Page 134 of Mother of Death and Dawn

Caduan beckoned, and with that movement alone, the man began to choke, as if Caduan was yanking the air from his breath.

“Speak. Tell us where they went.”

“North,” he choked. “They went north. Two days.”

Caduan nodded. Dropped his hand. He approached the man and, for a moment, smiled down at him, stroking his face.

“Thank you,” he said.

The man let out a ragged sigh of relief.

Then a sickeningSNAPechoed through the room. The human collapsed to the ground, his neck twisted backwards at an unnatural angle.

Caduan stepped over the body to me, taking my hand in his. He didn’t need to say a word. I knew what he was asking.

“The dreams match,” I said. “He is right.”

Caduan squeezed my fingers before releasing them and turning to Meajqa.

“Meajqa, go to Luia. We need to prepare the army.”

“The army? For four people?”

“We can’t be under prepared. It has long been suspected that Niraja has access points to the pools of deep magic within it. I was never able to find it… but…” He trailed off, then looked at me. “If something is there, we will need you to find it. Potentially even to harness it.”

Months ago, I would have railed against this statement. I would have thrown it in his face like a dagger, ripped him apart with claims that he was using me, that I was nothing but his weapon.

But this was different. The world fell away but for this and the way he looked at me.

I understood now.

This was not him wielding me. This was him handing me the means to be something more. This was him trusting me with power. Putting himself at my feet, even though he was the king, even though I owed him my life.

It was not a command. It was an offer.

I nodded. “I am ready.”

CHAPTERFORTY-SIX

TISAANAH

When I returned to the group, I was breaking. I tried not to let it show, but I knew it was obvious, anyway. Even Ishqa looked sympathetic.

“It was the best thing,” he said.

Was that how the Fey said,I’m sorry?

I bit my tongue and didn’t say a single word save for muttered directions at splits in the path. That, at least, was a welcome relief. I could handle putting one step in front of another.

The wayfinder’s call grew stronger as we walked. Eventually it got so loud that I couldn’t imagine how I never noticed it before—surely, this song had always been playing in the back of my mind. Surely, this thing that was inside of me must have always been whispering.

Hours had passed when Ishqa suddenly stopped short.

“It led you here?”

I looked around, seeing only the same trees we’d been walking through all day. “Why? Do you know this place?”

He pushed past us, parting the ferns until the forest broke. Sammerin and I followed. The glowing in my hand intensified.

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