Chapter 57
Crags. Clefts. Cold. The mountaintops blurred together as we rode nonstop, sticking to game trails close to the wall. Only once did we spot a group of Demons moving atop its expanse. The hours on horseback made my bones ache, but we couldn’t stop—not until we reached Ilyth?on.
Silence reigned even when we broke for a meal, the males focused on when Ishim might order an attack and if we’d reach the next outpost in time to capture the High Priestess.
During those days, guilt about not saying goodbye to Isra consumed my thoughts. In our haste, I’d forgotten to find her. She was all alone among the group of Hathi who treated her like a pariah. I missed her presence at my back, a comfort that I only now realized I cherished with her gone.
Lyriasthe shared my sentiment. When this was over—if we all lived—Isra would be in my personal guard, a position of honor.
Fat, fluffy flakes fell from the sky as we slowed our mounts to a walk, peering through the pines in search of Ilyth?on.
Lyriasthe alternated between hands gripping her reins and sticking them under her armpit to warm them.
My lips were chapped, and I resisted the urge to lick them. That would only make it worse.
Breath stuttered in my lungs as my gaze snagged on a waterfall up ahead.
The same one I’d Seen running with blood in my prophecy.
“This is definitely it. But the battle hasn’t started yet,” I murmured, a shiver rolling down my spine. I pulled my mare to a halt, eyes tracking up the half-frozen stretch of water.
“Small mercies,” Maelsar muttered. He looked no better than his intended or me. His normally tousled hair was unkempt, and purple half-moons clung to the undersides of his eyes.
The altitude claimed its toll on us all. Steam wafted from our horses’ nostrils as they sucked in what little air remained.
“Who knows what awaits us at the outpost, though,” Lyriasthe added. With a twist of her fingers, shimmering white unfurled from her, wrapping around us all. “Better safe than sorry.”
The Illusion made my shoulders drop away from my ears. At least now, no one would spot us from a distance and flank us.
“Ishim is definitely furious we left. But convincing him to let us go would have been impossible in his state. Plus with Sylaira’s flash…” Vaeron trailed off, his focus shifting to the forest around us like he still believed someone would creep up on us.
I hadn’t Seen anything clearer than the furious expression on the Zahal’s face as he threw a dagger toward a healer, but an existential dread had twisted in my belly, like if we didn’t depart right then and there, all of our plans would be lost.
“Should we even join them?” Maelsar questioned, pulling out a waterskin and tipping the last of it into his mouth. “Maybe it would be better if we watched the battle from the fringes.”
“But joining them means food and shelter,” I said, my longing for a hot bath outmaneuvering logic in my brain.
“Or for Ishim’s ire to catch up with us. Who knows what orders he will have sent in response to our abandonment of him,” Vaeron pointed out, raking a gloved hand through his hair. “We need to find the High Priestess.”
“Then let’s go up the mountain and find a vantage point to survey the wall,” Maelsar suggested, gesturing to the steep incline carved into the rock.
Pieces of my visions clicked into place. “He’s right. From where I watched her…I was hidden.”
My mate let out a long sigh. “We’ll search for a place where we can rest too. None of us have had enough of it, and we need as much as we can snatch for the hunt ahead.”
The hunt.
Because it was inevitable that we’d have to corner her alone and take her with us back to Sivy. To Maelsar and Vaeron, the chase was as natural as breathing.
Even if it was necessary, I still didn’t like it.
We turned our horses toward the hillside adjacent to the waterfall.
Leaning forward, we draped ourselves over their necks to assist their ascent.
Their sides heaved, but none balked or refused to continue on, like they knew how important this mission was.
The icy spray dotted my cheek, pulling another shiver from me.
We climbed until the air was thinner than gossamer, until our muscles burned, at last reaching a small plateau.
“We can tether them here,” Vaeron said, gesturing to a tucked-away spot in the crags.
My legs ached as they hit the ground, a harsh reminder of just how many hours I’d spent in the saddle. Giving my mare a chest rub, I left her behind to munch on what little vegetation the horses could find among the rocks.
“Lyr, can you give the area a quick look?” Maelsar asked her.
She nodded and called out her wings, stretching and flexing them. Then she leaped into the sky, her Illusion stretching to cover her. The three of us dug into the dried meat we’d packed into our bags. When my friend returned, I handed her a meager meal.
“The wall is just over there.” She pointed past the tor on the edge of the plateau. “There’s a guard tower close, too. I can cloak us as we fly and the Demons shouldn’t discover our presence.”
“Did you see them?” Maelsar asked. He leaned an elbow on his pack, the only soft comfort in this brutal spot among the peaks.
Lyriasthe nodded, tearing off a hunk of jerky. “They seem tense, like they’re expecting an imminent attack.”
“I thought Ishim would have ordered one by now with how furious he was after Iskarya died,” Vaeron said, picking apart a frost-covered twig.
“It can’t be long now,” Maelsar grumbled, dusting off his hands, his food gone. “At least I hope. I’d love a proper meal and a proper bed.”
With that, I couldn’t agree more. At Thalvireth, I’d been pampered. Since we left, it had been grime and dirt and sleeping in tents with the occasional interlude in a real bed.
“Let’s go find our spot. The sooner this is done, the sooner I can bathe,” I laughed, hoping to lighten the mood.
No one smiled.
Lyriasthe shoved the rest of the meat into her mouth, freeing her hands for wielding her power. “Ready.”
The four of us flew over the cliffs, chunks of ice digging into the cracks like they were trying to wedge the rocks apart. My heart beat a staccato rhythm against my ribs as I scanned the area ahead in search of the wall.
A group of Demons in thick, dark leathers patrolled the length, their bows gripped tight in their fists, full quivers strapped to their backs. Vaeron held up a fist, and we halted, using our wings to hover as he scanned our enemies.
Between the fog and Lyriasthe’s Illusion, they didn’t notice us, scans slipping past without register. Two stopped and exchanged words. They appeared casual enough, but I had no doubt that the moment the Angels attacked, they’d turn vicious.
Vaeron gestured toward the rocks off to the left, where a small slot waited. We pivoted, staying in tight formation as we approached it. We eased into the crack, just wide enough to hold two of us side by side.
The stone bowed inward, creating a small overhang that protected us from the falling snow. The half-cave, half-cleft gave us a perfect view of the wall.
And when I sat on my rear, tucking myself into a tight ball to conserve warmth, a vision struck me.
The High Priestess and her lover, their backs to the valley below. “Give it a rest, Xannirin,” she snapped, leaning back into Hadvezér Rapp. The Kral stormed away, then took to the skies, fury etched in his expression as he flew toward a rocky outcropping.
I gasped, blinking back into myself. “Here. We have to stay here.”
Vaeron looked at me, so much love shining in his glacial eyes. “We trust you.”
I tugged up the collar of my jacket, the warm fur caressing my neck. My cloak offered a little extra protection as I wrapped it around my legs too. My mate scooted closer to me, offering further heat.
And so, the four of us huddled there, waiting for the moment the Goddess had shown me to unfold.