“Yes. In fact, our destination is not too far from where we first met. The Pines are on the border of Midena and Nin.”
Interesting. I stored that information away for later. The males had been very secretive about our destination, but I was slowly gathering more information about it. From what I could understand, The Pines was a secluded location that they presumed would be safe from our pursuers. How they knew this, I wasn’t sure.
Daegal interrupted, amusement lacing his tone as he said, “Enough with the geography lesson. Keep telling the story.”
“So impatient.” Xander rubbed his hand over his face, chuckling. “As I was saying, it had been a very long winter. I was in Breley for business when, all of a sudden, I heard an outcry coming from the town square. Naturally, I was intrigued.”
“Naturally,” I muttered under my breath.
A sound of amusement came from the Fortune Elf, but Xander ignored us both. “As soon as my business was concluded, I made my way to the square. You can imagine my surprise when I saw a tall, slender Elf telling fortunes in the middle of the market. A large crowd surrounded him, and males were forcing their way forward in order to have their fortunes told.
“I watched for quite a while as the Elf told one fortune after another. Eventually, the sun began to set, and the crowd thinned. Only then did I approach the male. When I got close, he looked up at me. Silver glowed from behind his eyes and it felt like he was looking right into my soul.”
I knew that stare. It felt unsettling, to say the least. I found it interesting that Xander had felt the same when he’d first met Daegal.
“Interesting,” I murmured.
“Very,” Xander agreed. “After a few moments, the silver cleared in the elf’s eyes cleared. He blinked, tilting his head in my direction before saying, ‘You shouldn’t be here, son of Aranuil. Your time—’”
Xander’s voice trailed off, and the horses stopped in the middle of the path.
I held my breath as a strangled cry rose from somewhere deep in the woods. The sound sent shivers down my spine as I twisted in the saddle. I gripped Xander’s arm. “Did you hear that?”
Xander nodded, his voice low. “I did, but I’m not sure we should—”
“Someone’s hurt,” I said briskly. “And we need to help them.”
“I’m not so sure that’s a great idea,” Xander said. “There could be more Winged Soldiers in the woods. It might be a trap.”
“Or someone could be dying and we might be the only ones who can save them,” I argued.
“Aileana—”
“I’m going,” I said. I slid down the horse, my dismount much smoother than it would have been a few days ago.
Still seated on Thunder, Xander snarled, “Kydona save me from this infuriating female.” He glared at me, his golden eyes flashing. “Why can’t you do as you’re told for once?”
I made a face at him. “Doing what you’re told only makes sense if the thing you’re being commanded to do isn’t ridiculous.” Patting my skirts and feeling the reassuring hilt of my daggers, I put my hands on my hips. “Like it or not, Xander, I am going to investigate the noise. The question is, are you coming?”
After a few more words that I chose not to hear, Xander dismounted. He kept the reins in his hands as he glared at me.
“Of course, I’m coming,” he snapped. “What kind of husband would I be if I let my wife wander off into the woods by herself?”
A fake one, I wanted to retort, but just then the strangled cry came again. I swallowed my words as Daegal took the reins from Xander, looking us both over as his eyes went glassy.
A beat passed, then two, before the silver cleared.
“We aren’t far from The Pines. I’ll go get help,” Daegal said. His voice was low as he tied Thunder’s reins to Stormflier’s saddle. “We don’t have much time to waste. The Red Shadow draws near. Be careful, both of you”
I swallowed, the warning echoing in my soul, but I pushed it aside. The sound came again from the forest, but this time it didn’t stop.
Someone needed our help.
The Sound of Death
Xander and I crept through the forest in the cry’s direction. With each step, they grew louder. More harried.
My heart pounded in my chest as memories I had shoved away forced themselves to the forefront of my mind.