19. Bash
Chapter 19
Bash
Q uinn had yet to stop grinning at me as we settled in for dinner. I felt strangely proud to have gained Eva’s best friend’s immediate approval, especially after my disastrous start with her twin. Tucking a still-damp curl behind Eva’s ear, freshly washed after our training session, I suppressed a laugh as Quinn beamed at me in response.
I wasn’t sure whether to be happy that Eva had obviously never let anyone touch her like this or sad at how lonely she had been before we met. With the notable exception of her best friend. I caught Quinn’s gaze and grinned back; grateful they at least always had each other.
Rivan’s empty mug clunked down on the smooth planks of the cedar table, Thorin refilling it with ale before it even settled. He, Akeno, and Pari had joined us for dinner, dressed in formal clothes that reminded me once again of Eva’s station here. She and Tobias were Solearan royalty even without her being the future High Queen.
“So,” Pari drawled from where she sat by Yael. “I assume we’re here to talk about a plan.”
Rivan gave her a disgruntled look, and I raised an eyebrow. Had something happened between the two of them? It was strange to see him dislike anyone, let alone outwardly, when he tended to easily get along with everyone.
Eva nodded, her nails biting into the rose-shaped scar on her palm hard enough to leave a mark. “We know the False King’s next step is to go through the Choosing. To trick it somehow with the blood and the magic he stole from me.” She swallowed, looking faintly nauseous, and my fingers dug into the table. “But in order to stop him…”
“—we need to figure out where the Choosing takes place,” I continued.
“And find a way to get there first,” she finished.
“One impossible thing at a time, hellion,” I murmured, reaching out to take her hand, my thumbs rubbing against the crescent-shaped red marks she had left behind.
Yael slowly shook her head. “Queen Amerie’s old advisors have been systemically wiped out, taken by the False Prince to further his own agenda, then killed so they couldn’t share that information with anyone else. Marin tried to locate the rest of them after the one staying in Imyr disappeared not too long ago. She found that they’d either been stationed in Morehaven, whether or not they went willingly, or vanished without a trace.”
“So he likely already knows the location of the Choosing,” Pari mused. “Which means he has the advantage.”
“Right now, he’s returned to Morehaven after the search for Her Majesty failed,” Thorin said gravely, nodding at my anima.
Eva tensed. “Just Eva, please.”
Thorin tilted his head. “But?—”
“You three saved my life,” Eva said simply, her gaze turning inward for a moment as if remembering the circumstances. She gave a quick shake of her head, then looked at Thorin, Akeno, and Pari each in turn. “So I’d like you to use my name.” A smile quirked her lips. “I’d ask for you to do it anyway, but especially in light of that.”
They all shared a solemn look before bowing their heads in unison.
“If he’s back in Morehaven, then he’s likely regenerating his power,” Tobias said in a dark voice. “He’ll need to before going wherever it is he needs to go after Eva’s quick thinking with the collar. Unless the Choosing is held south of us?”
Yael shook her head. “Our remaining spies there say his army is preparing to leave, though no hint as to where except for the winter clothes. So we can count out the desert.” Her lips twitched to the side, the only tell of her disdain for her homeland. “He’s likely heading back north, with a larger contingent this time based on the number of troops he’s recalled. But we still need to figure out where he’s heading, unless we plan to just follow him.”
Rivan smiled grimly, setting down his ale. “I have an idea, but you’re not going to like it.”
Yael groaned, taking a long swig of hers before asking, “What?”
“We need to find a sprite.”
Eva and Quinn exchanged a wide-eyed look. Quinn leaned forward eagerly. “Like, actual faeries?”
Even Tobias had perked up, though whether that was from the talk of faeries or the excitement in Quinn’s voice, it was hard to say. I hadn’t missed the way his eyes softened when he looked at his sister’s best friend. From the sideways look Eva gave her brother, neither had she.
Rivan nodded. “Though I doubt they’ll be what you’re expecting. Usually, they only deign to be seen as faerie lights—little blue lights in the forest that disappear the second you try to catch one.”
Eva’s fork clattered to her plate. Undiluted shock prickled down our bond, piercingly electrifying. “Little blue lights?” she choked out, her face pale.
Everyone turned to look at her. My grip on her hand tightened.
“I saw one,” Eva whispered. “When I first escaped from Av—from Morehaven.” My throat closed up as she looked past me with hollow eyes, lost in memory. “When I got to the forest, there was a blue light that led me to safety.” She swallowed. “I forgot about it afterward with everything else going on...and even then, I thought I imagined it.”
Rivan’s face had turned deadly, as if remembering the moment he had found her half-dead in those woods. I suppressed a shudder as I remembered her bleeding and lifeless in his arms. But Rivan’s voice was forcibly light as he said, “Well, that bodes well for my plan if one’s already helped you once.”
“You want to find a sprite,” I repeated incredulously. “You realize that’s asking for trouble if they decide they don’t want to be found? And potentially more trouble if they do.”
Rivan just nodded, taking a bite from his apple unconcernedly.
Yael was watching Eva closely. “Stands to reason they would make an appearance for their true High Queen.”
Eva sighed with resignation, the flicker of unease disappearing as quickly as it appeared. She had gotten far too skilled at keeping me out, especially for the things that bothered her. While I appreciated that level of shielding, especially with Aviel’s history of dreamwalking to her, I wished she didn’t feel the need to do so with me even if I understood the impulse. Though we couldn’t count on the lack of Tobias’s bloodlink to keep her safe from Aviel’s machinations…not when there was no telling what dark magic he had worked while she had been his prisoner.
Tobias raised a brow. “And why do we need a sprite in the first place?”
“Because they’re seers by nature,” Rivan said. “They’ll know where we need to go. And the more we know about stopping Aviel, the more of an edge we have.”
Yael snorted. “They’re also notoriously given to twisting truths to suit their own whims.”
Rivan sighed. “Does anyone else have a better idea?”
Eva looked at me imploringly, the trust in her gaze making my heart twist.
I shrugged, trying not to let my apprehension show. “One already helped you. Perhaps they’ll do so again.”
“Fine,” Eva said, looking resolved even though I could feel her nerves. “It’s worth a shot.”
“That’s the spirit,” Quinn said merrily.