Page 52 of Veinblood
I think for a second. “Four days through the mountains. Three if we push.” I turn to Mira. “What happened to the horses?”
“They bolted after the explosion. We will have to continue on foot, but first you need food and rest. You’re both exhausted.”
My first instinct is to argue, but before I can say a word my eyes land on Nyassa. Her face is pale, her hands are shaking. Instead of pushing to leave now, I nod. “We’ll rest for an hour, and then we move.”
Mira shares what food they have—dried meat, journey bread, water. It isn’t much but puts some color back in Nyassa’s cheeks. When we’re ready to move, Mira takes the lead, guidingus along faint animal trails. The afternoon light filters through the canopy, and everyone moves in silence, the only sounds are twigs breaking underfoot and the occasional breath.
As we walk, I think about Stonehaven, and what we left behind.
Did Varam manage to get everyone out in time? The escape from Stonehaven was supposed to be swift and silent—families disappearing into the mountains with only what they could carry, leaving everything else behind. I picture children who barely understand why they’re running, elders who remember other forced flights, other times of loss.
How many have made it to safety? How many are huddled at Whiterock right now, waiting for word that will never come if I don’t reach them?
Did Varam split them as I instructed? Or was he forced to choose one place? If the Authority closed in before they escaped, are they trapped inside the fortress that once protected them?
Varam would never surrender without a battle, and neither would the others. How many people have died while I was trapped in another world?
Questions circle endlessly through my mind as we walk. Each mile takes me further from any answers, from the ruins of Thornspire, and away from any chance that Ellie might find me if she returns there.
She should be walking beside me, questioning my plans, offering suggestions I wouldn’t consider,arguingwith me when I don’t give her an answer she’s satisfied with. Her absence colors everything. It makes every decision feel incomplete.
By evening, we’ve made good progress, but the light is fading, and we need to stop for the night. We find a small clearing protected by overhanging rocks, and everyone spreads out to establish watch positions without being told. They know their responsibilities, and understand the importance of being vigilant. They huddle together in pairs, sharing what warmth they can.
I can’t rest, though. There are too many thoughts crowding my mind. Too many fears.
Stars appear in the night sky, distant lights that have watched over countless generations of lovers and fighters and people who hoped for a better tomorrow. I wonder what they’re seeing now. If they are watching over Ellie the way they’re watching over us.
I’m considering whether to try and sleep when pain shoots through me. I stifle a gasp, my spine snapping taut.
“My Lord?” Mira’s voice is soft in the darkness. “Is everything all right?”
I can barely hear her over the rush of sensation, the invasion of emotions that aren’t mine—fear, confusion, determination. The shock leaves me reeling.
Ellie is alive.
Chapter Fifteen
ELLIE
“Every fortress contains the seeds of its own undoing.”
Sayings of the Earthvein Sages
“This way.”The woman doesn’t offer me her name, and doesn’t ask for mine. It’s a smart move, considering where we are and what I’ve just said to her. She turns away from the market stalls, and leads me down a narrow side street that winds between closely packed buildings.
I try to match her unhurried pace, despite every instinct inside me warning me to run. I feel like there’s a sign on my head telling everyone the clothes I’m wearing are stolen, that I’m not truly from this world, and that I hide a power that needs to be destroyed. My heart hammers against my ribs with every footstep, and every glance from a passerby. I wait for them to see through me, to recognize me as the woman Authority soldiers were questioning last night, even though there were no other witnesses to it.
We turn one corner, then another, and finally stop in front of a house. Faded blue shutters offer a splash of color againstthe stone, and there are potted plants either side of the door. She takes a key from a pocket in her cloak, unlocks the door, and steps aside to let me enter first.
I hesitate on the threshold. This could be a trap. For all I know, Authority soldiers might be waiting inside, swords drawn. Once I cross this threshold, there's no taking it back—no pretending I never spoke those words, never approached her, never placed my life in a stranger's hands.
Don’t be ridiculous. How could there be? No one knows I was going to talk to her.
“Inside. Quickly.” The urgency in her voice pushes me forward. Whatever her intentions, she's clearly as nervous about being seen with me as I am about being seen at all.
I step inside. The door closes behind me with a click of the lock, followed by the heavy slide of bolts securing into place. I turn slowly as the woman raises her hands and pulls back her hood.
“Sit.”
