Page 8 of Ash and Feather

Which was why I was desperate to reach her first.

I had to prove that she wasn’t an enemy, just asIwas not their enemy—that she’d been tricked as I had, and the situation was more complicated than any of us could have imagined.

It was yet another point of contention between me and the keepers of the heaven I now resided in.

The countless impassioned arguments I’d had with the other Marr—many of them with Halar—had done nothing to sway their thinking on the matter. So I simply had to find Savna before they did, to find some way to prove that my sister was not the monster they believed her to be…and I needed to do it before my former allies mounted another attack against the divine. A moresuccessfulattack.

Every day felt closer to war, to a crossroads we wouldn’t be able to turn back from. And I felt as though I held the key to stopping it all, but my sister was the locked door—and she was nowhere to be found.

I pressed a hand to my stomach, trying to settle the uneasy twisting in its depths.

“I didn’t stick around to listen to the God of Storms rage and blather on, as I mentioned.” Valas’s tone was grim, all trace of his teasing smile gone. “I’m sure Dravyn will fill you in on the details, however…though I wouldn’t go to him until Halar has made his exit, if I were you.”

“I am not afraid of Halar,” I snarled. “I would even be willing to speak cordially with him and help coordinate his search efforts, if he’d deign to ask for such a thing.”

“Wouldn’t count on that.” Valas picked at a thread on his tunic. Like all the clothing I’d seen him don since we met, it was finely made, the woven patterns glistening in the hazy light of the middle-heaven sky, as though spun from some combination of magic, frost, and moonlight. “The God of Storms still thinks you aren’t telling us everything you know about your sister and the other rebel Velkyn.”

My blood boiled, sending another wave of heat snapping through the air and drawing another wary look from Valas.

“Iwishthat was the case,” I grumbled, willing my magic to settle again after a brief struggle. “I’d give anything to actually have more information than what I’ve already told everyone.” I shook my head in exasperation. “You believe that, don’t you?”

“Will you set me on fire if I say no?”

I managed a halfhearted grin. “There’s always a possibility.”

“Then I’ve never believed in you more than I do in this moment.”

My grin gave way to an actual laugh as we walked farther from Elestra, continuing our teasing and chatting. At least I had him to take my mind off all the painful, confusing things. He reminded me, in some ways, of Cillian—one of my closest friends from my old home.

Cillian.

What had become of him?

The last time I’d seen him, he’d been helping me escape that old home and a raging, murderous Andrel. I likely wouldn’t have gotten away without his help…but what price had he paid after I left?

I didn’t even know if he was alive or dead.

Weeks ago, at my request, Mairu had descended into the mortal realm and went to search my old home. Cillian hadn’t been there.No onehad—the once bustling nest of elven rebels had been entirely abandoned.

Just one more mystery we needed to figure out.

I’d accidentally stopped walking, my gaze sliding out of focus as I stared into the distance, overwhelmed by all of these mysteries. It took a cold nudge—Valas’s magic—to bring me back.

“Sorry,” I said, shrugging off the chill. “I was just thinking about…well, it doesn’t matter. Did you say something?”

“I asked if you’d like me to carry you back to your palace?” He stepped back to me, offering his hand. Magic crystals of white and blue were already swirling around the tips of his fingers, but I shook my head.

The Marr could travel with ease to any place with at least a modest concentration of their magical energy. In theory, I should have had the same capabilities.

But my first few attempts had been nothing short of disastrous.

It was easy enough to let Valas or one of the others whisk me along as their passenger—as I’d done in the past—but now that simply reminded me of yet another way I was failing to figure out my new existence.

“Thank you,” I said, “but I’ll manage on my own.”

He grimaced, likely recalling the last time I’d tried to transport myself while in his presence; I’d managed to get as far as surrounding myself in flames before I panicked. Rather than letting the fires lift me and carry me away as they so elegantly did for Dravyn, I’d struggled against the feeling of losing control and being pulled off my feet. My flailing had led to a few accidental fireballs…and Imayhave set one of Valas’s favorite cloaks aflame in the process.

He’d quickly extinguished it, of course, but had teased me relentlessly about it ever since.

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