Page 28 of Marked By the Enemy
“Tonight.”
I steadied myself against the wall. “Why me?”
“Because of your ancestral lineage,” said the one with feathers. “And because we won’t. In fifty minutes, awareness will return to the guards and the Elemental Seats. Leave within that time.”
“How did you buy an hour to help me? How did you plan to do that when your memories are already manipulated?”
The oldest smiled sadly. “We have a different type of magic. We were supposed to be the protectors of Caldaen. We failed.”
“Not fae?” I asked. “How can that be? Are you human? Are you from the Borderlands?”
“You are running out of time, Talia of Tarnwick. You must escape before the Bone Seat forces you and the prince to fuse or to break.”
I went straight to Darian, whose shirt was half-buttoned and all muscles and ripples underneath, blade already belted.
He looked up the second I stepped inside. “I saw your conversation with them. The ones who call themselves the Keepers of the Vow.”
“Did you know about them?”
“No. I’m incredibly ignorant. It worries me what they say about the fae, and I can’t help but wonder if I am just as ignorant despite having royal blood.”
I realized it would be a stupid thing to ask, but I asked it anyway. “Do you think the bone Seat has manipulated your memories?” I hated asking. Hated the softness in my voice when I did. “What happened to your parents?”
“They turned to dust after they were bonded.”
“Did they choose the bonds?”
“No. The bonds chose them.”
“But the Bone Seat said that fae only choose the bond, and I was the first case he’d seen where the bond chose me. Can you remember your parents?”
“Yes. But only glimpses of memory. They died when I was five.”
“Was the Bone Seat around then?”
“Why, yes. The Elemental Seats live far longer than the typical fae, even more than royalty. Oh… maybe my parents did choose the bond.” He rubbed his head. “I don’t know.”
“Did you hear everything the Keepers of the Vow said?”
“I didn’t hear anything. I just... knew. I saw images, but they were blurry. Their faces were blurry.”
There was no point in finding out exactly what Darian understood about what they revealed. It didn’t matter if he understood the Bone Seats’ ability to disrupt his memories. It wouldn’t save us. “We have to leave. I’m ready.”
His brow lifted. “The bond showed me your echoes about having to leave. I have prepared a lot. But we can’t have horses or guards.”
“We don’t need them.”
His gaze flicked past me. “So we pack and run.”
I didn’t argue. We moved quickly, cloaks already in hand. He’d packed everything. Bedrolls, tied tight and slung over his shoulder. Two water flasks. A satchel with dried fruit, hard cheese, and flatbread wrapped in linen. Daggers sheathed on both hips. A short sword strapped to his back. My fae-forged sword he had given me was tucked beside it.
“I’ve been listening,” he said, catching my glance. “Your echoes. What you eat. What you ignore.”
“My figure?”
He looked confused.
I shook my head. “Never mind.”
