And truthfully, that fact alone kept me upright most days lately. Still, concern for our friends warred within me.
“I never thought we’d be back here,” I said to Tolek as we stood in what had once been the open courtyard of an ivy-coated, abandoned manor.
Now, no more than rubble piled up around the space, one run down end hiding what was once an entrance to the sitting room. Much of the original structure still stood, but this ruin was the result of discordant magic and a khrysaor crashing through the ceiling. Wind whipped through the gaping holes in the walls.
“I wish we weren’t,” Tolek admitted. The hard line of his lips told me he was remembering when I’d swallowed that magic. How he’d held my body while some part of me disappeared to the bridge between realms.
Linking my fingers through his, I squeezed to tell himI’m here.Tol kissed the back of my hand, warmth threading along my skin, and turned his attention to the view beyond the courtyard.
“I didn’t expect it to be quite so snowy in the spring,” he commented.
“Always is,” I drawled, studying the pure white lawn around the manor. In the distance, feathered birds swooped low, hunting among the tall grasses that somehow persisted through the endless winter.
“I know it’s a cold climate, but I didn’t realize how drastic.” His observant stare picked apart the perimeter, and I knew he was searching for more. For a hint of a god uncovering our plan.
“Damien said it’s because of Thorn,” I recalled. For a moment, I was back beside the Angel, looking over my city from the Revered’s Palace. “When Thorn went mad, he coated theentire territory in an eternal winter. The other Angels were able to shield their lands from it, but not him.”
“He was distressed enough to causethis?”
I nodded. “Raw Angel power.”
Tolek contemplated that for a moment, his thumb sweeping across the back of my hand. “That actually makes me feel bad for the bastard.”
“I suppose even immortal beings act on the whims of their emotions.”
We both considered that as we continued to watch the wildlife enjoy their winter abode in the height of spring, beneath a sky thick with rolling gray clouds. My seraph power buzzed just beneath my skin, gold undulating around my wings, ready for a fight if it came to it.
“When will he be here?” Tolek asked.
Just as I opened my mouth to answer, boots echoed beyond the collapsed walls.
“Right now, I suppose.”
But it wasn’t the Mindshaper we were waiting for that climbed over the wreckage and jumped down into the courtyard.
“Santorina?” I blurted, rushing toward her and pulling her into a crushing hug. Spirits, it had been so long since I’d seen her. I cupped her cheeks in my hands and looked her over. She was in one piece, face bright with the cold, and she seemed whole. Strong as ever, thank the Angels. I pulled her to me again. “What are youdoinghere?”
Lancaster scaled the rubble after her as Rina said, “Cypherion wrote to update us about the ongoing plans. He mentioned where you’d be, and we thought you may need assistance.”
Releasing her, I said, “Cyph didn’t mention you were coming.”
“He didn’t know. We weren’t sure we’d make it.”
“Not that we’re not thrilled to see you,” Tolek said, pulling Rina out of my arms and hugging her himself, “but assistance, how?”
Santorina looked up at Lancaster, and I could have been mistaken, but it seemed there was a bit less ire in her expression than usual.
“When I was traveling your continent before we made our bargains, I established contacts within this clan,” Lancaster explained. “I have come to see if any of those will be beneficial in your discussions.”
We’d known Lancaster had spent time in Mindshaper Territory given that it was where I met him at the Wayward Inn and that he’d been the one to tell Tolek where the Labyrinth was after discovering the rebel faction. I hadn’t realized any of that information had evolved into relationships we could use in an alliance.
“Thank you,” I said, blinking at him with a hint of shock. “But how did you get here so fast? Weren’t you in Mystique Territory?”
“We cut through the mountains,” Rina explained.
Tolek said quizzically, “But that would still take?—”
“My kind runs very quickly,” Lancaster answered plainly.
