I’d been out for hours. The miracle, perhaps, be that I’d woken at all.
But things had changed. The stable bustled with activity. Galeran used local residents to care for his Trantil stallion and some other mercenary mounts, many of which had not fared well during the battle.
The far end of the courtyard be filled with mercenaries tying heavy packs to the backs of Trantils. I knew the signs. They be preparing to move out. And considering how the battle had gone, I had little doubt Galeran be abandoning ship. Isobel must be confident that they’d not yet been discovered, or they’d be gone already.
I pressed closer to the bars. A few locals had Trantils out in the aisle between the stalls and the courtyard, working over them with the care of those who took pride in the health of their animals.
A man bent over the foreleg of a Trantil, stitching closed a deep gash. Beside him stood a youngling, only a child, holding the tray of implements.
I could barely breathe. It be the closest I’d yet been to any of the residents of this realm. And they had the information I needed.
I rubbed the headstall against the rough stones of my stall. I had little hope I could break it, but I needed to loosen it, just a little. And the stone caught on the fibers just enough that when I yanked hard—
It sliced deep into my nose, but the vise grip on my jaw loosened. I moved to the front of the stall and pressed against the iron bars.
The man walked to the far side of the Trantil, checking for more wounds. The child remained close, holding the tray with a rather bored air. By the blood staining the floor, they’d probably been at this for hours.
“Excuse mee,” I said, not wishing to frighten her. “Do you know wheere we be?”
Her eyes widened as she stared up at me. What did she see? I no longer had a horn, but she must have heard the other Bellatis speak in beast form.
“Neimak,” she whispered.
My pulse pounded so hard I be certain the mercenaries could hear it. That would be this town. “What realm be we in?”
The man came around the Trantil’s back end. I be so desperate for the information that it be difficult to hold still and wait for it.
The child frowned at me as though I be an idiot, and she gave me the final piece. “Zetnak, of course.”
“Don’t talk to him,” the man scolded, scooting forward to pull her away. He took the tray from her and untied the Trantil. “Put this one back in the stall and pull out the three-year-old. He needs stitches too.”
The child blinked at me and walked away, leading the limping Trantil. The man glanced uneasily at me before following after her.
I took a deep breath and opened the channel that I had spent days keeping firmly shut. She be there in an instant, breathless. Also vibrant and powerful, and not alone. I sensed others with her.
Matt. And the Dragon. Just on the periphery. I gritted my teeth—that they would be so clearly a part of her.
It only cemented my belief that I could never be.
Anna’s energy be frantic.Sebastian. Are you okay?
Zetnak realm. The town of Neimak. And hurry, he’s getting ready to flee. Do you have it?
Zetnak. Neimak. Yes. Where are you?
I told her only because I knew she wouldn’t quit until I did.Galeran be holed up in a castle at the end of the main road, built right into the cliffs.I paused to send her images of the road, the big town gates, the town itself, and the castle.I’m in a stable beneath it. But get him before he absconds.
Just hold on, Sebastian. Please. We need you. I need you.
Get Galeran, Anna.
We will.She sent me a pulse along the link that strengthened my legs beneath me, and then she added something more.
We have your horn. Do not give up.
For just a second, she opened her heart to me. A pulse of emotion that strengthened the legs beneath me.
Then, she be gone.
