Page 37 of Of Wind and Terror

“What in Gaia’s name is this?” I demand, spinning to face Mikage.

Only to discover he’s not alone anymore.

Draven gives me a pitying look and tsks his tongue. One of his hands rests on the pommel of his sword.

“I really wish you hadn’t seen this,” he murmurs.

Before I can formulate a response, he lifts his free hand and aims it at me, his fingers spread and his palm out. A burst of light hits me straight in the chest, and I fly backwards and careen off the wall.

And then, like a curtain drawn shut across my vision, darkness, mercifully, claims me.

14

KASSANDRA

Aleksander insists that we need to leave as soon as possible, and surprisingly, Blaze agrees with him. While the two of them converse in hushed, curt tones, Faye leads me into a small hut to pack rations for our journey.

“Are you sure you’re going to be okay with those two idiots?” she asks as she hands me a bag stockpiled with bread, fruit, vegetables, and dried meat.

“I’ll survive,” I assure her, my lips twitching with the urge to smile.

Despite the situation, a tiny thrill shoots through me at the thought of seeing Amorite. I’ve never given much thought to the country east of ours, but I’m excited to see it. How does it vary from the courts? Interwoven with my excitement is a growing sense of trepidation and despair. As much as I want to see the neighboring kingdoms, I can’t help but remember the reason for heading there in the first place.

My bicep tingles almost painfully, and I curl my hands into fists to keep from rubbing at it.

Faye bites down on her lower lip and fiddles with a strand of her short, almost silvery-blonde hair. She seems to be debating her next words carefully before she eventually blurts out, “I can come with you, if you want.”

My heart swells…and then begins to bleed anew when it presses against the prickly thorns encasing it.

I don’t know why or how I’ve come to trust Faye implicitly, but I know that she’s an ally—quite possibly the only one I have. It’s like my soul recognizes hers, as strange as that sounds. Not romantically, of course, but in a way that almost feels…sisterly.

It sounds insane even to me.

I turn to face her completely and place a hand on her shoulder, waiting until she blinks up at me. Only then do I release her and begin to sign. “You know you’re needed here. The Summer fae need you. I’ll be fine with Blaze and Aleksander.”

Her brows cinch together. “You trust them? Aleksander lied to you for days. And Blaze…”

She scowls, but I know what she wants to say.

Blaze is a lot of things, many of them unhinged, but I trust him. It’s a different type of trust than what I have with Faye. I’m not sure if I could describe it as irrevocable or absolute. There’s a lot that Blaze is keeping from me.

And yet…

Do I believe that he wants to help me get this mark off my arm? Yes.

Do I think he cares about me? I do.

My fear isn’t that he’ll sacrifice me or anything as ridiculous as that—it’s that he’ll sacrifice everyone else if it means saving my life.

But I don’t have a choice in the matter.

“Well, if you need my help, just let me know, and I can kick their asses.” Faye folds her arms over her chest, and I can’t help but smirk, imagining this five-foot nothing female fighting against the two huge males standing just outside.

“Good luck with that.” My smile broadens.

“You don’t think I can do it?” She arches one eyebrow arrogantly and pops out her hip. “I’ll have you know that my mate was one of the best soldiers in the Summer Court’s regiment. He taught me everything he knows.”

For a moment, grief flickers across her face before she masks it. I know from conversations with the tiny female that she lost her mate and child in the war with the Day and Night Courts. I can’t even imagine the pain she must feel, even now.

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