Page 44 of A Sword of Ice
“Before the emperor does?”
“Yes…”
Iona smiled, feeling a surge of rightness through her body. Mana urging her, pushing her to make a decision. This was what she’d been waiting for. For years since she’d been tangled in the secrets of Illyk she had hoped to find a group like this. Of Fae who would be willing to help the cause and truly set her plans and ideas in motion. With them, she wouldn’t have to run away and lie in waiting. With them, she could finally take action and do what Mana had kept her from doing for years. Now she knew why. Mana had simply been waiting for their paths to cross.
“Son of a bitch.” Iona chuckled. She looked back up and met confused faces of the Fae. “Alright,” she said. “I’m in.”
Shula’s eyes widened almost comically. “Are you—” She broke off, but Iona knew what she wanted to ask.Are you sure?She’s the one who tried convincing Iona, why was she so surprised? Perhaps it was the fact that she’d so readily accepted.
“I’ve never been surer about anything in my entire life.”
And the timing was perfect, too. She was leaving Porir anyway, so why not leave with them? The decision was fast, and she didn’t have all the details, but she couldn’t ignore the feeling of rightness anymore.
“But… why?” Shula asked, clearly shocked.
Iona shrugged. “I used to be a part of the original Resistance. We failed our mission. Every day since then I’ve been thinking about what could have happened if things had been different. If we’d succeeded. And every day since then I’ve been stuck in this shit stain of a city, praying to Mana that things would change…” She trailed off. “You were sent to me by Mana for a reason. I don’t want to look the other way. I want to do something important with my life again.”
Shula’s jaw clenched, but the rest of the men smiled.
“Well, that was easy.” The one named Clay clapped his hands together. “Then we should probably get going before more soldiers come—”
“No.”
He paused, staring hard at Iona. “No?”
“I mean, yes, I’ll leave with you, but I’m not leaving Porir without my bear.”
24
Lovebirds
“Your bear?” Prince Valerio’s brows pulled together like he couldn’t quite comprehend what she meant. He shared a look with Uric, one meant for best friends who’d known each other for so long, they only needed a single glance to convey their words.
She’d had that with her sister.
Iona was silent a moment, letting them stare, absorbing what she’d said.
“We are in a hurry,” Clay cut in. “Can’t you just buy a new one?”
She couldn’t help but throw her head back and laugh. “Do not be foolish. I cannot replace my familiar.”
“Wait, your familiar is a bear?” Clay whistled low, his eyes wide. “Color me impressed.”
A smile spread over Iona’s face, and a sense of pride. “A polar bear, if you want to get specific.”
“Nice!” Clay beamed.
Uric scoffed. “How do you expect us to take a polar bear with us across Illyk in search of the Elementals? That is not exactly inconspicuous.” He shook his head vehemently from side to side. “No, we cannot.”
Iona pierced Uric with a glare. She already didn’t like the Fae male and was itching to just throw her fist to his face to get him to shut up. The only thing stopping her was the sight of his hand wrapped around the hilt of his dagger at his belted waist. Not that she didn’t think she could take him, but if she was going to be traveling with these Fae, it would be better not to piss of the prince’s bodyguard.
“Then feel free to leave without me,” Iona challenged. “Because where I go, he goes.”
“Perhaps you didn’t understand this is a stealth mission. It is difficult enough traveling with such a large group. We do not need to worry about catering to a polar bear’s needs.”
Fuck his dagger, she thought as she stepped forward, snapping her canines in threat, a snarl letting loose from her throat. There was a blur of motion before her and the next thing she knew, the edge of a sharp blade was skimming her throat. Her own hand snapped out, fingers wrapping around Uric’s wrist.
They were face to face, wearing equally threatening expressions as they faced off. A sting of blood against her neck made her blink and nothing more. She’d been through much worse than this.
