No! I’ll come to you. It will be much faster.
Only you? Where’s Kol?
For a moment, she faltered, her throat thickening with grief and her heart aching.
What happened? The sympathy in Gabril’s voice snapped Lorelai back to her senses. He could see her thoughts. He’d felt her grief for Kol. She had to be careful what she showed him.
Irina broke into his thoughts—which gave me the idea that I could break into yours, and I’d apologize, but we have a huge problem. She’s controlling him through the collar and through his hearts. I’m not exactly sure how because all I can see are his thoughts, not hers. But whatever she’s doing, it’s far worse than it was before. It’s like she either finally decided to stop toying with him and to display what she’s really capable of, or she found some way to increase her power.
Is he going to hurt you? The sympathy was gone and in its place was a warrior ready to defend his princess. She had to find a way to tell him that she wasn’t the one who needed defending.
No. He fought her hard enough to get away from me without hurting me, but he only left because he thinks I can’t help him. He thinks he’s going to break and do her bidding. Already, I can feel his thoughts disintegrating, turning into a dragon controlled by pain—
He’s going to be okay. Gabril’s voice was a steady lifeline for her to cling to, but she couldn’t.
He’s going to be all right because I’m going after him, and so are you. Now show me an image of where you are.
She took a deep breath and flexed her muscles as Gabril showed her a huge fallen oak tree lying close to the shack. Her muscles were stronger. Less shaky. The effects of Irina’s curse was wearing off as her own magic coursed through her veins, lending her strength. It was time to tell Gabril the truth and put a plan into place that would save everyone.
Everyone but Irina.
I’m coming to you. She’d tell him the truth when she got to him. Otherwise, he’d race toward the capital without her, and that was exactly what Irina was hoping for. Gabril chasing down Kol. Lorelai chasing Gabril. None of them focused on the true threat.
None of them focused on Irina.
She raised her arms above her head and whispered, “Voshtet. Rise with me and fly.”
Power burned in her palms as she dove into the water. Instantly, the force of the waterfall shoved her down, trying to crush her beneath its weight. She concentrated on the power rippling through her veins and opened her hands. Her magic struck the water, and a whirlpool swirled beneath her, moving faster and faster as it rose from the depths.
Be ready, she sent to Gabril as the whirlpool gathered itself and then shot upward, exploding through the surface of the water.
Ready for what?
For me. Almost there. She focused on the wild, untamed heart of the river and showed it Gabril waiting by the fallen oak. The river’s heart surged toward hers willingly. The whirlpool turned on its side and arced toward the fallen oak with Lorelai standing on top of it as if it was an enormous silvery bridge made of water. As it rushed forward, Lorelai said, Hold your breath.
My . . . what? Why?
Do it!
She felt Gabril’s obedience at the same moment that she felt his utter shock as the bridge of water burst through the trees to rush past the fallen oak. Lorelai reached down, wrapped a hand around Gabril’s and whispered an incantor to make him rise with the water. Then, as the river’s heart responded to the new direction in Lorelai’s, she pulled him up through the thick, churning wall of water until he was standing beside her, clutching her arms to keep his balance.
Sasha lifted herself out of a nearby tree and flew toward the princess. Lorelai winced as the heavy gyrfalcon landed on her shoulder, talons digging in. She’d left the brace behind with her travel pack.
The bridge of water streaked through the Hinderlinde, ripping leaves from the dying trees—that all looked as if they’d never come to life the night before and tried to crush Lorelai to death—until it reached the main road that led to the capital. It arced over the road, rushing above carriages and people heading back to the capital on foot. People screamed and dove off the road, but Lorelai didn’t spare them a glance. The water was above them. They were safe.
And she didn’t have a single second to spare.
Slow down. Let’s make a plan and take a little time to focus. If we do this, Irina will know you’re coming! Gabril’s voice was a shout inside her head.
She already does. And now it was time to tell him the true danger. Her stomach ached and her hands trembled as she said, She’s sent Kol to kill Ada and your sons.
The sense of desperation coming from him was almost too much to bear.