Evermund, however, showed no trace of enthusiasm at Sutton’s words.
“It’s a good point,” he said slowly. “Why would the General allow you to come when you must know a lot of information he doesn’t want falling into our hands? And why did you wait so long to reveal yourself? Cadence has been alone in this suite many times since this Lawson’s attack.”
They were good questions, and Dara seemed intimidated by them, trembling so hard she could barely stand. I took a step closer, sucking in a breath as I properly examined her. Her eyes were wide and unfocused, not even looking at Evermund, and the last flecks of color had faded from her cheeks.
I leaped forward just in time to get an arm around her back before her legs gave way. I wasn’t strong enough to catch her completely, but we sank to the ground together, my support allowing her to drop slowly.
Once we were all the way down, I gently lowered her head to the floor, arranging her flat on her back. I stayed kneeling beside her as Evermund joined me.
My breath came fast. “What’s wrong with her?”
He picked up her limp wrist, closing his eyes for several seconds before opening them to look at her face. After a moment, he glanced up at Sutton who stood watching us with an open mouth.
“She’s still breathing, but barely,” he said. “I’m the wrong affinity to tell you any more than that.”
Sutton nodded once. “I’ll go for Colton.” He rushed out the door before I’d processed his words.
“Is she that bad?” I asked Evermund, my voice wavering.
Despite the anger I felt toward Dara for helping abduct Airlie, she was a link toward both my past and my affinity that I wasn’t ready to lose. And she hadn’t told us anything yet about where Airlie could be found.
She stirred slightly, her eyes fluttering open. “It’s too late,” she said weakly. Her eyes found mine. “Surely you can…see it.”
The pause told me she didn’t mean see with my eyes. I reached out with my ability, blanching as hers flickered, growing weaker by the moment. And it hadn’t been strong to begin with. If I hadn’t been so excited by her affinity, I would have realized immediately that she wasn’t strong enough to ever be chosen as a mage. But that weakness was different from what I felt now.
Now she was barely clinging to life. I suspected if I had the capacity to monitor her other vital systems, they would be failing just as fast.
I pulled away, horror clogging my throat. Freed from the physical symptoms of the strange, sick power that swirled around her, I had been ignoring its presence. But I focused on it now. While I wasn’t paying attention, it had become a maelstrom, writhing at a faster and faster rate.
As I watched, her eyes closed, her frame seeming to shrink in on itself. I turned a horrified face to Evermund, who bent over her frowning.
“Is she…?” I could barely get out the question.
“She’s only unconscious—for now.”
I stood. “Hayes’s room is closer than Colton’s. I’ll run and see if he’s there.”
I didn’t wait for Evermund to respond, dashing through the door and down the corridor as fast as I could run. Mages and servants walked the hall, hurrying in all directions on last minute tour errands. I ignored them, pushing past anyone in my direct path.
I careened around a corner into the apprentice section which was wedged between the elements and healing wings. I only made it three steps, however, before I collided full tilt with a solid figure.
“Cadence?” Zeke grabbed me by my upper arms, keeping me from falling. “What’s going on?”
“Hayes!” I cried. “I need Hayes. Quickly!”
He didn’t question me further, taking my hand and pulling me around another corner.
“He just left the dining hall. This way.”
I caught sight of a familiar figure, walking slowly away from us.
“Hayes!” I shouted.
He spun around, jogging toward us once he caught sight of my face.
“We need you. She’s dying,” I gasped out.
Hayes also didn’t waste time with unnecessary questions. “Which way?”
I started running again, back in the direction I’d come from, both of them trailing behind me.
“Evermund’s suite,” I gasped out between breaths. “One of the raiders. She knows where Airlie is, but…” I couldn’t bring myself to say it. We were so close to the answers I’d been searching for, but I could feel them slipping away.
I increased my pace, the others matching me.
The door was still open from my precipitate departure, so we barreled straight through. But as soon as I saw the two people inside the suite, I pulled up short, Hayes nearly running into me.
Across the room, I met Evermund’s eyes.
“She’s gone.” He sounded weary and defeated.
I wanted to deny it, but I could feel the awful truth for myself. Her ability no longer burned inside her, and even the strange, twisted power that had clung to her was gone. Faint traces lingered on the air in all directions, as if it had dissipated on her death. But already they were fading and would likely soon be gone. We were too late.
“This is why,” Evermund said. “The General let her come because he knew she was dying. She revived briefly, although she refused to answer my questions. All she would say is that she promised to stay away from you until she knew the end was near. That’s why she came out of hiding tonight.”
“So she didn’t tell you where to find Airlie?” I asked, unable to stop myself from asking, although his words and demeanor had already told me the truth.
“I’m sorry, Cadence,” he said heavily. “We got nothing.”
Chapter 7
Airlie
I stood on the tallest rise in the encampment and pretended to survey the stunted landscape beyond the log walls, as I did every morning. The briefest glance showed it looked as it always did—barren, dusty ground with the occasional stunted or misformed tree. In a couple of places a few of them clustered together, but other than that, only the rise and fall of the surrounding hill country broke up the view.
No animals were in sight, but in the far distance I could catch the slightest glint of sun on water. I had grown up near the eastern edge of the vast Lake Aterra, but this was the closest I had come to its western shore.
The majority of my focus, however, was on the space within the walls. From the corner of my eyes, I scanned the wooden buildings, the canvas tents that housed the more recent arrivals, and the general comings and goings. The one gate stayed firmly closed—as it always did—and no possible avenue of escape presented itself.
I sighed and started the walk down the gentle slope toward a small house on the western side of the unnamed settlement. I had wondered at its lack of name at first, but those who first established it had considered it a temporary haven, and those who followed needed no name for the only location in their world.
As usual, eyes followed me. Some of the residents continued about their daily business without reference to my passing, but all of the General’s warriors made a point of stopping and watching me until I passed into range of the next person. It was a message I had long since received—I was always being watched.