“You may be right that he escaped, but I was right about my sister. She isn’t here.”
He scowled at me, and my heart pinched. In my excitement at Cadence’s escape, I had forgotten she wasn’t the only one absent from Lawson’s side. The mission had failed, but Dara was gone, just like they’d known she would be.
How had she spent her final moments? The last of my elation dissipated, and my anger toward Renley grew slippery and hard to cling to.
I couldn’t even blame him for the hard, bitter look he directed at me. As indoctrinated as he was, he couldn’t put the blame where it truly lay—at the feet of his idol.
“Don’t look so delighted,” he said through his teeth. “You thought your beloved Guild could easily dispose of one mage, but Lawson just waltzed in and out again without a scratch. He’s more powerful than you understand—and one day I will be too!”
I rolled my eyes. Quirin and Dara had power abilities, but Dara had told me weeks ago that their seeds were too weak for them to have ever qualified as mages. And their son’s seed had been assessed as a similar strength. All of the original inhabitants were the same.
Renley might choose to delay his activation so he could hold on to a childish dream, but it didn’t change reality. He would never be a powerful mage.
My dismissal infuriated him, and he stepped close, towering over me, although there was less than a year between us.
“You think you’re so clever, Airlie, but there are plenty of things you don’t understand. These setbacks are only minor. The General will prevail, and those of us who support him will receive the abilities we truly deserve.”
When I didn’t look convinced by his fantasy, his voice lowered. “And don’t think your sister is free. The General is always two steps ahead, ready to try something else whenever one opportunity fails. And this time he won’t be waiting weeks for the next chance.”
I frowned, worry gripping me for the first time since seeing Lawson’s solo return.
“What does that mean? What is the General planning?”
This time Renley was the one to roll his eyes, stepping away from me. “You don’t think I’d tell you that, surely? Just be ready to welcome your sister to Calista. And maybe once she arrives, you’ll finally see that the General is right, and we are the future of this kingdom.”
Chapter 8
Cadence
Hayes walked slowly over and knelt beside Dara. Placing his hands on her arms for a moment, he closed his eyes. For several long seconds, no one said anything.
He opened them again with a heavy sigh, looking down at Dara before gently closing her eyes. When he stood, his face was somber and drawn.
“I don’t think it would have mattered if I’d gotten here quicker. Her condition is unfamiliar to me, but I’ve never seen such deteriorated organs. To be honest, I’m surprised she lasted so long.” He frowned. “I don’t know how to classify her ailment, but something in her body was very wrong.”
I swallowed, unnerved by the confusion on his face. Hayes was the Master of Healing’s second. Everyone spoke of him as the most likely candidate to take Colton’s place one day—once he had achieved his mastery and Colton was ready to step down. What had happened to Dara that Hayes had never encountered it before?
I worried at my lip. Could I trust her assertions that Airlie was safe? Looking down at the still body, I tried to make sense of my emotions. Was I sad at her death? Should I be?
She had been one of the raiders and by her own admission, instrumental in Airlie’s abduction. But she had also been friends with my mother. She had spoken my name with the warmth and pride of a mother herself, and I couldn’t deny that it had affected me. Somewhere, beneath my anger and confusion, sorrow pricked.
Hurrying footsteps made us all turn toward the door in time to see Sutton lead Colton in.
“Oh, Hayes, you’re already here,” Sutton said before catching sight of Dara and falling silent.
Hayes looked to the head of his affinity. “I was too late to attempt any assistance, but I’d be interested in your assessment regardless. I couldn’t determine what ailed her.”
Colton raised both eyebrows at this admission. “That certainly surprises me.”
He dropped to one knee beside Dara’s body with surprising agility given his age. Unlike Hayes, he looked into the distance instead of closing his eyes, but when his focus returned to us, he wore the same frown Hayes had worn, and he had no more answers for us.
“It’s certainly a strange matter.” He looked at Evermund. “And you say this woman was a raider? You didn’t do this to her?”
He shook his head. “We were only talking when she collapsed. Although Cadence was here before I arrived.” He glanced at me. “Sutton fetched me after seeing the two of you through the window and growing suspicious.”
“She made no attempt to attack me,” I said. “And I certainly didn’t do anything to her. All we did was talk.”
“She claimed she was already dying before she arrived in Tartora.” Evermund looked down at her. “She seemed to know the end was very near.”
“Is it possible the raiders did this to her?” Sutton asked, unease in his voice.
Everyone silently regarded each other as we considered this unnerving possibility.
“Why would they do that to one of their own?” I asked.
Sutton shrugged. “Who can say? The General doesn’t seem like the sort to quibble at using his own people for experimentation if it came to that.”
I paled. If Dara hadn’t been able to protect herself from him, then she definitely hadn’t possessed the authority to keep Airlie safe.
Colton cleared his throat. “If the raiders have some new weapon or ability that can affect a person in such a way, that is of great concern. As is this woman’s infiltration of the Guild.” He glanced at Zeke. “You didn’t hear her coming?”
Zeke’s eyes flicked sideways to me for the barest second before he shrugged. “Nothing definitive. I had a hunch the raider mage might not have been alone, but after all these days with no sign of anyone else, I thought I must have imagined it.”
Colton’s hand landed heavily on his shoulder. “Next time, report any suspicions, no matter how small, young man. We can’t afford any more attacks while we have the delegations with us.”
Zeke nodded, carefully not looking in my direction again.
I bit my lip. Should we have told someone? But what would we have told them?
At least Dara hadn’t turned out to be a danger to anyone. But if we’d found her earlier, could I have convinced her to tell me where to find Airlie? She had been sympathetic enough that it might have been possible. Perhaps Colton and Hayes could even have helped her.
Tears welled in my eyes. I’d made a mistake—one with real consequences.
“You couldn’t have known,” Zeke whispered in my ear.
I looked up, hoping my gratitude showed in my face. The other four were still clustered around Dara, absorbed in a conversation about how to proceed. But of course Zeke had seen me and understood my emotions.
“If only I’d thought to look underground,” I murmured back.