Another name was yelled. A third daughter. A second son. Siblings. Names were shouted to the needled branches, echoing around us as Emil’s and Kieran’s expressions hardened with each name yelled. There were so many names that they became a chorus of heartbreak and hope, and when the last one was cried out, my heart had withered.
“We will find them,” I said. And then louder, as a part of me deep inside, next to that cold, hollow place shriveled, I repeated, “We will find them.”
I gripped the bear as shouts of gratitude replaced the names—names I suddenly saw carved into a dimly lit, cold stone wall.
“There are others,” a woman toward the back said as we passed her. “There are others at the gates trying to leave.”
All those names overshadowed what relief that brought. My shoulders tensed. A knot lodged in my throat as I nudged Setti forward. I didn’t want to consider what drove the Blood Crown to hold two Rites so close together.
What that meant.
We traveled several yards before Emil spoke. “I don’t know what to say about that.” His amber eyes were glassy. He cleared his throat. “Two Rites back-to-back? That’s not normal, right?”
“It’s not,” I confirmed, placing the bear in a satchel strapped to Setti.
“That can’t be good.” His jaw worked.
No, it couldn’t be.
“Nothing should’ve been promised to them,” Kieran stated quietly.
“I promised that we would find them.” My voice was thick as I reached for the pouch at my hip and squeezed until I felt the toy horse inside. “That is all I promised.”
Kieran looked over at me, catching my gaze. “We will save as many people as we can, but we cannot and will not save everyone.”
I nodded. But if they’d held a Rite just a week ago, there was hope. A chance that the children were still alive.
That was what I kept telling myself.
Through the thinning trees, small farms and cottages stood eerily silent, doors and windows boarded up. There were no animals in sight. No signs of life at all. Did the owners remain inside? Or had they already been taken in a Craven attack as they lived outside the Rise, risking their lives every night to provide necessities to those inside the city?
After a few more moments, I saw the Rise. Constructed from limestone and iron mined from the Elysium Peaks, the massive wall encircled the entire port city. The portion I’d destroyed before the Handmaiden stopped me became visible. Relief filled me when I saw that it wasn’t a complete loss. About ten feet of it stood, and scaffolding already lined the upper destroyed portion. Still, guilt scalded my insides once more. I forced it aside. Wallowing in my remorse would have to come later.
Closing my eyes, I searched for the unique, springy and featherlight imprint that belonged to Delano. Finding it, I opened the pathway. Delano’s response was immediate, a touch against my mind. Meyaah Liessa?
We are nearing the gates now, I told him.
We are with you.
I opened my eyes. “Delano and the others know where we are.”
Both Emil and Kieran lifted shields from the sides of their horses. A handful of guards visibly patrolled, but I knew there were more, likely on the ground below the Rise. But for those on the battlements, the glare of the sun was directly in their path. They had yet to become aware of us.
That would soon change.
“Hear that?” Kieran inclined his head with a frown.
At first, I didn’t hear anything except the flutter of wings in the trees above and the call of birds, but then I heard the distant yelling and then shouts of pain.
My heart sped up. “It must be those still trying to leave.”
“Sounds like a sizable crowd, which explains why so few guards are on the Rise,” Emil noted, lifting his helmet and sliding it on. “For now.”
Kieran looked over at me. “You still want to give them a chance?”
No.
I really didn’t.
That taste had gathered in my mouth again. The one that came from that shadowy, cold place inside me. The taste of death. It coated my throat as I looked up at the guards. They had to know what was being done to cause those pained shouts. I wanted to strike out.
But that wasn’t the plan.
“Yes.” I nudged Setti forward, and they followed, shields at the ready as we broke through the trees, entering the cleared land below the Rise.
A guard near a tower spotted us quickly. He swung an arrow in our direction. “Halt!” he shouted, and several guards whipped around, nocking arrows stored in the parapet. “Do not come any closer.”