Page 94 of Flight of Fate

During the few minutes a day Ephegos has kept me company, he hasn’t checked beneath the layer of blood caked on my clothes and face for bruises or an actual injury, so I’ve managed to foolhim by whimpering when moving and pretending to have dizzy spells or nausea. Today, I even put my finger down my throat to make myself vomit up part of the breakfast when I was alone in the carriage. When the guards returned, a mixture of disgust and pleasant surprise crossed their faces. I’m sure they reported back to their master the drug is developing its full effect.

We’ve left the Plithian Plains, slight hills replacing the flat lands. At least, the landscape provides better hiding places than the endless plains.

This morning, I reached out through the bond, checking in on Myron with the effect of a surge of heat flashing through my palm, up my arm, and right to my heart. It’s enough for me to know he’s alive and well. I can even tell he’s north-west, the bond working like a compass. Convenient.

At least, now I understand how Myron found me when I was a captive in Erina’s palace before I knew we were mates.

The carriage halts and heavy footsteps are the only warning before the door opens and a tall, broad guard pops in his head to see if I’m done. It’s the same man every day. From the pointed ears and the way he never seems to be cold, I guess he’s a Flame, but I can’t be entirely sure. He might as well be a Crow. I never ask, saving my energy for the conversations that matter.

“Finished?” he asks when I shove the final piece of cheese into my mouth. He eyes the untouched tea and shrugs. “The drug isn’t in the tea, you know? At least, not today.”

I give him a weak grin, showing a hint of teeth. “Not that it matters. I can barely keep the food down as is. I thought Erina improved the side effects.” At least, that’s what his projection told Myron when he tried to un-mate us.

The guard laughs. “You’re not getting the improved stuff. Ephegos seems to be interested in seeing you in as bad a shape as possible that isn’t unconscious on this journey.”

Well, that explains a lot.

“How long until we get to Meer?” I haven’t breached the topic of where we’re headed with any of the guards before, but I feel lucky today, my head clear for once. “Wearegoing to Meer, aren’t we?”

“We’re going to see the King of Tavras. That’s all you need to know.”

Interesting. So perhaps Erina isn’t in Meer after all.

“How is King Erina?” Throwing all of my hatred into my words, I need to keep myself from leaping at the guard to shake information out of him. No one can know I’m actually in nearly full possession of my strength, or I’ll lose the momentum of surprise. “Is he shitting his royal pants in fear of his Crow general? Is he aware he’s in over his head?”

The guard merely laughs.

Again—interesting. It seems the guard couldn’t care less about the Jelnedyn king.

“So you’re one of Ephegos’s puppets?” I fake a cough to keep it convincing.

The guard picks up the cold tea and pours it over my head before I can cringe back, shutting the door in my face. Before I can speak a word, the carriage is rolling again.

The next time we stop, the moon is glaring down at the world like a silver eye, the air frosty despite being headed south, and I’ve been shivering from the wet mop on my head that is my hair. The guard was right; the drug wasn’t in the tea or I’d be suffering at least some effects of it from what I accidentally got into my mouth before I could spit.

Someone shouts an order outside. “Make camp for the night.” It’s the first time we’re stopping for a night thatI’m aware of. Perhaps the horses were finally used up and collapsed under the burden of the carriage, or we’ve reached our destination.

Before I can make up my mind about what terrifies me more—being trapped in the wilderness with a bunch of enemies when they are not occupied with walking or riding, or being dragged from the carriage into a room with Erina, the door flies open, and Ephegos climbs into the cabin, sitting down in his usual spot across from me.

I curl up more tightly on the bench, allowing for the shivers to rake through me. Let Ephegos see howweakI am.

“Good evening, Ayna.” He unsheathes his sword and lays it across his knees, keeping one hand on the hilt as if expecting me to lean at him any moment.

The thought he’s afraid of me, even in my supposedly drugged state, gives me more satisfaction than I should care for.

“What do you want this time?” I don’t try to sound pleasant. Let the bastard see what he’s done. Let him see what hewantsto see. A drugged, helpless female unable to keep her bearings. I go as far as to leave the bite out of my words for the sake of my performance.

Ephegos grins down at me, his expression warm and nauseatingly normal like all those times he fooled Myron and Royad at the place in the Seeing Forest. “Just checking in on my favorite Crow female.”

“I’m theonlyCrow female,” I remind him.

Ephegos’s grin twists into something terrifying. “Doesn’t mean you’re not my favorite after all.” The fact he doesn’t specify what that entails is perhaps the scariest part. I’ve watched him hurt others, have been on the receiving end of his torture. But something tells me that what he’s got planned for me is a million times worse.

I suck in a shuddering breath.

Keep your head clear. Don’t let fear take you.Again, it’s my own voice rather than one of the deities who have shoved my life off trajectory over the past months.

“Don’t worry, Ayna.” Ephegos leans forward the way he always does when he pretends to be sharing a secret. “Now that you have chosen to join me instead of your joke of a mate.”

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