Page 133 of Moonmarked

“Are you alone?” I asked, and I sounded worse than I expected. Completely spent.

“I am,” Delias said. “I got your message. I thought you were dead, Rune.”

He said it like an accusation.

“Only halfway,” I said, and it wasn’t even meant as a joke. “I need two things from you, Delias.”

He came even closer, shook his head, then the small golden lights he’d put off when he saw me came alive again on the palm of his hand and rose over our heads. I understood that he wanted to see me better, to make sure it was me. Summer fae couldn’t see in the dark.

“What the hell happened? How did you slip into the Hollow? How did yousurvive,Rune?” He sounded equally terrified and curious about his question, like he didn’t want to know, but he also couldn’t help himself.

I switched my weight from my right leg, which had become somewhat numb, and my body leaned to the side as if I were about to collapse.

Delias caught me by the shoulders and pulled me to the other side, rested me against the tree.

“I’m fine,” I said, raising a hand to tell him to take his off me. I didn’t much like to be touched.

“You can barely stand,” he pointed out.

“But I’m standing.” And I was not going to fall out of sheer stubbornness. “I need you to tell me if the Lifebound is okay, and I need you to lend me your horse.” I held up a finger. “Oh.Threethings. I need threethings, it seems. The third is your discretion.”

Delias continued to shake his head, to look down at my body in disbelief.

“The Lifebound, Delias. Is Nilah safe?”

Now he nodded, and I had no idea I’d been holding my breath the way I had until that second. “I think so. I haven’t heard of anything happening to her, good or bad.”

Other than being locked in a jail cell—but that was okay. Lyall wouldn’t leave her there for long. All that mattered was that she was alive.

“And your horse,” I said, and he nodded, waved back atthe animal, chewing on the grass blades near the tree trunks.

“Have at it. I can walk back,” Delias said. “Tell me what happened, Rune. How did you make it out? Is that…is that the giant’s chains?”

I looked down at my hand where I clutched the dragon bones tightly. I hadn’t bothered to hide them, but I doubted Delias had any idea what they were. Even if he went back and told the queen and Lyall about me now, I would be long gone.

“It is. I took it to have something to protect myself with,” I lied. “Thank you for coming, Delias. But I need to know I can count on your silence, and I need to leave.”

“No thanks needed,” he said. “I would like to escort you to wherever you’re going.”

“No.”

“You don’t look well. You can barely stand. You’re losing your balance.”

“And I’ve been worse.” I’d still survived.

“Whereare you going? And why don't you want me to tell the prince? He’s your friend. He’s?—”

“I won’t be telling you why, my friend, but maybe someday. For now, I’ll just thank you for your help,” I said, and I started to move around him to get to the horse. “And your silence.”

“Of course,” he said with a nod because he had no idea what else to say. He hesitated to help me mount the horse until he saw that I was having trouble pulling myself up. Just a push was all I really needed, and then I was on the saddle, the reins secure in my fists together with the dragon bones.

“Rune,” said Delias, and the silence that followed asked the question he didn’t know how to ask.

“I’ll see you soon, Delias,” I answered for him. “I’ll be back. Until then…”

I thought he looked relieved. I thought he wanted to say more when I guided the horse forward. He didn’t.

And I was on my way.

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