Page 88 of Flight of Fate

She gasps like she’s trying to take back her words, but I already have a retort ready on my tongue—one I’m not speaking because who cares that she still features the lingering scent of fatigue and terror. At least the odor of blood and gore is gone, and since I’m certain the terror has nothing to do with me, I’m happy to keep my mouth shut for once, merely smiling.

For a long, heart-stopping moment, Kaira tightens her fingers around mine, the brown of her eyes splintering into an array of colors as I dare look into them. Hues of moss and hazelnut laced with sprinkles of a blue so deep it barely shimmers through. Thin lines of gold and burgundy weave together around her pupils so wide I can glimpse the dawn and the end of time.

Before I can piece together what I see, her stomach growls, and she blinks, stepping away and dropping my hand. “We better go eat.”

“We better,” I agree, my gaze still glued to her face as she starts walking, and I follow like a dumbfounded fool.

Fifty-One

Myron

I feltsomething through the bond last night. A flash of heat that could have been an actual flame burning on my chest. However, I much more suspect it was Ayna’s way of communicating with me, of letting me know she’s alive and awake. Carrying that sensation in my heart like a talisman, it was easy to cook breakfast for what’s left of my court and the three rebels—Rochus and his son and daughter—who aided Herinor and Silas in their escape.

They are all sitting at the table now, their mouths full of the scrambled eggs I made after raiding the stables together with Ed. The boy is a delight, carrying himself like a warrior, even when he’s barely entered manhood.

“We’ve spent too much time here,” Rochus says around a bite of stale bread, his gaze restlessly flying from window to window as if expecting a group of soldiers to show up in bright daylight.

The man has proved surprisingly complex, a veteran rebel who’s fought this war with the Jelnedyn bloodline all his life like his parents before him. I’m not surprised and definitely not too proud to listen to his advice as he tells us it’s unwise to stay here another day, and it’s easy to shut up the voice at the back of my head telling me not to trust anyone after Tata’s betrayal. Thoserebels have no stakes in the conflict between Ephegos and my court. They have no reason to betray us, and they most certainly bear the scars and bruises to prove they were kept prisoner by the same villains who captured my Crows.

“I’m not sure Clio will come back for us,” Kaira murmurs, barely sitting up straight but so much stronger than last night. Perhaps Herinor’s presence at her bedside was better for her than I expected. “If she hasn’t come for us by now,” she adds even more softly.

Silas drains his teacup, pouring himself another one. “As soon as we can shift, one of us could fly back to Aceleau to find out what’s going on.”

Probing my power, I assess whether I am close to recovering this ability. It’s strangely unsettling not to be able to turn into my crow self and soar across the lands, even when that ability was blocked before by the drug.

“Or we could take the horses and ride north,” Herinor suggests, earning a disapproving glare from Gabrilla.

“We’re not riding north.” She takes another bite of eggs, chewing while the fingers of her free hand drum on the worn oak table.

“And that is why, Sis?” Ed sets down his fork, almost falling from the bench as he leans back and realizes at the last moment there’s no backrest.

A mild chuckle escapes Rochus as he catches Ed by the elbow, setting him back onto the bench. “Because our war is south, Ed.”

Gabrilla nods eagerly, shoveling more eggs into her mouth. If she wore a nice dress and had her hair tamed, she could pass for a lady in a human court—except for her manners, of course. Refraining from raising a brow at her, I focus on the middle-aged rebel who doesn’t seem to have comprehended thatpartnering up with us is pretty much the only way to save their precious Tavras.

I must admit, I find Rochus’s stoic expression when Ed shakes his head with the words, “Whoever held us prisoner was riding under the Jelnedyn banners. They came for us, and they didn’t shy away from taking two Crow Fairies prisoner,” slightly disconcerting. “Do you really believe their war isn’t our war, father?” Ed gestures at Herinor and Silas, who are both chewing, eyes vigilant and power simmering beneath their skin.

“It’s CrowFae,” Silas says in that tone ready to cut stone, making Ed almost fall out of his seat again—followed by a grin making his rugged features nearly handsome. With a brief grin at Rochus and Gabrilla, he shrugs. “And Ed is right. We are fighting the same war. We are even both fighting it for the same queen.”

“The Queen of Tavras,” Ed confirms with more confidence now that he’s seen Silas’s teeth don’t mean he’ll bite.

The male grins again, a deadly expression this time. “The Queen ofCrows. But the same thing, technically.” Before any of the rebels can question him, he rolls on. “Queen Wolayna is our Crow Queenandyour Queen of Tavras, but you already know that. What you don’t know is that, unless you want to fight a war against the Crows, Tavras and the Crow Realm are one until further notice.”

Usually, I don’t enjoy when others speak formykingdom ormyqueen, but Silas is doing a darn good job at painting the picture.

“If you don’t want us to turn on each other, we better accept that both of us have an interest in the Queen of Tavras and the Crows’ future.” I tell them, hopping in before this can escalate. Rochus surely gives the impression he’s ready to draw blood, even when he knows he’d never stand a chance against any of us now that we’re all remotely recovered. “Ephegos is on themove. He took the queen of both our people.” I don’t need to remind them that same queen is my mate. “He won’t rest until his revenge on me is done. This means our queen is to suffer.” Holding up my index finger, I list the issues we should be facing together rather than apart. “Erina made Ephegos his general, but you already know that. Tata kept you up to date with her brief visits.”

“Until she betrayed all of us,” Gabrilla interjects, and I could swear Silas flinches. It was bad enough that he left the room and shut himself in the stables for an hour after we initially informed them all what happened in the clearing. Whatever had been going on between the two of them, Silas didn’t see this betrayal coming, and he is fighting hard to hide his hurt.

“She played us from the very first moment,” he says with that stony expression I’m used to from our days as monsters. “Who knows how many half-truths she told the rebels? How many lies?”

“It doesn’t change that we need to get out of here before those bastards come looking for us,” Herinor changes the topic, and for some reason, I believe he does it to spare his friend more pain. “Even if Kaira’s outstanding display of siphoning blasted the camp apart and probably killed every last badger in a fifty-foot radius, someone will notice the soldiers are missing, and once they do, there’s no guarantee they won’t send a group of Flames after us.”

“Or Crows,” Kaira croaks, bracing her hands on the edge of the table to keep herself upright. Much to my surprise, Herinor’s arm slides around her waist, pulling her against his side so she can lean on him for support. Who would have thought the cold-hearted warrior could be that fuzzy?

Kaira doesn’t shy away, closing her eyes and mouthing a word that looks very much like ‘sunshine’.

“We have no idea where Ephegos stationed the remaining Crows, but some of them were in the camp, or the shield Kaira brought down wouldn’t have been silvery.”

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