“By the gods, what happened to you?”
Both men looked like they’d bathed in blood. Under the pale moonlight, they looked like avenging spirits come to life.
“We were kidnapped while we were waiting for you,” Levi said, his face dark. “They won’t hurt anyone again.”
Naavah Ora nodded. She wanted to know more, but there was no time. She had work to do. So much work.
“How about you?” Levi sat the girl down. The child looked at her reverence in her big eyes. She’d likely never seen an elf before. Naavah Ora was starting to get used to that reaction. “Did you find the weapon?”
“I have. I know how to defeat him.” Her eyes wandered over her old home. “My family is dead because of him. I have to stop this before the corruption can spread more.”
Doran and Levi exchanged glances. It was Doran who spoke. “Of course. We’ll help, you’re not in this alone.”
“We’re sorry about your family,” Levi said.
She hated this. When they’d first started travelling together, she’d wanted nothing more than to be away from them. Now that she needed to leave she didn’t want to.
“Thank you. For everything. But I need to do this next bit alone. There’s something I need you to do while I’m away.”
“You’re leaving?” Doran said. “For how long?”
She wished she knew. “As long as it takes.”
“But you will come back?”
She wished she could promise it. “Of course. I want to hear when you adopted a daughter.”
Levi blushed and Doran grinned. She’d miss them. Alharys, when had she come to love them?
Doran swiped some of the blood from his forehead. “What do you need us to do?”
“Go to Alt Võina. Ash’s plan didn’t work, he’s in prison. They’ll execute him if you don’t get to him first.”
Doran’s face turned ashen. “Ancients damn that idiot, I knew I should have gone with him.”
Levi looked at her with a puzzled expression. “How do you know this?”
She’d never wanted to confide in anyone this badly, but she couldn’t. How could she put everything she knew now into words? There wasn’t time. Perhaps one day, if they all lived long enough to meet again.
“I’ll explain the next time we meet.” She didn’t expect they would. “I’m sorry I don’t have more time now.”
Doran gave her a crooked grin, but his heart wasn’t in it. “Never thought I’d hear you apologise to me, Ora.”
She offered a smile in return. “My grandmother always said there’s a first time for everything.”
“No angry remark because I didn’t use your full name?”
This time, her smile came easier. “No. You’ve earned it.” She sighed. “There’s one more thing I need you to do, once Ash is safe.”
“We promised we’d help,” Levi said. “What is it?”
“I need you to find out everything you can about Ceallach. Knowledge is power. It’ll be our only advantage.”
Doran raised his eyebrows. “And when you come back and we exchange notes, you’ll tell us how you know all this?”
She nodded. It was easier than making a promise she couldn’t keep.
“Fine,” Doran said. “It’s not too late to change your mind. Whatever it is you need to do, we can come with you.”
“He’s right,” Levi said. “We meant it when we said we’d help.”
There was nothing she wanted more than to do this together.
“You can’t follow me where I need to go.”
“You’re not dying, are you?” Doran asked. He’d meant it as a joke, but his eyes were serious.
“No. I have too much to do for that.”
“If you don’t mind me asking,” Doran said, “what is this weapon you hoped to find? I thought it’d be bigger. More obvious. I can’t see anything on you that qualifies.”
“It’s in Dunhă.” She wished she had time for the whole truth.
“Is that where you’re going?” Levi asked.
“Yes. I don’t know how long I’ll be, but I’ll find you when I can.”
Doran grinned. “See to it that you do. Ash would be devastated if he never saw you again.”
Naavah Ora did something she never thought she’d do.
She hugged them. It felt good.
“Thank you. Until we meet again, friends.”
She turned around and left before she changed her mind.
I am awake.
Chapter 70
Doran
“Where do you think she’s gone?” Levi said. “Really, I mean?”
“Dunhă,” Doran said. They still stared at the spot where she’d entered the forest. Why anyone would want to go in there twice, knowing what awaited them, was beyond him. “That’s where the weapon is.”
“Yes, but there’s more to it, isn’t there?”
Doran shrugged. “Nothing we can do about it now. We have other problems to worry about, like Ash getting executed.”
Doran should have gone with him. Ash was a natural at getting into situations he couldn’t get out of without Doran’s help. Doran could think of at least twenty occasions where Ash would have died if it hadn’t been for him. This was just another one of those. He and Levi would free Ash, and then Doran could smack him across the head sideways.
Levi sank to his knees until he was eye level with Mae. “Where do you live?”
“Blue River Crossing.” Her voice was small, her tiny hands still clutched her dress. Doran doubted she’d ever recover from the things she’d seen.
“That’s not too far from here,” he said. “We can bring her home and buy three horses while we’re there. It doesn’t sound like Ash has much time.”
Levi took Mae’s hand. “Come on. Your parents will be glad to see you.”
Blue River Crossing was only a one hour walk away from where they were. Her parents must have been terrified for her life when she’d first gone missing. Were they still looking for her, or had they given up? The thought tugged at a long-buried hole in Doran’s chest.
It was a small town. Two farms lay around it, pigs and hens were in the dirty street, and the few people who lived there were either hard at work or chatting to one another. All of them stopped and stared when Doran and Levi approached with Mae between them.
“Get Alina and Pete. Now,” a stocky woman with harsh wrinkles on her face and a serious hair bun said to a boy by her side. The boy ran off, but the staring didn’t stop.
Mae pulled free of Levi and threw herself into the woman’s arms.
“Auntie Delli!”
“Where have you been, child? We’ve been worried sleepless!”
Doran felt awkward watching their reunion. This was personal, a private moment. He wasn’t any good at those.
Mae buried her face in Auntie Delli’s shoulder and pointed to Doran and Levi.
“They found me. They saved me.”
From the glares of the men around them, pitchforks raised, Doran didn’t think they believed it.