Page 89 of Flight of Fate

Herinor dips his chin at Silas’s observation. “Pure fool’s luck they went down in that explosion. They could have dragged us to Ephegos.”

And we all know what it would have meant if Ephegos got his hands on Herinor.

Swallowing the dread rising in my throat, I drain my tea and set down the mug with too much force to keep up the semblance of calm I’ve been clinging to. “He has Ayna. Whatever we do, it has to be soon. Not to freeourqueen, because who knows what that magic of bargains will do if we try, but to bring down Ephegos once and for all. One megalomaniac human king is enough to deal with. We don’t need to wait until a megalomaniac Crow takes that crown and declares tyranny over Tavras and all of Eherea.”

“I very much hope we won’t wait that long.”

I’m not the only one to leap to my feet, drawing my weapon and digging for my power at the voice from the corner of the room. My gaze swivels around to find the fairy general leaning against the crooked wall beside the threshold to the bedroom, dressed in battle black and wearing an expression of both amusement and urgency that makes me want to throw my sword at him, despite the relief lifting my chest.

“You have seen better days, Crow King.” Tori stalks closer, throwing his arms wide and, before I can object, folds me into a bearhug. “Thank the Guardians, you’re alive,” he whispers, only for me to hear.

When he pulls back, he gives a curt nod to Silas, Herinor, and Kaira, who has managed to summon a tiny fireball despite her unstable legs. “Put down your toy, Flameling.” Tori flashes her a grin then turns to the three brave humans, the two men withdaggers in their hands, while Gabrilla has picked up a butter knife and masterfully pinched the tip of the blade between her thumb and index finger. I don’t need to see her throw it to know she won’t miss. “And you are?” He cocks his head at the woman.

“None of your fucking business.” Gabrilla bares her teeth, earning a warning glare from Ed, who seems more comfortable around fairies than the other two humans.

Tori barks a laugh. “I like her.” Pointing at the woman with a thumb, he drops onto the bench and reaches for the pan at the end of the table, helping himself to some scrambled eggs with a spare fork. He hums his approval and turns back to me. “Where’s Ayna?”

My heart drops into my stomach as I need to retell, for the second time, what happened in the clearing and how I’ve failed to protect my mate.

With every word, Tori’s expression turns sadder, and when I’m done and Herinor and Silas tell their part of the story alongside the rebels, Tori merely gets back to his feet and holds out both his hands. “We need to get back to Aceleau. Now. I can take four of you at the same time.”

A glance at Herinor and Silas is enough to have them step forward, but Herinor isn’t the one reaching for Tori’s palm. “You should go first,” he murmurs to Kaira, guiding her along as if she might collapse at any moment, and for once, Kaira doesn’t challenge him. With a small smile, she takes Tori’s hand while Herinor waits for Silas to steal to Kaira’s side, keeping his hand braced on his sword as he falls into the pattern of the guard he used to play for so many decades during the curse.

With a quick nod of thanks at Herinor, I eye the three humans, gesturing at Tori. “If you want to come, now is the time.”

No one is more surprised than I am when Ed leaps for Tori’s free hand, defiance on his young face as his father is about toobject. “If we don’t work together, we’re dead. Tavras will be lost without the rebels, and Erina is already hunting us down. It’s a matter of time until the rest of the rebellion will be ratted out and slaughtered like the others.” And by that, he means how Ephegos’s men killed the rest of the rebels before dragging a few select ones to the camp for questioning or torture—or both.

“Wise kid.” Tori jerks his chin at Ed, his eyes finding a furious Rochus. “You should listen to him.”

“Andraya and Pouly went with the fairies,” Kaira says, gaze darting to Tori as if to check for any tell what happened to them in Aceleau, if they caught Tata or if the traitor fairy managed to wreak havoc before the others could warn Rogue, Sanja, and Royad.

Tori doesn’t give any indication of what happened back at the palace. “They’ll be happy to see you,” is all the fairy general says, but it’s enough to ease the anger in Rochus’s eyes.

Reluctantly, he steps forward, placing his hand atop his son’s in Tori’s palm. “Promise me you’ll return for my daughter and bring her, too.”

Tori is about to say something when Silas steps aside, making space for the human woman. “Take her. I’ll wait with my king.”

And just like that, Tori disappears with Kaira and the three humans. It takes about five minutes for him to pop up in the exact same place, a frown on his face and his hands open for us.

“What’s wrong, Tori?” I place my hand in his, clasping his calloused fingers securely while Herinor and Silas take the other hand.

Tori shakes his head. “Let’s get you back to Aceleau first. Rogue will share with you what happened.”

I want to tell him to take me to Aceleau, but not without picking up the bag of magic-nullifying serum Kaira and I left behind in a tree. “First we need to retrieve something that might come in handy.” When all three of the males cast me a curiouslook, I ask the fairy, “Can you site-hop based on memories of locations I show you?”

He ponders for a few heartbeats. “It’s worth a try.”

Without hesitation, I drop the shield around my mind, pulling up the image of the clearing full of scattered bodies.

Tori grimaces. “You sure you want to return there?”

“Absolutely.”

Herinor and Silas only shrug at each other at our exchange.

The world tumbles away, and we race through the fabrics of time and space as Tori moves us to exactly the tree I need, and I race the final few steps, ignoring the frozen bodies, the lingering stench of blood and death, or the possibility that someone may ambush us here. The fairy general and two of the most experienced Crow warriors I know are watching my back as I swipe the twigs away from the hole in the tree trunk and gently, carefully pull on the bundle of cloth hosting more than sixty vials of the magic-nullifying drug.

It dangles in my hand, a silver lining in this Shaelak-cursed war, and a grim smile finds its path to my mouth. “Ready.”

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