Page 199 of The Incendiary

Without a word, I returned to bed, downed a full glass of water, and lifted the covers. Gemma closed the door and climbed in beside me fully dressed. Having a warm body in my bed, with Shera at my feet, helped ensure a short, peaceful rest for us both. At least I didn’t have to worry about speaking secrets in my sleep in front of one of my best friends.

Three hours later, after taking the last bath I’d take for a few days, I stood in the courtyard of the duke’s manor, preparing to leave. It was decided that those who pleaded to come join us in the Caves, including Ben Wynterton, would follow in a couple of days.

Melonius had his servants bring us a gilded chest secured in a cart to be pulled behind one of our horses. Inside the chest was a black, untitled ancient tome bound shut by leather straps and a rusty lock on each. Between two of the straps, I made out an embroidered emblem of a bird. A hawk, maybe. White, but darkened with age. I could feel the magic emanating from the book, whispering things to me.

“I trust you will travel safely, Your Highness.” Melonius pressed a gentle kiss to the back of my hand and bowed reverently. “And I hope to see you back here soon. Perhaps… for pleasure next time.” He smiled mischievously when he saw Elias’s hand on my lower back. Like he knew something I didn’t.

“You all right?” Elias muttered as the duke strode casually away.

“Fine.” I faked a smile. Just because I felt fragile didn’t mean I was. Or so I continued to tell myself.

When he started to lean in, I lifted my foot into my horse’s stirrup and mounted, pretending not to see him. “We should get going if we want to cover enough distance before nightfall.”

I set my horse into a trot and was too much of a coward to witness the rejection I left behind in him. We rode mostly in silence—at least, I did—until an unexpected “Hey” caught my attention after we breached the line of trees at the edge of the city. Ezra and his horse, who’d been riding near the back of the caravan, had caught up to my horse.

“Hey,” I answered, my voice high-pitched and hopeful. But his blue eyes weren’t cold today. “How are you?”

“You were impressive last night,” he said, laughing warmly at the last word. “If I’m being honest, I wasn’t sure you had it in you.” He shook his head in disbelief. “That cat of yours has some claws, as do you.”

“Thank you,” I muttered, otherwise speechless and hopeful with so many words stuck on the tip of my tongue. While his coarse words and his attitude back at the Caves had hurt me, I was more than willing to bridge the gap. I would apologize, because I knew I’d hurt him, too, and I couldn’t stand the distance between us.

“Ezra?” I called after him, relieved when he glanced back. “Can we talk some more later? Maybe when we get back?”

Another small smile. “Sure,” he said before nudging his horse forward to join Elias at the front.

That simple exchange made the rest of the journey more bearable. I looked forward to resolution with Ezra, and we had the enchanted tome, which Cartwell’s horse pulled behind him. This book would keep me busy whenever I wasn’t working on warding with Simeon. Where he and I had left off, I could ward a small circle only five feet across. Learning to ward entire cities, and the Caves, was still a long way away. Maybe this book would even help me figure out why Simeon was weakening.

The weather became slightly cooler as we moved inland and slightly north. A relief for us all, especially Gemma, who still got sick every few hours no matter what she ate. I happily shared her tent, despite Elias’s pleas for me to share his, and I rode mainly next to Mavic, who kept me thoroughly entertained. As we neared dark on our final night of travel before arriving back at the Caves, he briefed me on how much he’d taken advantage of his one night in Peradine.

“There were three of them,” he muttered out of the side of his mouth. “And my gods, they were angels.”

“Three?” I gasped, hand slapped to my mouth. “How is Yara going to feel about that?”

“She’ll just ask if I learned anything new.” Mavic shrugged, then laughed at the horror on my face. “Yara and I have a very open relationship, you know. Communication is key.”

I blushed and giggled, more than a little uncomfortable at the prospect. “What is that called then? A foursome?”

My voice must have been louder than I thought, because Elias spun around in his saddle and glared back at me. As if it wasn’t his fault that I could make that guess in the first place.

“No,” Mavic answered. “It’s called paradise.”

My laugh was cut off by Cartwell on the front right side of the path shouting, “Commander! On our right.”

Our caravan stopped at the rise as Elias lifted a hand. He dismounted and followed Cartwell to the side of the pathway. I jumped down and went after them.

“What—”

Elias whipped around and stopped me. “You don’t need to see this.”

I scowled and pushed past him. “Yes, I do.”

“Ary…”

His voice dissolved into unbearable ringing, along with every other word and sound in the surrounding forest. I stared down at a young blond woman with her chest carved open, heart ripped out and discarded beside her. Her eyes were closed, but there was nothing peaceful about the condition she’d been left in.

I stared at the woman’s heart in the dirt, and all I could hear was the sound of his agonized roar. Begging for me to breathe. To live. To come back to him.

My Ella, my Ella, my Ella, my love, my Ella⁠—