Page 48 of Of Nine So Bold

Again.

A pained whimper left the princess, but my friends were there, gathering around her as if each was trying to be the one to help her if needed. Meanwhile, the humans hung back with looks that ranged from curious to wary.

Valeria’s orders still held sway, however. While she’d sent a few human survivors on horseback to warn Lord Thomas aboutthe poisonous apple trees that had ripped through the earth, she’d commanded the rest to stand guard. Or, more specifically, for the humans to protect us while “that giant did whatever the hell he’s doing.”

Blunt words or not, I appreciated the sentiment. From the way Valeria’s eyes frequently went to the horizon, she was worried for her lord. I suspected it was more than worry, and likely love that made her send those riders to warn him. But still she stayed, following his command to guard the princess and making sure those under her charge did the same.

At the moment, I was more grateful than ever for it. I ached all over and doubted I could form words right now, to say nothing of helping with an attack. Wrung out like a sodden rag, my skills had been reduced to lying here, holding this blanket on the earth.

But the exhaustion was worth it, if only because Gwyneira was still with us.

I stared up at the night sky, a distant part of my mind listing the constellations and using them to calculate the approximate date. I didn’t particularly care about the result, but I could no more turn off my brain than I could fly to the stars themselves.

Gods, how many times had we almost lost her? I’d say I had lost count, but the truth was I onlywishedI had. Because every time was one too many, and each weighed on me like a boulder crushing my soul.

And this time might have been the worst of all. No, it hadn’t been like when we found her dead in the forest, or when the vampire king took her and we had no idea where she’d gone.

But what it had taken to save her this time, what happened in those days of endless toil to bring her back to life…

A horrible, warm-cold shiver rolled through me, radiating from my middle. The others didn’t know, and I wouldn’t tell them. Not unless Gwyneira?—

“Here. Drink.”

Casimir’s voice came from somewhere to my right, startling me from my thoughts. When I rolled my head to the side, I found him holding a small cup.

“It’s only water,” he said to my questioning look, a wry glint in his eyes. As I struggled to rise, he was there to assist me in sitting up, his vampire strength more than compensating for our difference in size.

A breath escaped me after the water was gone. “Thank you.”

He nodded, but his attention was only partially on me. Clay and Lars were helping Gwyneira to her feet, while Dex and Ozias were at the ready to catch her if anything should go wrong.

“I’m fine,” I assured him. “Go help Gwyneira.”

Gratitude flashed over his face, but still he paused before leaving. “Well done, my friend.”

Would he say that if he knew what thistrulytook?

Thankfully, he didn’t seem to need a response. Nodding once more to me, he joined the others.

For a moment, I debated staying put, but the gnawing anxiety in my gut was growing stronger by the second.

After all, the princess might glance my way and then, maybe,questionswould come.

Biting back a groan, I pushed to my feet and walked away as steadily as I could.

I probably looked like a staggering drunkard.

Scowling at myself, I kept going. I knew I should be ashamed of fleeing like this, but I couldn’t help that. Humans stared as I retreated, and it wasn’t until I reached the far side of the carriage that they seemed to decide Gwyneira should have more of their focus than me.

Thank the gods.

I leaned against the black lacquered wall of the carriage, closing my eyes. My body was waking up slowly to the factI hadn’t eaten in days, and my limbs were steadily becoming shakier for their awareness of that lack. On my own, the amount of power I’d just expended would probably have killed me, though even now I couldn’t find it in myself to care.

There hadn’t been a choice. No one else could help. Not the demon or any of my friends. Casimir had tried, as his power was the closest to mine in a way, but even he couldn’t stay long in that endless night. It drained him, dragging at his soul and sanity. If not for Ruhl somehow anchoring him here, I feared we would have lost him to the darkness too.

And that had left me as Gwyneira’s only hope. The only one out of us all whose magic was enough like hers to even stand a chance of bringing her back. My friends’ magical gifts held affinities to elements of the natural world. Wood and water and the like. But my affinity was to energy itself. And though, yes, on some level, even solid matter wasenergy,I couldn’t manipulate fire or wood or water the way they could.

But Icouldreach through the cosmos itself to find our treluria.

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