“Can you look for my father?” she asks. “If he’s out there, Raina, that’s another pair of fighting hands we need. Possibly seven pairs of fighting hands if the rest of the hunters are all right. They’re good with weapons. Good at hunting. Survival. Tracking.”
I blow out a long breath. She’s right. The hunters from Silver Hollow would be a grand addition to our efforts, but ever since the night of the attack on the village, I’ve had a terrible suspicion that our hunters fell to the Eastlanders hours before the enemy devastated the vale. I saw Warek. What looked like a man passed out from too much drink could’ve also been a dead man revealed to me from an unclear angle.
But I must look again. I must be certain.
I slip a dagger from my boot and prick my fingertip. The blood falls, and I swirl the water.
“Nahmthalahsh. Show me the hunters.”
The image that forms on the water’s violet surface almost takes me to my knees. The hunters are there, in the valley, burying bodies.
Cupping my hands over my mouth, I look at Helena, my eyes wide. I drop my hands and smile, happy tears welling at the rims of my eyes.
“They’re there?” Elation spreads across her face. “You see them?”
With a wipe of my eyes, I nod and then turn back to the water, dumping it into a basin and refilling from the pitcher. Another prick. Another drop of blood.
“Nahmthalahsh. Show me Warek.”
The water swirls and another violet scene arrives.
Faces. Obscured faces. People, walking behind the low-hanging leaves of a tree. I peer harder, and a wind blows, clearing away the leaves.
I gasp and grip the table’s edge. Warek walks toward the charred remains of the village, his face saddened and downturned but lined with the same gentleness he was known for in Silver Hollow.
But he is not alone.
With a limp in her step, Mena struggles along behind him, a little girl clinging to her hand—Saira. Tuck the dog trots lazily next to his girl.
And there, beside Helena’s father is someone else. His dark face is hard and filled with bitterness, his skin chapped from the cold morning wind and autumn sun. A shovel rests on his strong shoulder.
I close my eyes, and my heart cleaves in two.
Finn.
I stand with my sister in the falling snow, just outside what’s left of the stables. I would’ve never imagined her this way, but she looks fierce, her long hair in tight braids against her skull, her body clad in furs and glinting weapons.
We’re surrounded by more than two dozen Witch Walkers and Northlanders, as well as their families, lovers, and friends, all saying their goodbyes. The grooms lead Mannus and Tuck from their stalls against a cold wind, and though my heart is filled with strife, it still swells for the horses who saw Alexus and me through the wood and will carry us through yet another adventure.
Alexus takes their reins, his dark hair and black cloak whipping in the wind. When he sees me, he smiles, but there’s a sad edge to it. His last words before we left his chambers were: If my life is cut short, I will die happy because I had this time with you. But I will fight for more. I will fight for Colden. And I will fight for us.
Nephele takes me by the shoulders. Tenderness shines in her eyes. “I know you’re uncertain about being here, Raina. About this journey. About Finn. So much has happened. And I know that I haven’t been around you and Finn in a very long time, but Alexus is one of my truest friends. I see the way he looks at you. That man would burn down the world for Raina Bloodgood, and he’s known her barely two weeks.” She gives me a small smile and slides her hands down to clasp mine. “I also know that you’re in a difficult position. If I can give you any advice, though, it’s to listen to your heart.” She pauses, then holds my gaze. “Alexus Thibault is a man who doesn’t give his love or body freely, Raina. This is different for him. You are different for him.”
As Alexus approaches, Nephele casts a glance and a smile in his direction and then turns and strides away. She gives me one last look and a wink over her shoulder.
I didn’t need the advice. I knew what I had to do the moment I saw Finn’s handsome face.
Alexus halts the horses a few feet away from me. An awkward distance builds in the space between us, a distance that would’ve been unthinkable a few hours ago.
“I heard about the hunters,” he says. “And your friends—Rhonin’s grandmother. Warek and Finn Owyn.” He clears his throat. “I hadn’t realized that Finn was Helena’s brother, the blacksmith’s son.” His eyes are soft and kind when he says Finn’s name, but uncertainty and turmoil fill his voice. “I’m glad they’re all right,” he adds. “We’re a week’s ride from the vale, but with you watching the waters, I’m sure we’ll be able to find them should they travel.” He pauses, his voice quiet, his eyes sincere. “You owe me nothing, Raina. Finn being alive changes things, I know. And I understand.”
“It changes nothing,” I tell him.
Because it doesn’t. It hasn’t. I don’t know how I’ll ever explain to Finn what I feel for Alexus or how it happened in such a short time. It’s only been twelve days since Collecting Day, and yet everything in my world has changed.
I’ve changed. And I can’t stop thinking about Mena’s words of wisdom. Most battles are hard-fought. Something must always be lost if you’re ever to gain. Don’t fear this. You will never move forward if you never leave things behind.
I don’t want to leave Finn behind. He’s been my dearest friend, such an enormous part of my life. But he will not suffer me being with Alexus in any manner. It’s one thing for him to see me living my life alone. It will be a wholly different circumstance for him to see me with someone other than him.
And I’m not willing to give up the man standing before me.
“You’re sure?” Alexus asks. Uncertainty lines his furrowed brow.
“Surer than I have been about anything in a long time.” I step closer and take his hand.
He exhales, his breath clouding in the wintry air, and without a moment’s hesitation, pulls me into his arms, bends down, and kisses me as though he hasn’t kissed me in an age. My face heats, and when he finally releases me, I duck my head.
“What will the others think?” I sign.
With a smile that is so true it makes his dimple appear, he leans close, his green stare sparkling in the morning light.
“They will think that we are desperate for one another, and they won’t be wrong.” He kisses me again—deeper, longer. In those few moments, the world falls away. When he breaks the kiss, reality returns. Alexus faces the crowd behind us and whistles loudly to gather everyone’s attention. “Mount up,” he shouts. “It’s time.”
He helps me onto Tuck’s back, fitting me in the saddle. I tighten my fingers around the reins as Helena, Nephele, and Rhonin ride up alongside.
Rhonin bows his head and presses his fist over his heart. “Thank you for checking the waters, Raina. It means everything.”