When I blinked, I was off my horse, walking toward the woods, and stopped. Rune called out to me as an abnormally large gust of wind whipped around us. Lightning arced through the sky. My hair blew around my head as I stood frozen in my spot, watching a figure walk out of the shadows like they had been a part of it.
My mouth went dry and my eyes widened as I stared at myself—a wild version of myself—walk toward me and stop several feet away. Her hair—my hair—was blond and blue with different types of purples in it, and it was braided back like how Rune did his. A red strip that started from one temple and went to the other was painted over her eyes. Black markings that had to be runes were drawn on her forehead.
She was barely covered with a fabric that held her breasts, showing the underside and crossing over her chest. Her stomach and parts of her waist were exposed in the intricate outfit, reminding me of my realm’s designer clothes. When I glanced down, she was barefoot, with small specks of dirt across her ankle to her calves.
I snapped my eyes back up to her face, still in shock and unable to form any words. The wind blew around us, making it hard to hear the men behind me yelling my name. But as I stared into her—my—eyes, they held the same eerie back-lit glow I’d seen Rune’s do. And the same as Estrid’s had done in my dream when I talked to her by the fire.
I had to be asleep.
This had to be a dream.
This wasn’t real.
I wasn’t really looking at myself dressed like a feral warrior, about to rip someone’s throat out with my teeth.
She took one step closer to me, and lightning arced through the sky, brightening her green eyes.
“Take them to Azola,” she said, sounding like Estrid, which only confused me more. “And prepare for war.”
The wind blew harder, and a chunk of my hair whipped across my eyes, blinding me. I fought to push it away, and the wind died suddenly. When I pushed my hair out of my face, I searched for my other self, not spotting her.
“Isa!”
I whipped around, my eyes wide, and my heart in my throat as Rune closed the small space between us. His footsteps were heavy, and his shoulders were tense as he must’ve jumped off his horse at some point and came for me. His iridescent cape fluttered behind him, a stark contrast to the night, and his hair was a bit windblown. Face twisted with worry, he kept his dark eyes on my face as he came up to me.
Circling his fingers around my upper arm, he yanked me to him so my ear pressed to his chest as he hugged me. Even though he had his armor on, I still heard his heart racing like a bird’s wings. The embrace was only a few seconds long before he stepped back with his hands staying on my arms while he looked me over before raising his eyes to the woods right behind me.
“Who was that?”
It sounded like he knew who she was from the way his voice grew deeper and huskier.
I shook my head, confused, and shot a quick look over my shoulder and back to him.
“I’m... I’m not sure.”
Hoofbeats pounded toward us, making my heart jolt in my chest and my mouth grow drier. I peeked around Rune, watching the others ride toward us. Harper and Hluti were the first ones to get to Rune and me.
“What did she say?” Rune asked, pulling my attention from the others back to him.
I swallowed hard, my breaths quickening and my heart racing harder against my chest and ribs. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to tell him because of how crazy it was.
When I saw Estrid in the mirror, I was sure only I could see her. But now that we all saw a combination of me and Estrid, I was sure Rune would’ve seen Estrid in the mirror too.
“She said to go to Azola and prepare for a war.”
ChapterTwenty-Nine
To say we rode like bats out of hell was an understatement.
Hunting down the enemies in this realm wasn’t part of the plan anymore. It was a stupid one anyway and wasn’t thought out. What person in their right mind threw all caution to the wind and rode through a realm with no plan on how to find someone to beat them up? Especially someone who wasn’t native to this realm?
I held onto the reins and squeezed my thighs on my mare as we rode through the small trail with the woods still on our side. I didn’t know why we needed to ride further out before calling a portal, but I didn’t want to ask questions.
It had to be important, and that was all I knew.
My eyes kept drifting to Rune, who rode next to me. The tired look he had before was masked with a warrior’s one. He bunched his dark eyebrows and set his lips in a grim line. He held the reins on his stallion in a white-knuckle grip, and his body was tense in general.
Something about what happened and what I was told made him and the other men shift into serious mode. It put me on edge with everyone’s 180. Not even a hint of a smile was on Slátra’s face.
