She knew she’d been distracted with her own assignments from the Triumvirate, in addition to other, more personal matters, but how had she not realized they were missing?
“How long have they been gone?” she asked, the floor feeling like it shifted beneath her feet as a low hum started beneath her skin.
“It could have been days or weeks. There’s no way to know at this point.”
“They were told to stay within the citadel,” Lucian ground out.
Effie could feel the anger rolling off of him. People he was supposed to protect were missing. There was no way he’d forgive himself until they were found.
“Apparently, they felt compelled to travel.”
Lucian bit off a curse. “Do we have any clue where they might have gone?”
Smoke, or perhaps one of the Mirrors, lifted a hand to gesture at Kieran. “The Dreamer is the one who notified us of their disappearance. He’s had another vision.”
Lucian twisted to Kieran, his eyes bottomless. “Where?”
“I will take you there,” Kieran said, his voice filled with barely veiled disdain.
Effie knew that he hated that Lucian was touching her. Even now, in the midst of a crisis, he was still hung up on perceived slights.
“You will stay, Dreamer, and go over the details of your vision.”
“What?” Kieran snapped, turning to the man on the dais. “I’m the only one that knows where to go.”
“Lucian and Kael know the jungle better than anyone. Tell them where to go. They will know what to look for. You will stay and review the vision in detail. The last one you had turned out to be a marker. We cannot afford to miss a single clue.”
“I’ve already told you what I Saw—”
“If you’d rather, I can take the vision from you . . .” the robed figure trailed off, lifting his runed hand higher.
Kieran stiffened, his hands balling into fists. “You will not.”
Effie knew better than the others how much Kieran hated the possibility of the Triumvirate stealing his other thoughts. To him, it was the worst kind of violation. He’d shamed her for allowing them to do the same to her.
“Then you stay. Now tell the others where to go so that we do not waste any more time.”
“Fine,” he snarled, his fury palpable. He was visibly shaking when he said, “East side of the jungle by the river, near the border to the Broken Vale. That’s where I Saw them last.”
Kael and Lucian exchanged a look.
“The nearest portal is an hour walk from the border. We will need to leave now,” Kael said.
“What about a stone?” Ronan asked.
“They’re all spent,” Kael replied with a shake of his head.
“We go on foot,” Lucian said. “Everyone grab what you need. We leave immediately.”
Effie couldn’t help but notice how their group had diminished. It’d been small to begin with, but less than a week ago there’d been six of them, plus Zane and Xander, investigating Sylverlands and now they were down to four.
It made the jungle feel ominous. As if the threat of what was waiting for them alone was enough to pick them off.
Not that it was necessarily true. Only one person of the initial eight was willingly staying behind due to her slow recovery, and the two Sylvanese men weren’t even in the same territory at present. But still . . . the feeling lingered, causing Effie to keep glancing back over her shoulder to peer into the shadowed areas between the trees.
Something was out there, but would they find it before it found them?
With each step, she grew less certain of the answer.
Effie was with three of the strongest warriors in history, and it wasn’t exactly like they were stepping onto the battlefield. But she couldn’t shake the feeling that they alone wouldn’t be enough.
“Do you know what’s waiting for us?” Effie asked Ronan, keeping pace with him just behind Lucian and Kael.
He shook his head; his face set in hard lines. “No. Whatever Kieran shared with the Triumvirate, he did before we arrived. Clearly, they didn’t think the information was pertinent.”
Effie mulled it over, trying to follow the thread of logic in why they’d hold back information. “Maybe there was nothing specific to share,” she said eventually, with a little shake of her head.
“How do you figure?” Ronan asked, pushing a bowed branch up so it wouldn’t smack him in the face.
“Well . . . if his dream was about Jo and Tess before they went missing, it’s possible there was nothing specifically amiss. The dream could have just shown them and nothing more . . . sinister.”
“Hmm,” Ronan said, picking up the thought. “So, then we’d be looking for a sign of capture instead of corruption.”
Effie nodded. “Although the two things aren’t necessarily unrelated. Not with the Triumvirate thinking this has the potential to be another marker.”
Ronan’s expression darkened. “Let us both pray to the Mother it is not. The last thing we need is a third marker to pass without any sign of Helena.”
“Still?” Effie asked, a tendril of fear snaking through her.
He gave a terse shake of his head. “She never would have left if she had any doubt that we’d be safe in her absence.”
“Should we send for the rest of the Circle?” Effie asked.
“Kragen and Joquil are off searching for Von and Helena. Timmins remains at the Palace in case she sends word, and to ensure that things continue to run as smoothly as possible.”
“Do they have any idea where she might be?”
“Our best guess is she went to visit the pride in Talyria. It’s the only realm that is closed to us.”
Effie’s heart sank. “It’s been weeks. Surely she’ll come home soon?”
Ronan gave her a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I’m sure she will.”
But would it be in time?
Determination solidified within her, and Effie stood a little straighter. “If we have to face this without Helena, then it’s time we plan for that eventuality. I never was one for sitting around and waiting for someone to come rescue me,” Effie said, pulling not just Ronan’s attention, but also her Guardian’s.
She gave Lucian a small smile, and he gave her an inscrutable look in return before turning away.
“We’re hardly sitting,” Ronan said, gesturing to the jungle.
“No, but we’re not coming up with ways to fight the corruption either. Without a plan, one of these days, we’re going to walk straight into something we won’t walk away from.”
“Is that what you See?” Ronan asked, his blue eyes spearing her with their intensity.
“I don’t need a prophecy to show me that.”
Ronan fell silent as they continued forward, his voice soft when he finally spoke. “What do you suggest?”
“Helena cleansed the land before. That means it can be done. We just need to find a way to replicate it without her.”
“Without Spirit magic, you mean?”
Effie let out a frustrated sigh. This was the exact thing that had been weighing on her. Chewing on her bottom lip, her eyes fell back to the Guardians in front of her.