Page 3 of Across an Endless Sea

Taking a deep breath through my nose, I squeeze my eyes shut. “Honestly? I need to get home.” Home, where I can fall apart in safety. “But failing that, I need a plan.”

I can already feel my bonds in my chest. Lore is at the forefront, drawing power from me in a reluctant trickle that echoes with a dull throbbing pain. Worry for him gnaws at my gut, but I’m too far away to do anything.

“They’re all in the same direction. If I head towards them, I could easily run into Caed first.”

In fact, Caed feels closer, so I probably would.

He, Drystan, and Bree are all closing in on me. They’re still a little way off, but I can’t help but feel like prey being chased down by multiple predators. I need to make sure the Fomorian doesn’t get to me before they do.

Hiding will be impossible, thanks to our bond, but maybe we can out-think him.

“Which direction should I go?”

Mab nods and soars upwards, using her wings to get some height. She stays up there for a second, and another bolt of frustration hits me as I realise I could just fly out of Caed’s reach if I could only use my wings.

At the reminder, I flex the muscles on my back, going through the exercises Florian taught me. It’s something productive to do, and they keep me from going insane as I wait for Mab to return.

“If you head south,” she begins, landing on my left midway through my third set, “there’s a small copse of trees which are densely packed together. You’re small enough to hide among them, which will buy you more time when they catch up to you.”

‘When,’ not ‘if.’

I clench my jaw, steel myself against the tiredness that’s sunken deep into my bones, and take the first step in the direction she indicated as south.

“Let’s do this.”

Two

Bricriu

Drystan’s stallion reacted far better to being flown over the walls of Elfhame City in the claws of a valravn than I thought he would. What little panic glazes the horse’s eyes as it lands beside us disappears entirely as the other fae places a palm on its forehead.

Blizzard is no ordinary horse; this confirms it.

Once, I might’ve been fascinated by such a bond between animal and master. Púcaí are the only type of fae I know of with such a connection to beasts, and Drystan is definitely not one of us. His magic is fire based—so his gift isn’t responsible either.

On any normal day, such a mystery would nag at my brain, demanding to be solved.

Yet, I can’t seem to find the energy to wonder about it now.

This is what life is like without Rose. Numbness, laced with fear, fogs my brain in a toxic cycle. This is what awaits me if we fail to get her back. An eternity of begging for numbness to drown out the panic, then praying for panic just to feel again.

In just five days, I’ve become completely dependent on her presence to keep my demons at bay.

“Are you ready?” Drystan asks.

I can’t find words to answer him, so I just nod, holding out my arm so that Lox can perch on it.

The valravn’s landing jolts my whole body, and I roll my eyes. He did that on purpose. My animals don’t speak—even though a regular valravn would be able to—but that doesn’t stop them from having personalities of their own, and Lox is the grumpiest of the three. He wastes no time in diving back beneath my skin with a disgruntled caw, disappearing in a flash of smoke.

As soon as he’s in ink form again, my awareness of him disappears, and I’m alone again.

His absence means there’s nothing to distract me from the way Drystan is still bristling with anger. Both he and Jaro have been furious since I returned to the palace to find the battle over and our Nicnevin dead.

I don’t blame either of them. I’m mad at myself for being so far away when Rose needed me. I wasn’t thinking straight, and I thought distance would help me clear my head.

Instead, it probably got Rose killed.

Drystan is right to be angry with me. I deserve worse.

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