Chapter Six #2
Matea, as the only one in our makeshift group that had experience crossing the border, was an obvious pick.
Byn, despite coming to trust her more recently, had suggested taking some official members of the Valwain instead.
Quinn had volunteered, and her determination to find Ezra was a fantastic motivator, but I argued that we needed shadow wielders on this journey.
Besides, we weren’t entirely positive that Ezra was being held in Gatlyn Castle, anyway.
In the end, the selected group was kept small—only Matea and Drayven would accompany me on this mission.
The three of us could shadow wield, which was a huge plus.
Besides that, Matea knew how to get to Hollis and back, I could navigate inside Gatlyn Castle, and Rayven was an expert on handling missions like this without being seen.
In theory, we could’ve used more hands and eyes on this journey, but in reality, it wasn’t practical.
The energy it would’ve cost us shadow wielders to carry an extra fae with us for what could be days on end wouldn’t have been worth it.
Quinn had insisted she was necessary on this mission, but Byn had to gently shut her down. He’d explained that she had too much personal investment in the outcome of this mission, and we couldn’t put a loose cannon on the playing field right now.
Because we weren’t just going to talk to my twin. If we could manage it, we were going to search for Ezra, too, and rescue him if we came across him.
If there was anything left to rescue, that was.
I had quickly shut down the conversation on how to handle Dimitri once we got there. He was my brother and my duty. I wanted to talk to him one on one—to try one last time to help him see reason.
If it didn’t work this time…
No, I thought to myself, it won’t come to that.
I looked around the room at the people I’d grown so close to. Even Callum and Caelia had stayed and helped us plan, giving us tips on shadow wielding and how to conserve energy for the journey.
Quinn stood suddenly, squaring her gaze on me, Matea, and Rayven. “Bring him back to me,” she said. Her features softened a fraction, and my heart ached for her when she added, “Please.”
“I’ll do my very best,” I promised. I watched as Rayven placed a fist over his heart—a vow to do the same. Quinn mimicked Rayven’s motion, took a deep breath, then excused herself from the room.
I stole a glance at Byn then. I couldn’t imagine the lengths I’d go to in order to get him back—or how much self-control and trust Quinn must’ve had in order to leave this mission in our hands.
Her husband’s life could be on the line.
“I appreciate how open you’ve been with us, Robyn,” Callum said as he stepped forward, Caelia right behind him.
Byn nodded. “Of course. We owe you, both of you, after the recent battle.”
Turning to me, Callum said solemnly, “May the Stars watch over you all.”
At that, he and his sister saw themselves out of the meeting room. It wasn’t until then that I noticed the sun outside had begun to set, and night was nearly upon us.
“I’d like a word alone with my wife, please,” Byn said to nobody in particular.
The room paused for a brief moment before Matea awkwardly said, “I’ll… go pack for the journey.” Then she departed with Rayven following behind her, likely to do the same.
Teagan caught my eye as she stood and flashed me a look that said good luck, before she and Chess left the room, Laurence a few steps behind them.
Laurence stalled by the door, and didn’t leave until I reassured him I was fine, and that he should get some rest. That I’d see him in a few hours, before Rayven, Matea, and I left for Hollis, and the rest of the group saw us off.
When the door shut behind Laurence, and it was finally just me and my husband, I said softly, “Speak your mind, love.”
Byn sighed, causing me to look his way. He had his chin resting in his hand, propped up on the table before us as he shook his head.
Turning my entire body his way so he knew he had my undivided attention, I said, “Please, Byn, talk to me. You’re safe.”
“Yes, but you might not be. What was that, Aviva? Aren’t we to be a team at times like this?” he asked, looking up at me, distressed.
Shifting to sit on the table before him, I took his face into my hands with tenderness.
“Yes, we are. We still are. Just because we disagree doesn’t make us any less of a team.
We aren’t always going to agree—we’re two different people with two different, messy histories.
It’s how we react that determines the rest,” I said gently, my mismatched blue and green eyes peering into his forest-green ones.
