Chapter 22
KORMAC
(The night before…)
“We need to talk, Kormac.”
“How are you here?”
“I shouldn’t be here.”
“You said we’d see you in Autumn.”
“Are you going to listen or tell me what I already know?”
I shut my mouth, keeping my surprise under control.
“Good.” She waddled over to the bed and sat down. “We don’t have much time. I must act now to save you. But this is it. This is all I can give you until you reach Winter.” She lifted her hand to her face and licked her palm. “The mer betrayed me.”
“I’ll say they did.”
“I did not see it. Did not expect it. They do not take sides. They do not care for the surface dramas unless it affects them. I suppose iron affects everything that is not human.”
“Not sure humans get a pass from it,” I said.
“No. You don’t.” She licked her palm again.
“The rules have changed. I will not see you in Autumn. I will not offer you supplies. Only this escape. Believe me when I say there will be no more intervention from me, Kormac. You must do your duty and protect the prince. Get him to the north. He cannot do it alone.”
Why me? “I will.”
She glanced to the door. “This will deplete everything I have. Until the becoming.”
I didn’t expect to find out the details. “What do you need?”
“I need you to tell me you understand what I said,” she replied.
“No more help.”
“No more, Kormac. This is on your shoulders. The prince needs to be in the north. He may act strong, but you are stronger. Only you can make it happen. Now, listen well. I have already incapacitated the guards from here to the main hall. A path cleared. You will wait outside the door until you hear…” She grinned, exposing severely rotten black teeth.
Had they been rotten before? “Until you hear the chaos.”
“Okay.”
She handed me a key. “Unlock the prince’s chains, follow the cool air. You will come to a tunnel. There will be a boat waiting along with me and two of Valance’s cousins.”
“Why?”
“An air and water sorcerer will be required to get you to safety. Quickly. And before you ask, this magic will not withstand the seas around Winter. Unfortunately. It is not safe.” She chuckled. Was it funny? “Autumn first, Winter last.”
“Okay.” What else could I say?
“Follow these instructions as I have given them. Do not deviate. And remember what I said: There is no more help until Winter.”
“I understand.”
“Good. Now move.”