Page 8 of Prisoner of Steel and Shadow

There was no judgment in her voice, and yet he felt all of two inches tall. Ronan gritted his teeth, his shoulders so tight the muscles felt like boulders embedded in his skin.

“I understand, truly, I do. I wish—” She broke off with a sigh. “It doesn’t matter now. We got here in time to relay the message.”

That... was not what he’d expected her to say.

Ronan blinked, his head shooting up. “What message?”

“She isn’t dead.”

He blinked again, a loud ringing sounding in his ears.

“Did you hear me?”

He couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe.

“Ronan?”

His heart thundered as his head swam. He couldn’t feel his legs. Was he still standing?

“Oh no, you don’t,” she growled, her eyes blazing sapphire. Her palm cracked against his cheek, clearing his head of its mental fog. “Focus, big guy. I didn’t come all this way for you to faint before you heard what I have to say.”

“Sorry.” He swallowed, his voice hoarse as he whispered, “C-can you repeat that? I’m not sure I heard you correctly. I... I thought you said...” He couldn’t even get himself to repeat the words, his poor, fragile heart terrified to believe in the possibility only for it to be wrenched away from him again.

Her expression softened for a second, the empathy he found shining in her eyes stinging almost as much as the imprint of her hand on his face. As if she could sense he would need her strength to keep him upright, Effie dug her fingers into his biceps, gripping him tight as she stared him straight in the eye. And then, with two fiercely whispered words, she sent his world careening off its axis for the second time that day.

“Reyna’s alive.”

Effie

“Alive?”

Her friend’s voice was so broken, so scared to hope, that it hardly sounded like the playful and protective warrior she considered an annoying but much-loved older brother. She barely recognized the man standing in front of her.

Oh, he was still undeniably handsome, with that same tangle of rust-colored braids running down his back. But not in the playful, roguish way he used to be. He towered over her, but the muscles that had once been perfect for bear hugs were more pronounced, as if they’d crush rather than comfort. And he’d shaved his beard. In and of itself, not a damning act, but certainly one he’d never done so long as she’d known him. The newly exposed angles of his cheeks and jaw lent his face an even harsher cast. Instead of charming, he was... intimidating. Even when she was a nothing girl who hid behind her hair, he’d never given her a reason to fear him. Despite his size and penchant for violence, he’d always been kind. Gentle. Now there wasn’t an ounce of softness left in him.

But the part that truly worried her was the bleak and lifeless quality of his gaze.

Ronan had long been known for the mischievous twinkle in his ice-blue eyes. It was an unspoken invitation to play and be in on the joke. But now there was... nothing. That spark was gone. And Effie knew, even without the aid of her visions, it had guttered out the second he’d stopped believing he could save Reyna.

She moved to take one of his massive hands in hers, squeezing it tight. “Yes, Ro. Alive.”

“But... they found her body.”

“No, they didn’t. It was a false rumor.”

His brows furrowed. “But why? Why now, after so many years?”

“They meant to draw out the last of the Night Stalkers from hiding.” The famed assassins who called the Forest of Whispers their home had been under attack ever since their queen went missing. Although attack felt like too kind a word for it. They’d simply gone missing. Disappearing in the night or while on patrol, never to be seen or heard from again. Just like Reyna. Whoever had been hunting them was clever, covering their tracks and not leaving a single clue.

Until now.

“They who?” The words were bitten off, savage.

“My vision didn’t say.”

“Vision?”

“Yes, Ronan. Has it been so long since we’ve seen each other you’ve already forgotten how the Mother likes to visit me from time to time? That she gifted me with prophecy?” He snarled, which she took as a good sign, so she kept on with her sisterly ribbing. “How else do you think I learned the rumors were false?”

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