Page 78 of Beyond the Winter Kingdom
“Meera,” I rasped, my voice barely more than a whisper.
I blinked rapidly, trying to see through the grit crusted in my lashes. The last thing I remembered was her face—fearful, determined, fierce. And then the land shifted and swallowed her.
Now, where her coppery red hair had once shone like fire against the jewel-toned forest, there was only sand.
I forced myself to lift my head, pain screaming through every joint, but I had to see for myself. The twin suns of Eversus beat down on my back, their heat making my breaths ragged as my lungs shuddered with each inhale.
“Hey there, big guy.”
I turned my head slowly to see Sadie crouched beside me. Her head blocked out the red sun, making it possible to see her pinched expression. She looked exhausted but relieved, likely because we were both still alive.
Objectively, that was something.
Emotionally, it didn’t mean a damned thing.
“She’s gone,” I said, the words scraping like sandpaper up my throat.
Sadie nodded grimly. “Yep. Damon too. So at least they’ve got each other?”
She said it like a question, unsure if it was a comfort or a concern.
I let out a harsh breath.Yeah. I’m with you there.That pompous prick is a giant pain in my ass, but if there’s one thing he’s good for, it’s staying alive. I rolled, wincing when my swords dug into the muscle of my back. My head was pounding with the weight of it all. “I shouldn’t have walked away.”
“Probably not,” Sadie snorted. “Not gonna claim it was the smartest plan you’ve ever had. But hey, could be worse.”
I turned my head just enough to glare at her. “Could be worse?”
“We could be dead,” she said with a shrug. “And if I know Meera—and I do—then her odds of surviving are probably better than ours at the moment.”
I wiped grit from my eyes and stared up at the twin suns. “Evorsus wants her.”
Sadie laughed dryly. “Yeah, I gathered that when a rock shot up from the ground to trip you right as we would have reached them.” I pressed my lips together. “How often do you reckon the land shifts like that?”
“What?”
“How hard did you hit your head?” I scowled at her tone. “I said, how often does the land shift?”
“I don’t know.”
“So helpful,” she muttered.
I scrubbed a hand down my sweat-slicked face. “It doesn’t matter. She’s gone.”
“With that kind of thinking, it’s a surprise you haven’t ended up dead by now,” she snapped. “Yes, she’s gone. She’s in Evorsus, the sort-of-sentient hell realm which low-key has a thing for her, but she’s not dead, Vareck. And unless you think that delicate alabaster skin of hers can handle two suns, I’d say she’s better off over there than baking like bread out here with us.”
I grunted in response, but Sadie kept going, undeterred. “Look, if we wait for the shift to happen again, maybe it’ll pull us back together.”
“It won’t work like that.”
She frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Do you remember Corvo talking about the Fold?”
“Yes. Time is weird, which we already gathered. Ley line convergence. Same on both sides. Blue flowers face north.”
“It’s more than being weird. Time moves differently between Evorsus and Eversus,” I said, forcing myself into a sitting position. “What’s hours here could be weeks there. Or vice versa.”
Sadie blinked. “Come again?”
