They swam to the shore and got out. Their hair was plastered to their skulls, and their clothes dripped puddles under their feet. I stood, confused. Had they been down there holding their breath all this while?
“We hid in a small under-chamber that holds a pocket of air,” Arabis said when she noticed my confusion.
Kryn’s gaze went from the chains to Jeondar, then to me. “How bad is it?”
“Bad.”
“Fuck.”
“Where is he?” Arabis stepped forward, wearing a beseeching expression.
“We don’t know,” Jeondar said. “He burst into the party. Everyone saw him.”
Kryn’s fists tightened at his sides. “Fuck. Fuck.”
“He almost killed my father. If it wasn’t for Dani, he would be dead.”
Kryn opened his mouth, but Arabis beat him to it. “Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.”
“He was going straight for Belasha. He was holding a grudge for this afternoon. She would also be dead if not for her.” Jeondar looked at me curiously, as did the others.
“How did you stop him?” Jeondar asked.
“Um… I begged him to go.”
Everyone looked as if I was drunk, high,andcrazy.
Kryn looked skeptical. “He has never listened to anyone, except for Arabis, and even her very substantial power doesn’t work anymore. Why would he listen toyou?”
“I don’t know,” I snapped, growing angry at the way he made the simple word “you” sound like an insult. “But he did. I told him to leave, and he jumped off the balcony.”
“That makes no sense,” Kryn argued.
“Whether it makes sense or not,” Jeondar cut in, “it is what happened, and sitting here arguing about it isn’t helpful. We have to find him. Let’s go.” He didn’t wait to see if anyone followed. He just marched out the door, unapologetically wearing the authority of a prince.
When we reached the top of the steps, he turned to me. “Get back to your room and rest.”
I wanted to argue, but he left me no chance. He moved with that extra speed the Fae possessed, and before I could even form the words, all three of them were gone.
Once in my room, I was relieved to find Valeriana asleep, relieved to lay my weary head down on the soft pillow. My mind turned and turned with a million questions, but a particular one kept repeating itself.
What is a shadowdrifter?
The mere mention of the word had made Jeondar tense. There was so much they weren’t telling me, and it wasn’t fair—especially not after tonight. Their cagey behavior made me angry, but as I thought of Kalyll out there and all those people in the city… Hurting Arabis had upset him so much. How would he feel about the people he’d killed tonight? And what if he was killing more innocent folk right now? The weight of his guilt might undo him.
I tossed and turned while Valeriana slept with abandon. At some point, she scooted closer and threw an arm around me. Her warmth and quiet breathing gave me comfort, and I found myself drifting off.
A sound woke me. My eyes sprang open. The room was illuminated by the gentle light of dawn. It was coming from the balcony. I lay very still and listened. There was a groan. Someone was out there.
I pulled away from Valeriana, careful not to wake her up, and tiptoed toward the double doors. Through the sheer curtains, I saw a figure. I held my breath, heart hammering. I leaned closer for a better look.
Kalyll!
I pushed past the curtains, opened the door, and stepped outside. The scent of fresh water floated in the air. A light wind stirred my hair. He was in human form, hunched over as he held the railing and panted. I didn’t dare move any closer or say a word. He stayed like that for several minutes while I wrung my hands together. His hair was disheveled, but his clothes were clean, unaltered. How had he gotten all the way up here?
“Is the king dead?” he asked in a deep voice that drove itself into my very bones.
“He’s not. He’s healed.”