Oh, Li. My chest expanded and my eyes blurred.
“No,” Frazer said, stiff-necked.
Liora’s head spun to meet his challenge.
His voice was firm. “You might have magic, but you still have the physical limitations of a human. If anyone is tying their life to Serena’s, it should be someone who’s already done it once, and with the physical abilities to bear the burden.”
Liora opened her mouth, scowling.
Frazer cut across her with ruthless words. “I don’t doubt your heart, but it’s obvious you’re offering your life to prove a point to yourself. And you’re not the best choice, so don’t let whatever’s going on with you damage Serena’s chances of survival.”
Liora’s wrath vanished; she diminished.
It broke my heart. “This argument is pointless. No one’s tying themselves to me.”
“Yes, they are. And it’ll be me,” Frazer said coolly.
Arrogant, presuming ass.
Adrianna waded in, asking Cai, “What would happen if she didn’t get to Ewa in time? Would the spell kill her and Frazer?”
The question was brutal and to the point. My gut roiled.
Cai’s silence was more than enough confirmation.
More cogent than I’d been in days, I said, “That’s settled then. I won’t be responsible for killing any of you.”
Frazer regarded me with a pained look. “If you die, I die. I’ve lost someone once before, and it nearly destroyed me. If it happened to my kin, and I could’ve stopped it, I’d either lose my mind or cut my throat so I could go into death and bring you back.”
I stared, horrified. How could I argue with that?
Frazer must’ve sensed my resolve slip because he turned his attention to Cai. “What do I do?”
Cai’s eyes flickered with a wince and he left a pause that Liora filled. “You hold hands while he casts the spell. Then, you’ll need to repeat the words: ‘I offer my life unto you. I share my soul with you. If you die, so shall I.’”
A nauseating tremor ran through my hands. “So, Frazer and I would die on the same day?”
Liora pushed herself up. “This isn’t like a bond—Cai can break the twining when he needs to.”
Frazer wore only grim acceptance as he stood. Adrianna straightened next to him and murmured, “You don’t have to bear this burden. I can do it.”
He didn’t acknowledge her. Just stepped with purpose toward me and held out a hand.
“Cai,” Liora said in a silent order to stand.
His movements were rigid and reluctant, but he still got up.
I was the only one left resisting. I stared again at Frazer’s open palm. At the offer. I couldn’t accept it. I wouldn’t kill my brother.
“Siska.”
His voice called to me to join him. The tug on our bond was unyielding, growing ever more insistent. That braided light wound up, making my core tighter and tighter.
A battle of wills. And I was weak.
It’s all right, child. He needs you to live; we all do. Now stand.
Auntie’s reassurance was the final blow. My resistance shattering, I held back tears as I took his hand. He pulled me up and entwined our fingers.
All I could think was how I was a damned coward, and sick with guilt, I watched Cai chant in a foreign tongue. Then, Frazer repeated the phrase that would damn him.
Our souls connected, bonding for a second time. A braid that was two strands now become three as another uncoiled and fixed into place. Cedar, snow and citrus hit my nostrils. A rush began in my ears, quickening to a roar, and wave after wave of energy flooded my veins. I doubled over, choking on it. Intoxicating, nauseating, and a complete rush.
Auntie sighed deeply. She sounded relieved.
Liora’s arms encompassed me, supporting me as I leaned on her and met Frazer’s eyes. He was pale but steady. Cai, on the other hand, collapsed into a chair, shaking and sweating. Adrianna moved to his side but didn’t touch him. In clipped tones, she asked, “Are you okay?”
Cai’s drawn face lifted to hers. I thought I saw something pass between them. An understanding, perhaps.
The creak of a door had us all turning; Wilder slipped into the room and stopped, taking in the scene. He loosened a growl. “What have you done?”
Despite first impressions, Wilder turned out to be glad about the twining. He’d sat on the divan to my right during Liora’s explanation, and when she was done, he’d nodded, and said, “Good. If it keeps Serena alive, I’m happy.”
Anger, sharp and sour, crashed in—everything I’d failed to feel in the numbness. No matter his reasons, he’d left me to face confinement and death alone.
I felt his eyes on me then. “As Goldwyn still refuses to see anyone, Hilda’s appointed me as your instructor,” he said quietly.
I didn’t know what I might say if I opened my mouth, so I kept it firmly closed.
Adrianna did the decent thing and gave him a response. “Are you wanting us to continue to stay here?”
A swift nod. “It’s for the best. You should be close to the quest items in case we need to leave quickly.” His wrist flicked between Liora and Cai. “Did you two get the last ingredients?”
Liora replied, “They’re in the safe.”
“Good. Now that Serena’s better, you should all get back in training for the arena battle.”
Frazer was sharp. “We’re still doing that?”
Wilder’s lip tucked up at the side, those twin scars creasing. “I suppose that depends. We shouldn’t take the changes Hilda’s made to the guard lightly. If the twining can withstand the delay, then it’s worth waiting.”
All eyes went to Cai, but Liora was the one to answer. “It depends on Frazer’s strength, but the origin story had the twining lasting months—”
Cai cut across her. “Neither of the fae in that story had to sustain light magic. That’ll shorten their time. Maybe by a lot.”
Frazer’s arms folded. “My strength can hold out an extra four days.”
“Sure?” Wilder asked, glancing to Frazer.
His eyes narrowed at the question. “Yes,” he punched out.
Wilder’s gaze pulled at me then. I resisted. The pull didn’t vanish, though, even as he said, “Have you all completed the fourth quest?”
Cai shifted, visibly uncomfortable.
“Yes,” Adrianna answered quickly. “Cai and I just need to check in with Bert before the final trial.”
My eyes traveled to Cai. He didn’t look annoyed or triumphant. In fact, he was staring at Adrianna. His expression seemed to say, Look at me. Look.
Wilder was talking, distracting me from their non-courtship. “After you finish the last trial, I’ll escort you all back here. It will be easier if you all win your bouts so we don’t have to deal with the Hunt. Either way, we’ll wait for cover of darkness and then set out. In the meantime, you should gather together everything you’ll need for the trip to Ewa. We have to be ready to leave at a moment’s notice. And we need a plan in case we get split up. Or get attacked.”
Tension—anticipation—coiled tight in my gut like a spring. I couldn’t swallow. My mouth had gone too dry. No one said anything or moved an inch.
Wilder scanned our faces. He waited a beat before planning for us. “Those of you unfamiliar with the terrain, start learning. Don’t mark any maps with the destination. If we’re attacked and outnumbered, we’ll split up and meet at the lake later.”
He went along in this vein, planning with such ruthless efficiency that even Frazer seemed to respect him for it.
As impressed and anxious as it made me, my feelings didn’t lose their brittle edge. That is, until his green eyes finally caught me unawares. “You’ll need to fill your bags with rations,” he barked out, keeping his gaze locked on me. “All of you go to the hall. Tell them I gave you permission to bring back as much food as you can carry as a reward for completing the trial.”
I prepared to stand with the others.
“Not you, Serena.”
My pack stilled, watching us.
“Why not?” I asked quietly.
“It’d be safer for you to remain here.”
I felt the argument spark on my tongue. Before I could say anything, he’d added, “I would speak with you.”