Page 91 of Night Fae
"I saw him." Malik was aware how confused he must be sounding, but heknewhe hadn't been dreaming. "The shadow paths... I was there, watching. The Fields have him caught in some kind of memory with Rhys, but it's not real."
Lyrian stepped forward, his aquamarine hair falling over his shoulders. "Slow down. What exactly did you see?"
Malik described the vision in hasty sentences—the clearing, the ancient tree, the false Rhys, and most importantly, the shadow tendrils consuming Zev while he remained oblivious.
"I could touch them," Malik said, touching his fingers together as if still feeling the cold pulse of the shadow tendril. "I grabbed one and it responded to me. I could control it, just for a moment."
Leon's expression shifted from confusion to skepticism. "Are you sure?"
"It's possible," Lyrian said, studying Malik with new intensity. "If he's truly Barrier Keeper blood."
"Where are the others?" Malik asked, looking past them toward the door. "Knox? Adrian?"
"They've gone to confront Yuri," Lyrian said. "Leon helped us determine where he would strike next. They left at dawn." While he spoke, he shot Leon a look that Malik couldn't quite discern.
But whatever Lyrian thought about Leon, it didn't matter now.
Malik pushed the blankets aside. "Then I'm going after Zev myself."
Leon moved to block him. "Don't be stupid. The paths would consume you."
"They already tried once and failed," Malik countered, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. The floor seemed to shift beneath his feet, but he forced himself to stand anyway. "I'm not asking permission."
"You're barely strong enough to stand," Lyrian pointed out. "Whatever connection you have to Zev—through the paths or otherwise—it's draining you even now."
Malik couldn't deny it. The pull in his chest remained, a constant ache that ebbed and flowed like a tide. Right now, it was receding.
Did that mean Zev was fighting back against the tendrils?
Would he win?
Couldhe win without any help?
"I have to try," Malik insisted. "Every minute we waste arguing is another minute those things are feeding on him."
Leon touched his arm. "At least eat something first. You won't help Zev by collapsing five steps into your rescue attempt."
Malik didn't want food; he wanted to go to Zev, but his nannies were never going to let him get anywhere.
Malik wished he had more skill points in stealth… or persuasion.
"Fine," he relented. "Food. Then I'm going."
"We'll discuss it after you've eaten," Lyrian said, his tone making it clear he had no intention of letting Malik leave.
A servant brought a tray—bread, fruit, and some kind of broth that smelled strongly of herbs. Malik forced himself to eat some of it while his mind raced through everything he knew about the palace.
The entry to the shadow path nexus would be somewhere in the basement.
He had to slip away from his caretakers and find it.
"At least let me wash and change," Malik said when he'd finished eating. "I can't think straight feeling like this."
Lyrian glanced at Leon, who nodded slightly. "I'll find you some clean clothes," Lyrian said.
Once Lyrian left, Leon moved to the window, pulling the curtain back slightly. "I get that this must be hard for you."
"If you did, you'd let me go."
