Page 92 of Empire of Flame and Thorns

A sigh of relief comes from the back of my throat as the strange magical ice soothes the burns that Alistair’s flames caused.

“You saved him.”

Whirling around, I blink in shock as I find Fenriel still standing there. Some of the color has returned to his face, but he is still staring at me with wide eyes.

“You saved Talon,” he repeats.

Since I don’t know what to say, all that makes it out of my mouth is, “Yes.”

That word seems to make everything come crashing down around him. He staggers a step to the side and chokes back a sob. Talon lands on his shoulder and nudges Fenriel’s cheek with his beak.

I just watch them in silence. I didn’t even know if the hawk could die, since he’s a product of magic, but based on Fenriel’s reaction, it appears as though he can.

Fenriel swallows down another choked breath and reaches up to stroke the hawk’s feathers. Then he starts towards me. I remain rooted in place with the chunk of ice wrapped around my forearm. The burns weren’t too bad. They’re painful, but they will heal. Probably by tomorrow. Especially now since I could treat them with the strange ice straight away.

While striding towards me, Fenriel raises his hand. Then he tosses something towards me. I yank up my uninjured arm and catch it on reflex.

Stunned shock pulses through me as I stare down at the object now in my hand. One of the gold rings. With eyes wide, I raise my gaze to Fenriel.

“Take it,” he says.

And because my brain is slow with both pain and exhaustion, all I can manage to reply is, “You’re giving it to me?”

“Without Talon, nothing matters. My life is meaningless if he is not by my side.” His gold and blue eyes are dead serious as he holds my gaze. “You saved him. I owe you more than a simple ring.”

My mouth drops open, and I just stare at him.

All the usual cheerfulness and excitement is gone from his expression now. Instead, cold ruthlessness, the likes of which I have never seen on his face before, spreads across his features.

“Take the ring,” he says. It sounds almost like an order. A muscle feathers in his jaw as he clenches it while he squeezes his hand into a fist. His eyes are locked on the woods to my right as he grinds out, “I’m going after Alistair.”

I stare after him in shock as he stalks right past me and continues towards the tree line. The hawk flaps his wings on his shoulder and then flies into the air. Fenriel takes off at a sprint.

With my mouth still open, I stare at him until his long red hair disappears completely behind the foliage.

I look down at my hand.

The golden ring in my palm glints faintly in the late afternoon sunlight. I close my fingers around it while stunned disbelief washes over me. I have one of the rings. I can win the trial.

Trevor groans on the ground.

Panic shoots up my spine as I remember that he is still here. And Lavendera is here somewhere too. I need to get away before either of them decides that, between me, Isera, and Alistair, I’m the easiest target.

After sliding the ring onto my finger, I whirl around and sprint back in the direction that I came from. I keep running until my legs can’t take it anymore. Sinking down on the ground, I brace my back against a tree trunk and gasp in deep breaths.

Exhaustion rolls through my entire body.

But I’m far enough away from the clearing that the others shouldn’t be able to track me. So now, all I need to do is to run back out of the forest.

A sudden realization slams into me like a shovel to the face. The thought is so jarring that I swear my ears are ringing.

After looking down at the ring on my finger, I drag my gaze up and stare out at the forest before me while that terrible realization sweeps through my whole soul.

I managed to get all the way in here by following Fenriel.

But without him, how the hell am I supposed to find my way back out again?

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

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