Page 240 of A Warrior's Fate

Sebastian shook his head, his features drawn in a grimace as he stared into the darkness. “I thought I saw something.”

Not an answer.

“Like what?” Isla asked, even though she knew what he’d seen. A cloaked figure there one moment, then gone again like a shadow in the presence of light. If what had happened with Daisy had been some sort of magic, there was one easy to assume was the source. And wherever the essence of that source went, the killer seemed to dwell in its wake. Helping them. Keeping them safe. They must’ve gotten that necklace off Daisy.

“Someone watching us. It was too dark and they were too fast. I couldn’t see their face.” His throat bobbed. “But then the smell…”

Isla felt Adrien glance down at her, concern etched on his face. If he’d known the witches well, he may have had his theories, drawn the connections, between what happened with Lukas and what he’d witnessed just now.

“What about it?” Ameera asked.

Sebastian turned to her, and it seemed to dawn on him that he was in the presence of others. He rubbed a hand over his face. “Nothing—too much beer and too much running.” He powered past them all to go back to the alley. “I need a drink.”

They all shared a glance at the contradiction.

Adrien was the first one at his heels, then Rhydian. Ameera hung back, going to Isla’s side as she canvased the area and breathed in deep that fading scent.

“Is he okay?” the general asked, thrown by the shameless man’s sudden shift in demeanor.

It wasn’t strange, though. Not to Isla. When pushed to the right—or wrong—point, Sebastian’s laid-back facade melted away. But that didn’t negate how concerning it could be, especially when it happened so rarely.

“He’s fine,” Isla said, more from hope than assurance.

Isla could feel Adrien’s eyes sliding between her and Sebastian’s forms, likely unsure which one of his friends to be concerned about most. Both Imperial Beta’s children were silent as they, along with the Heir, Jonah, and Davina, walked to the ferry back to Mavec.

The night of fun and forgetting had officially unceremoniously ended.

Isla alternated her gaze between her brother, the buildings they passed, and the ground as her mind tore through thoughts at a rapid pace. She couldn’t settle on one thing, and to make matters worse, she was worried about Kai. He, Rhydian, and Ameera were bringing Daisy back to her home by the region’s southern borders. Close to rogue territory.

Isla had wanted to go with him, but it was safer for Adrien and Sebastian if she got them back to the House.

It was obvious from what Daisy described, at least to them, that somehow magic had been involved in the gaps in her memory. That necklace she’d put on had been spelled in some way, and the woman on the street who’d given it to her may have been the witch they were looking for. The same witch who’d killed the Alpha and Heir of Deimos. The same witch who’d been imprisoned by Imperial Alpha Cassius, and apparently, escaped.

You will lose everything in this war, and he is the reason.

The words played back in her head.

What war? The one she feared impending with Io? And who was he?

They’re trying to stop him…trying, but they’ll fail. They always fail…it can only be us. It’s only ever been us.

Isla looked off, those horrifying moments looping over and over. She wanted to write them all off as a hallucination, even if all of it had seemed so real. That chill. That breaking.

She was the only one who’d seen them. Who’d gazed into the dark, depthless eyes and heard that voice. Kai had only known something was happening because he’d felt it—her terror and something even more horrible keeping her from him.

When Adrien focused his efforts on raising Sebastian’s spirits, Isla fell back from where she’d been at Davina’s side to Jonah a little behind them. The shop owner had been just as quiet as she and her brother, but that was wholly expected. She imagined Kai was the same way right now, trying to break it all down. He seemed off when they’d parted ways.

Isla wished that she and Jonah could speak mind to mind too, but thankfully, they seemed to have an uncanny way of communicating without words. She met his questioning stare, hardened hers, and then glanced down at the side of his jacket.

Jonah looked at Adrien and Sebastian a few feet ahead before reaching inside his pocket to remove a cloth napkin he’d stolen from the tavern. Folded within it, a precaution taken in case there was any lingering enchantment on the piece, was the pendant. He unfolded the fabric to reveal its surface.

Now Isla understood why he’d hidden it. Etched into the burnished gold was a symbol she recognized. She quelled any audible reaction and lifted her eyes to Jonah’s.

It was the symbol of Ares.

Jonah flipped the necklace in his hand. On the other side, more words were scribed into the metal. All of them in that ancient language.

Isla steeled herself, pushing past the shock she felt there was no more time for, to think.

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