Lorah just shook her head, causing Kiva’s dread to grow. But then the queen arched a gray eyebrow and said, “You already know where the ring is, darling boy. Sarana never gave it to my family — she was going to, but she decided to keep it in yours.”
For a moment, the only sounds Kiva heard were the buzzing of insects and the chirping of birds overhead, the normally relaxing forest noises doing nothing to soothe the panic that Lorah’s statement caused within her.
Because with it came a memory:
A golden ring on Queen Ariana’s finger.
The Royal Signet — one part of the Royal Ternary.
Which had been stolen by Zuleeka.
And then worn by Mirryn, the last time Kiva had seen them both, in the dungeons beneath the River Palace.
Kiva turned woodenly to Jaren, seeing the shocked realization on his own face.
“That can’t be right,” he said, almost desperately. “The Signet doesn’t channel magic.”
“None of the rings do, without each other,” Galdric murmured, his voice weak. “On their own, you would never know what they’re capable of.”
Kiva looked closely at him for the first time since they’d arrived in Arden, noting that he was swaying on the spot, with sweat dotting his forehead. Windfunneling twice in two days had taken too much out of him, but he shook his head when he caught her worried look, reminding her that they had more immediate concerns.
“We need to ride for Vallenia, right now,” Jaren said in a hard voice. “I don’t know how we’ll get the ring from Zuleeka, but we —”
“Zuleeka doesn’t have it,” Kiva croaked out, drawing all their eyes. “Mirryn does.”
Both Naari and Caldon swore, but Kiva thought their odds of taking it from Mirryn were better than their odds of stealing it from Zuleeka. Jaren seemed to be in agreement, since his face, though pale, was determined.
“Would someone care to fill me in?” Queen Lorah asked mildly. “Jaren, darling —”
“I’m sorry, but we can’t stay,” Jaren interrupted, swinging up onto his horse. Kiva and the others quickly followed his lead. “Please forgive us. We must go.”
Ignoring royal etiquette — or any etiquette — he spun Nightshade in the opposite direction to Arden and took off down the forest path, with Kiva, Caldon, Naari, Tipp, Cresta, and Galdric close behind him.
At any other time, Kiva would have been disappointed about not venturing into the tree city, but now her only thought was to wonder how quickly they could make it back to Vallenia. Even if they rode hard all day and night, it would still take them days to cross the border into Evalon, and days more before they reached the capital. And now they wouldn’t even be arriving with the Hand of the Gods — nor would they be returning with Jaren in possession of his magic. Everything needed for a chance at keeping their kingdom safe was still before them, the uncertainty enough to make Kiva’s knees weak. But she tightened her thighs around Zephyr and silenced her troubled mind. With any luck, Galdric would regain his strength quickly and be able to windfunnel them a large portion of the way. That was her hope, desperate as it was.
Hours passed as they hurried through the thick Nerine forests, none of them speaking, taking only the shortest of breaks to rest their horses before setting off again. When night fell, they didn’t stop, using the glow of Kiva’s magic to keep from riding headfirst into any trees. Only when their horses were in desperate need of a proper breather did they finally take a longer break, grabbing a few short hours of sleep — though Kiva was unsure if any of them really slept.
Anxiety was thick in the air as the first traces of dawn had them up and ready to go again. Kiva wished she could offer comfort to her friends — especially to Jaren, who was tenser than she’d ever seen him. And then there was Galdric, who, while no longer swaying, was clearly struggling with the pace of their ride. Tipp, too, looked as if he was about to topple right off his pony, but he stubbornly claimed he was fine when Kiva asked if he needed more time to rest. Aside from Jaren, only Caldon, Naari, and Cresta were handling the arduous journey, and that was with Kiva sending her healing magic into everyone at regular intervals, easing their tired muscles and boosting their energy.
Unfortunately, Kiva’s power could do nothing to help replenish Galdric’s magic. But finally, halfway through their third day of hard travel, right when Kiva herself wondered how much longer she would be able to last, he pulled them up and said, “I think I can windfunnel us now. I won’t be able to take us the whole way, but I’ll get us as close as possible.”
A collective sigh came from their group, and they quickly dismounted and bunched together. His wind magic swept them up, more violent than ever before as he strained for every mile. When they finally landed at the edge of a different forest, Kiva swallowed her nausea and hurried to Galdric’s side, right as he dropped to the ground.
“I’m all right,” he said, panting hard and drenched in sweat. “I just need a minute.”
“You need more than a minute,” Kiva said sternly. She sent her magic into him, but other than slowing his raging pulse and bringing color back to his face, it did little to help. He didn’t need healing — he needed rest.
Kiva turned to the others, taking them all in. Tipp was leaning heavily against Whistlefoot, both boy and pony looking as if they were two seconds away from collapsing. Jaren and Naari were pivoting around and murmuring to each other, trying to get their bearings. Cresta had one hand fisted around the sword Eidran had given her, the other clenching a dagger she’d picked up from someone else along the way, both weapons sheathed at her waist but her expression showing how desperate she was to put them to use. Only Caldon was looking back at Kiva, watching her with his brows raised in question.
She was about to share her thoughts, but Naari got in first, declaring, “This is the Emelda Forest, I’m sure of it. We’re just outside of Oakhollow.”
Kiva turned stunned eyes toward Galdric, amazed he’d managed to windfunnel them so far. But then a swarm of nerves hit her stomach, because if they truly were near Oakhollow, then Vallenia was only half an hour away.
They were so close now.
Zuleeka was so close.
Kiva refused to let fear take hold. Instead, she said, “Tipp and Galdric can’t go on like this. They need to rest or they’re going to faint before we reach the city.”
“We’re so close, though,” Cresta said, echoing Kiva’s thoughts, her jaw clenching.
Kiva nodded and stood, walking directly over to Caldon. In a quiet voice, she said to him, and only him, “I need to get to Vallenia. I need to get that ring and use the Hand to give Jaren back his magic. And then I need to face my sister. This needs to end.”
“Why are you telling me what I already know?” Caldon asked, his eyes narrowing.
“Because I need you to stay here with Tipp and Galdric.” He immediately started to protest, so she quickly continued, “Jaren needs to be with me so I can use the Hand on him. And you know Naari won’t leave his side. As for Cresta” — they both looked at the redhead, who had already remounted her horse and was ready to leave with or without them — “she’s itching for a fight. She’s not going to listen if I ask her to look after them.”