Page 199 of Of Blood and Banes
“Yes. He still dwells within your realm.”
I lose a shaky breath.
Half of my father’s face fades a few shades lighter, and he darts a hand to cover it before tossing a glance behind him. When he turns back to me, his uncovered eye is round. “We don’t have much time left.”
“Left…?” I nearly forgot where I am. I scan the surroundings.Where…where are we again?It all feels peaceful. Lovely. The only thing I have missing is my mother, brother, Marge…
My father claps his hands over my shoulders, turning me to face him. He shakes his head, more of his features beginning to fade into the white mist behind him. “Listen to me. I love you. Marge trained you well. But you’re still missing something. You’ve got it all wrong, but it’s not on you. If you want to know more, you’ll need to go back to my…”
The weight of his hands on my shoulders eases until it disappears completely. His entire body recedes from existence. The last thing I make out is the outline of his silhouette, until it’s gone, too.
“Back to your what?” I call out.
But it’s silent. Deafeningly so. I spin, turning all directions, if there are any, searching for him and an answer. “Back to your what?” I scream.
Panic races in my blood, and pain splits in my face. My eyes flash open. Everything that was white turns black in a blink. Cold seeps into my skin, my bones. I suck in a breath and bits of dirt stick in my mouth. I recoil, my head swimming as I come to my senses, using my hands to touch around me. Chilly, wet grass brushes my fingers. Small rocks bump against my palms. I slide my hands underneath my chest and push up.
I’m back in the forest.
I scan around me as if my father’s voice will emerge from the trees, prompting me what to do next. “Back to your what?” I whisper, staring up at the stars. But the more I settle into this reality, the more my mind clears.
Journal. It has to be the journal.
I swivel to face Daeja, who’s already watching me. The tip of her tail flicks back and forth as I drag my feet toward her.
“What did you see? Did you get the answers you needed?”
“I met my father for the first time. And…”I rub the back of my head, against the dull ache collecting in my skull. “I’m not sure yet if I got much of an answer. But…”
As I walk behind her, I run a hand along her neck. All the way down to the leather saddle clinging to her back. When I pull my father’s journal out from our travel bag, I squint through the darkness. But it’s no use—the starlight isn’t enough to read in.
I’ll have to wait until morning.
I slide the journal back into the bag. “Are you up for a night ride?”
“You look tired enough to slide out of the saddle and not care if you fall.”
I smile, partly delirious.“Is that a no? Guess it’s a damn good thing we’ve practiced the art of falling and catching.”
“Your lack of fear would startle me if it didn’t excite me as much as it does,”she grumbles and rolls up to her feet.“But I also know you won’t take no for an answer. And I owe you.” She noses me up into the seat.
Pushing through the bone-weary exhaustion after a full-day’s flight and dipping into The White, I strap myself in. At least if I can’t read until the sun rises, we can fly and get back to Melaina and the rest of the group. My attention once again settles to my left where I’d usually find Cole double-checking all the belts and buckles. The lack of his presence hits me with another wave of fear and pain.
“We’ll get him back. I promise,”Daeja whispers.
We fly for a few more hours under a sea of stars and expanse of moonlit forests. Even the frigid temperatures aren’t enough to keep me awake and alert. I find myself sagging forward and snapping up again.
“You need to rest.”
“I’ll rest when I’m dead,”I rumble, the stars ahead of us in the distant sky blurring as my eyes threaten to seal shut.
“I don’t think I like that attitude. And if you push yourself too hard, you just might.”
“Once we get there…”I whisper back, and my body starts to lean as my eyes close.
Daeja growls beneath me.“You’re going to be permanently bent to the side like that when you wake in the morning.”
“Mmhpmm,”I grumble, too tired to care.
