Page 116 of Bound By Roses

‘Tell them the Lady of the Marked has returned to liberate them all.’

CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

QUINN

Idon’t think anyone got much sleep, though I suppose most wouldn’t have, regardless. For me, it was Imelda’s words playing in my mind on an endless loop. The voice of the aunt I never knew and the witch I know far too well.

He has returned.

She could only mean Void, and the dragons all but confirmed that when they returned to camp. The shadows are back around Lunae, engulfing it in swirling darkness, as black as a moonless night. I haven’t yet decided how I feel about that. Even with the many hours spent thinking it through when I should have been sleeping and then again as we made the last leg of this journey, it still troubles me.

Void is back in Lunae, and that means he’s not on his way to Marein. We know where he is, and that knowledge is valuable. That said, I’m not foolish enough to believe that his shadows aren’t defensive. I first considered that the night Abby told me she could feel through her vines so long as she maintained her connection to them. I can’t think of another reason Void wouldexpel so much energy just to swallow the city. He’ll know we’re here the second we pass through that boundary.

And more than that, the last time we saw him, he was a child. Or, at least, living within a child’s body. If he’s leaving Imelda’s side and coming and going as he pleases, he might very well have fully grown into his power. The Void we encountered in Marein, who was strong enough to block out the moon and stars and cast us into darkness, was just a fraction of the power I expect him to wield now.

I don’t like unknowns. I may have spent my life training to lead this war, but it was never supposed to be like this. I knew my enemy then. The king and queen of Lunae and their two daughters. There was no magic, no Chosen. I was just a man with a sword, rather than a beast with tooth and claw.

This may be my destiny, but I’m ill prepared for it.

We’ve set up camp in a small clearing between two low hills. It’s not ideal for watching our surroundings, but staying hidden is a much higher priority this close to Lunae. We’re a mere ten-minute walk to the border—and the wall of smokey shadow.

Fuck, I still haven’t figured out what to do about that, and by the way Erwyn is glaring at me, I’m sure he knows it.

“I am still waiting to hear your plan,” he says, crossing his thick arms. “We attack tonight, do we not?”

I rub at my tired eyes. “There is no attack. We’ve been over this.”

He scoffs. “You know as well as I do that we have lost the element of surprise. This is no longer a rescue. You get the girl while we take our revenge.” His words are loud enough that this is no longer a conversation between the two of us. Just about every head is turned our way now, and I wouldn’t be surprised if most of them agreed with him.

“And you should know as well as I do that charging in will lead to unnecessary losses on both sides. We don’t even know how many Guardians we’re up against.”

“Maybe you should ask your spy,” he sneers. Even now, he would have rather us kill that Guardian in cold blood. Getting to Arabella made our job significantly easier. She—and hopefully the people—will expect us. So long as we can get inside undetected.

“Unless you have something helpful to contribute, this conversation is over. We’re not blindly launching an attack to quench your thirst for vengeance. You may be willing to risk the lives of your people, but I’m not.”

“Quinn’s right,” Abby says. “I only agreed to this under the condition that we get the people out. If we run in there swords swinging, they’ll fear us. Even if Arabella was able to spread my message, they’ve been told that Marein is the enemy. The only people they might trust long enough to explain things are me and the Marked—and that’s if they haven’t sprouted wings and claws. If we go in there ready to fight, it’ll be chaos.”

Merrick, who’s leaning casually against a tree, straightens and takes a step forward. “As much as I’d love to paint my claws red with Guardian blood, making it out of this alive is far more important. If we can do this without spilling blood, we’re going to.”

I turn to Kaylee. She’s been watching everything since we left Marein, but has hardly spoken a word. “Have you seen any of this? Is there anything you can tell us?”

She shakes her head. “There are too many paths that cross this point.”

We need to work on her being less cryptic. “Are you close enough to Arabella to see anything?”

She stares at me like I have two heads, or at least like this is something I should know.

“They need to be touching,” Abby says.

“Or at least be in the same room,” Rhett agrees. “Though touching is preferred.”

Of course, I’m the only one who doesn’t know this. Either way, Kaylee isn’t going to be much help until we have Arabella, and we won’t have Arabella until we cross through that smoke.

I guess we’re fucked.

I run a hand through my hair and blow out a heavy breath. “Does anyone have any ideas that don’t involve going in blind?”

There’s a sudden sound in the tree above me. I look up just in time to see a figure jump from one of the concealed branches.

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