Page 211 of Flame and Sparrow

Halar grumbled at the idea of leaving any survivors, but he was quickly overruled. Begrudgingly, he settled his magic and set off calmly in the direction of the retreating soldiers. The God of the Ocean followed, and then the God of Healing—the latter likely to make sure the first two adhered to the plan.

As they left, I slipped down from Zell’s back and led him away from the worst of the carnage, keeping his body between me and the sight of the dead bodies, burying my face against his golden flank whenever the view became too much.

Dravyn soon followed us. “Karys…are you all right?”

I didn’t want to lie and tell himyes, but I also didn’t want to tell him how that elf’s dead eyes and swollen skin were now seared into my mind. And the word on his lips…

Traitor.

I gave a noncommittal shrug and turned to rub Zell down, mumbling reassurances to him, promising him plenty of dried fruit as soon as we made it back to the palace.

And wewouldmake it back. We were safe. We’d driven the intruders out, and it was over—at least for now. We had an opportunity to breathe and reassess…

But it didn’t seem like a victory, for some reason.

And not only because of my torn, unsettled feelings about fighting against my own kind. I was starting to feel the same sort of anxiety I’d felt right before the battle had begun…like something wasn’t adding up.

“This was too easy,” I said as the other members of Dravyn’s court joined us.

Dravyn and Mairu both gave me a curious, concerned look, but Valas only grinned.

“You underestimated our incredible power and abilities, didn’t you?” the God of Winter asked, slinging an arm around my shoulders. “I’ve only begun to show you the extent of what I’m capable of, my little elvish friend.”

I tried and failed to mirror his victorious good-humor.

I let him chatter on about the different facets of his power he planned to show me soon. But my uneasy feeling persisted, tightening the knots in my stomach and deepening my concerned frown until even he stopped trying to make light of the situation.

“I don’t think this was an entirely planned attack, or at least notallof it,” I said, ducking out of his embrace. “Andrel would not have missed this opportunity to be a part of it, if so—he would have been leading the charge. But I haven’t seen him, nor any of the other leaders I expected to see.”

Dravyn’s jaw had clenched tight at the mere mention of Andrel’s name. “Perhaps he made the wise decision not to show his face here, given the promise I made him the last time we saw one another.”

My muscles tensed as I recalled their collision in the mortal realm. I had not forgotten the threats he’d made that night, and I doubted Andrel had, either.

But Ialsodoubted any threat would be enough to keep Andrel from storming the gates of this realm as soon as the defenses were compromised.

So where was he?

“Something just doesn’t feel right.” I couldn’t explain it beyond that.

Zell snorted, nudging me with his nose. I climbed onto his back once more, letting him carry me away from the others. I didn’t have any real destination in mind; I simply let him lead while I kept my senses honed, searching for something—anything—to explain the feeling of impending doom that had burrowed into my gut.

It didn’t take long before I spotted something strange: a flash of bluish-green energy lighting up the distant sky.

I drew Zell to a stop, watching closer.

We were soon overtaken by the syrinx, who until this point had stayed far on the outskirts of our battle. They loped slowly in front of us, the silver streaks among their dark fur making them look like shooting stars beckoning me to follow them. Their movements were completely silent, and they stopped a short distance ahead of me and sat in a single horizontal line, still as statues.

All of them were facing the exact same direction—toward the strangely colored flash of energy I’d just seen.

Mairu caught up to me while I was still staring at them. “Something disastrous is soon to happen to the north, apparently?” She sounded skeptical of the beasts’ disaster-sensing abilities. But before she could question them further, another flash of cerulean-colored energy caused her to gasp.

The syrinx remained perfectly still.

Another flash, and the unease that rippled through me nearly sent me toppling from Zell’s back.

Valas reached us, his gaze trained in the same direction as ours, all traces of humor gone from his expression.

“What lies to the north of here?” I asked.

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