We lapsed into a moment of silence as his gaze met mine. I took this opportunity to reach out emotionally—down that bond that rested between our souls. I gently touched the anxiety welling up inside of him with my determination and certainty; there wasn’t an ounce of doubt in me at that moment.
Something changed in his gaze then. It was as though I could see as he finally grasped just how sure of this I was, and that this truly wasn’t an impulsive or rash decision on my part.
He let out a shaky breath then, wrapping his arms around my waist and laying his head in my lap. My wings wrapped around our forms and my hands brushed through his hair in calming strokes as he meekly said, “I can’t lose anybody else, Avi.”
“I know, Byn. I know,” I murmured.
I knew I didn’t have to say more than that. He could feel the hope radiating from me—the hope that we’d retrieve Ezra, and the hope that I’d get to talk to my brother in a calm manner. Monarch to monarch, twin to twin, brother to sister.
Buried beneath all of that, a small part of me was excited to see my homelands again. To be in the same city, the same castle I’d grown up in.
I breathed deeply. This isn’t about me, I reminded myself.
Quinn had still been having vague feelings through what she was certain was her bond with Ezra. None of us dared to doubt her—we all wanted to believe her, anyways.
It was easier that way.
Byn and I stayed like that, finding comfort in each other’s close company for a while before night had fully taken hold of the sky and I insisted he help me pack. His worry wasn’t fully gone, but it had been soothed, almost as though my confidence and hope had been a balm to his turbulent emotions.
Roughly two hours later—which was past the meet up time, but thankfully wasn’t mentioned—the Valwain, along with Matea, stood on the outskirts of Cairnyl, along the border of Wittuck Woods.
We had all talked and laughed the whole walk here, but now, the somberness had set in.
It hung like a mist in the air, settling solely around our little group.
Rayven stood with Chess and Quinn ten feet away, likely talking strategy and swapping last minute tips. Teagan had stayed behind with Margo, and Matea and Laurence stood closer to the trees, their heads bowed and voices hushed as they spoke. Then, there was me and my husband.
He was still dressed in his formalwear—pants that hugged just the right places and a silk button-up shirt. He seemed to have lost his overcoat along the way, during the stress and planning of the day.
“You haven’t even left yet, and your mind is already wandering to places I can’t reach,” Byn said, slipping a finger under my chin and tilting my face up towards his.
Sometimes, I didn’t mind the height difference so much.
“You’re always on my mind,” I reassured him, smiling cheekily.
He rolled his eyes playfully at my attempt at humor, but he couldn’t stop the small smile that crept its way onto his full lips.
Unable to help myself, I fisted my hands into his shirt and I pulled him down to my level. Our lips met half a heartbeat later, the desperation and need ruling over everything else.
He nipped at my bottom lip, but the moment was interrupted when somebody cleared their throat.
Loudly.
“They need to get going, Byn,” Quinn said, her arms crossed over her chest. My cheeks flushed bright red, but Byn didn’t take his eyes from me.
Instead, he cupped the side of my face and kissed me all over again.
This one was softer, more meaningful. I could feel as he reached toward my emotions with his—love on love, warmth on warmth, adoration on adoration.
Stars, this is all I want in life.
All too soon, he broke away and stood straight, his arm still around me as he addressed the other two who were about to depart with me.
“Drayven, I know this goes without saying, but this is a stealth mission. Get in and get out without drawing too much attention, got it?”
I watched as Rayven nodded. “Got it.”
Byn turned to Matea next. The softness he had held in his face for Rayven hardened, turning much more serious.
“Matea. We haven’t known you very long, so this mission is an act of trust in you on our part. Do not fail us, or me,” he said sternly.
“I won’t fail Aviva, my king,” she said confidently, somehow managing not to cower beneath the power of his gaze.
I felt the surprise he held at her response, but shockingly, it was laced with pride.
“And my wife,” Byn said, turning to me. “Come back to me whole.”
That, I feared, may be the most difficult part.