Niamh shot Kalen a scowl. “The vow about killing Oberon? Why the fuck did you go and do that?”
“We can discuss the details later,” Kalen said, turning to me. “Alastair is right, Tessa. You need to get some rest. We only briefly stopped on our way back here. You can barely stay upright.”
Midnight nudged me from behind and nickered his agreement. The traitor.
“But Val and Mother,” I whispered, my heart flaring with pain.
“You can’t help them if you run yourself into the ground,” Kalen said firmly. “Get some sleep, and I promise we will come up with a plan to find them tomorrow.”
Even though I felt too numb to argue, my mind was screaming. My body trembled from all the exhaustion and fear and pain, building on top of me until I felt I might crumple beneath the weight of it. A part of me had started to heal these past few weeks, but the wound threatened to rip wide open once more.
Midnight nudged my arm, rubbing his snout against me. I leaned on him and closed my eyes. This couldn’t be happening.
Val and Mother were supposed to be here. I was no closer to finding them than I had been before. And I had no way of knowing if they were even alive.
* * *
Kalen went to see Toryn before heading to the war room with Niamh and Alastair, while I was left to fend for myself and the horrible revelations that had slammed into me. It was hard to blame him for that. His city was being threatened by an enemy determined to destroy them all—the same enemy that had tried to kill him in the mists. The very same enemy that had sent that letter tricking me. They’d made me believe my family was here.
I felt adrift in a world that was not my own. I had no one to talk to. There was nothing to do but wander through the fire-lit corridors of deep gray stone. Nothing to do but go over everything that had happened again and again until I could make sense of it all.
Nothing to do but worry.
If the storm fae knew about Mother and Val leaving the Kingdom of Light, did that mean Oberon did, too? Had he gone looking for them in Teine to punish them for my escape? He hadn’t found them, of course. They were already gone. But what had happened to the other villagers?
Had he punished anyone else?
Running a hand along my braided hair, I paced the halls until my feet felt like two bruised peaches. I needed to at least sit down, even if I couldn’t sleep. Kalen and the others had been right about one thing. My body was broken after our journey through the mists. My back still ached from the pooka’s wound. The bruise around my neck had barely begun to fade.
So, I would eat and sleep, if I could. And then I’d head back out into the mists, regardless of whether Kalen joined me.
I would never stop trying to find my family.
I trudged through the castle until I found the room they’d prepared for me. My quarters for the night. Inside, I found a large bed draped in the finest cottons. The fresh scent of washed linens hung in the air. A fire had been lit in the hearth and was crackling and warm. Crossing the room, I gazed out the single window at the mountainside. Through the mist, the moon shone bright.
Sighing, I closed my eyes and leaned against the wall. My heart ached for Mother and Val. Despite the looming battle, this castle was the safest place in both kingdoms. But maybe they’d made it to Endir. Maybe the fae and mortals who lived there had taken them under their wing, protecting them from the wraiths and the pookas and all the other dangers of the mists.
I had to hope they still stood a chance out there. And I had to believe I could find them before it was too late.
Something glittered in the corner of my eye. Tensing, I whirled toward the bed. A folded piece of parchment sat squarely on the duvet, and a length of golden chain stuck out. I’d been so wrapped up in my thoughts when I’d entered the room that I hadn’t noticed anything was on the bed until now.
I snatched up the paper, and Val’s golden necklace tumbled onto the bed, along with a pale gray gemstone. Gasping, I unfolded the note and read the words.
Tessa,
I’ve found your mother. She and your friend are trapped in the dungeons beneath Albyria. The captain has known all along.
Use the communication stone to contact your mother. Hold it above fire and speak her name. I’ve given her a stone, too, but the guards will see the fire. You won’t have much time to speak with her.
Make it count.
Yours,
Morgan
Hands shaking, I dropped the note like it was a viper. Val’s mischievous grin flashed in the back of my mind. My mother’s sweet smile. Nothing made sense. It was too much for my exhausted mind to comprehend, and my heart felt on the brink of destruction. All this time, they’d been trapped in Oberon’s dungeons…or had they?
I paced the room, twisting my braid in my hands. There were so many letters, so many lies, so many fae with agendas. I had trusted Morgan to get me out of the Kingdom of Light. She’d followed through, but she’d also hidden the truth from me. She’d never told me who the captain was.