Damn. Did I believe that?
Liora’s eyes churned with sorrow and the flames of anger. “If I hadn’t been weakened, I could’ve stopped them, Serena. Cai shouldn’t have to play the protector every gods-damned time,” she whispered, breathless. She must have been close to losing it if she was willing to hint at her binding with two earwigging fae nearby.
Feeling weak, needing to contribute, wanting to protect: they were all running threads in my life. And it sucked. “I get it …”
Liora nodded distantly. “I know.”
“It wasn’t your fault what happened back there.” My hands grew clammy thinking about Cai. “We’ll find a way, Li. We won’t be the weak ones forever.”
“We can hope,” she said under her breath.
That small sound punched a giant hole through my chest.
A familiar rustling and a gentle thud announced Adrianna had landed in the clearing. With a snap she tucked her wings in. “Neither of you are weak, and you might be strong if you’d stop hiding behind males and developed your own gifts.”
Well, damn.
My eyes naturally darted to Liora, expecting her to look confused. She was sharp-eyed if anything. “What gifts?”
Adrianna folded her arms, challenging us. “Well, for one thing, Serena can hear a fae’s thoughts.” She stared me down. “I might not have questioned you about it, but I’m not stupid. The power to forge the connection between you and Frazer must be immense. Other witches blessed by air—blessed with skills to connect via thoughts—train for years to sustain what apparently comes naturally to you.”
I had trouble swallowing as Adrianna’s frown deepened. “There’s also the mystery of how you pinned one of the greatest battle commanders in fae history.”
Greatest. Holy hell.
Adrianna looked bemused as she added, “When we’ve sparred, I’ve seen potential. You’d make a decent soldier.”
High praise, indeed.
Sarcasm’s no substitute for wit, my dear, Auntie sung to me.
“But … Wilder?” Adrianna’s voice hitched an octave higher. “He’s something else. You didn’t just beat him; you made him submit. Now, I haven’t sensed you using magic, but there must be something—some great potential or ability you keep hidden.”
My cheeks reddened as Auntie and the necklace came to mind.
“So, why aren’t you pushing yourself? Using that potential?”
Weighing her posture, her tone, I guessed she was demanding an explanation.
“I’m not sure how helpful this is, Adi,” Liora argued. “My brother’s out there somewhere. We should be thinking about what to do next, not giving lectures.”
Adrianna’s back went up. “You’re the ones complaining you don’t want to be weak. This is how: use what you’ve got.”
Liora’s eyes grew tight at the corners. A storm was brewing. “What’s your suggestion for me? What do I have? Because I train just as much as you—”
“You’re a witch,” Adrianna said bluntly, her nostrils flaring as if smelling it on her. “Why didn’t you use whatever magic you had to help Cai back there? Even if you aren’t as powerful as he is—”
“You can shut up now.” Liora was so very, very quiet. She went rigid, hair crackling with static. The surrounding air shifted, churning out heat waves, and the nape of my neck prickled. Frazer materialized at my side. I felt his protective instincts kick in—he must have sensed it too. A caged predator rattling at its bars. A dragon eager to shed the guise of a lamb.
When she spoke, it wasn’t quite all Liora. “I’m not using them, because I can’t access them.”
Adrianna guessed. “You’re a bound witch?”
Only curiosity, no fear. I had to admire her courage as she stared down the beast.
“Yes,” Liora hissed. “Not that it’s any of your business.”
“No, it certainly isn’t.” Cai’s voice carried through the clearing.
Liora’s wrath broke apart and scattered. She spun and ran to her brother, choking back sobs. She threw her arms around his neck. He rubbed her back and shot over her shoulder, “It didn’t take long for things to fall apart without me.”
I laughed, the sound bleak and strained.
“We didn’t hear you …” Adrianna began. Alarmed, alert, and scanning the area.
“No, you wouldn’t have.”
“Magic?” I asked.
A nod to confirm. “I muffled the sounds of my movements and then stayed behind to blow away our scents. Tysion and his pack of worms are currently winging it in the opposite direction.” He took his sister’s hand and pulled her toward us until we stood in a circle. “I don’t know how long it’ll fool them for though, so whatever conversation I just interrupted, we should move on.”
Cai sounded glib, but I sensed the razor-edge embedded—he was pissed.
Adrianna calmly went on. “Maybe it makes me a bitch for saying it, but if it helps Serena and Liora, I’m prepared to say what no one else will.”
“And what’s that?” Cai asked, his voice rough.
Adrianna looked to me. “Over the past three days, all you’ve done is act as a mouthpiece for a male fae—a fae who hasn’t returned the favor by helping you train. Even though he’s clearly the best recruit,” she said through slightly clenched teeth. “And now he’s decided to act as your official guard dog.”
Frazer’s teeth snapped down. Oh, gods.
Adrianna continued, purposefully oblivious. “Liora, you’ve got the diplomacy and communication skills of a leader. But from what I’ve seen, you always refer to your brother when a big decision needs to be made. I don’t know why; frankly, I don’t care—”
“Then why are you still talking?” Cai snapped.
I gaped.
I guessed that potential love match might be at an end.
Adrianna’s chin rose. “Because if they want what they say they want, they need to step up.”
“What would you have us do?” Liora’s words were distant.
“Whatever it takes.”
“Excellent,” Cai began dryly. “So now we’ve all received a good tongue-lashing, can we get on with the trial?”
“Fine,” Adrianna said, her eyes like chips of ice.
Liora was giving Adrianna a calculated look. “I’ll think about what you’ve said because there is truth to it. But at some point, you should turn that perceptive gaze on yourself and ask why you weren’t a leader’s first pick when you’re a first-class fighter.”
Adrianna looked dumbstruck.
I tried to smother a wink of smugness.
Liora handed the scrap of parchment over to Cai. “We have to get the hair from a swamp witch.”
Cai stared down at the map, and muttered, “Shit.”
“The closest witches to us hail from the Nola swamps,” Adrianna said, slipping back behind the haughty mask. “We should go there. We won’t need the map.”
“You’ve had dealings with them before?” Cai cocked an eyebrow.
Adrianna loosened her wings. “Something like that. It lies northeast. We can be there in four days.”
He nodded, his shoulders stiffening. “Best get started then. Since you’ve got the wings, you can fly overhead and scout the terrain. Just stay in sight so we can follow.”
Adrianna pressed her lips together but didn’t object, surprisingly. Spreading her scaled blue wings, she shot upward. I could just about spy her floating form through the pine boughs.
Liora regarded me wearily. “I hate to admit this, but Adrianna was right about something else.”
“Oh?”
“We’ve been ignoring the connection between you both.” She motioned between Frazer and me. “It’s a mystery, which going forward could be problematic—even dangerous. Or it could help you both.”
She gave my necklace a furtive look. Just long enough for me to guess her meaning. My breathing turned shallow. Auntie sensed my panic. Perhaps it is time you told him?
A chasm opened before me. Fear crawled, writhing in my belly. What if he rejected me? What if he turned away from me, too?
“Serena?” Liora sounded cautious.
Her call snapped me out of my internal conflict. “Mm?”
“Maybe it’s time.”