead of what she meant. “But since I’m here, I thought I’d ask why you couldn’t follow through on your sister’s one simple request.”

“So it’s treason to want to be by myself for a time? To want to get away from it all?” Gaeren raised his eyebrows, but Enla’s face remained rigid.

“It is if you’re found in the company of Recreants.”

Gaeren laughed, letting it ring through the forest with manufactured ease. “Do you see any Recreants? It’s just me and my horse.”

“Did you send them to the hidden pass?” Enla’s voice rose, startling Gaeren.

“What are you talking about?”

“You wouldn’t be stupid enough to take them on your boat. The only other way for them to reach Mayvus from here is through our family’s escape route.” Her mask cracked for a fraction of a second, her eyes widening in a challenge.

“Are you suggesting that I’m helping Recreants reach Mayvus?” He asked the question slowly, as if angered by her insinuation, but his mind raced with how he might rectify their situation. Now that he’d been caught by Enla, Starspeed was no longer an option. The secret pass through the mountains would be far slower than his boat, but it could still get them there before Summer Solstice.

“You came from Islara,” Enla said. “What else am I supposed to think?”

“Even if I were, it would take people almost a moon longer to reach Mayvus through our family’s tunnel than it would by boat.” He let the words hang in the air for the Recreants to hear. They could do the math—make the decision for themselves. Most likely it would put them at her doorstep within days of Summer Solstice. Hardly enough time to devise a plan to steal back Daisy’s blood.

But maybe they already had a plan.

“Are they under some sort of time constraint?” Enla’s tone turned curious.

“I’m thinking of my own impatience and laziness.” Gaeren’s hands shook, so he clenched them into fists. “Why would I want to trek five miles to the Phoenix’s Wing, then spend a day hunting for the tiny opening under the tip of the chipped feather just to spend an entire moon trekking the barren border between the desert and the coast? Especially when I could hop on Starspeed and let my crew take me there in half the time? I’d be crazy to help Recreants either way, but most especially across land.”

There. He’d given them clear directions if they were willing to use them. Even the guards glanced at each other in surprise. The whereabouts of the secret pass weren’t exactly public knowledge.

---