Page 185 of Spring Guardians & Songbirds

“Where is it that we are going?” I asked, following them through the thicket of the forest.

Kilian said, “Malik waits for us in Brogmere.”

“Why there?”

He linked his fingers with mine and walked us toward the edge of the forest. “Because I don’t trust the Solaryan rulers to ask for permission to fade within their shields.” Before I got any more confused, he explained, “They are in White Bridge, in your aunt’s and her husband’s lands of rule.”

A wave of excitement and shock went through me all at once to make sense of how I really felt. “Eleonor always favoured Aryan, for them to be working together isn’t surprising.”

“It is not all, Snow. I doubt Magnus and Cora were unaware of this. For them to be under their nose for this many years seems folly to me,” he said regretfully. I knew he’d gotten close to Magnus and got along well with him—Kilian was disappointed.

I shook my head. “They both have the seal. They could easily pass for humans. But true, I wouldn't want to risk them.”

“And exposing them, you and inevitably Olympia to the Solaryans in the process,” Visha said absently, hooking her bag to the horses waiting for us. “We will figure out the analytics in Brogmere. Might we go before you are less of a Crafter? My bones have never known a cold like this.”

I faced Kilian. “Why are you not fading us there?”

He lifted me onto his horse before following suit behind me. “Apparently Melanthe has put a trace on magic all over the land. Elias warned us that Canes were littering the port, city and castle grounds when the guests were coming through to the celebration. My magic is potent—she has probably realised my presence in Isjord by now. If she figures where I’ve faded next, she will get the animals to sniff us out.”

Three hours of a ride through the Sable Abyss Forest, away from the main roads which would have cut it to one, we reached Brogmere. My limbs had frosted over despite the warmth from Kilian’s body and his jacket.

Celdric, the Olympian I’d left in charge here, awaited us at the gates. After several dark alley turns to conceal us from any potential spy of my father's, we reached a small lone house just nearing the south wall of the city.

I had barely even got down from the horse when the door banged open, startling everyone. A beaming girl ran towards us till I was engulfed in her smaller embrace. “You came!” Lara whispered, hugging me tightly.

“You have grown a head taller,” I said, fluffing her yellow hair. “Have you grown a head smarter, too? Last I heard from Celdric, you were caught sleeping in class.”

That made her pull away and sulked. “Soldiers don’t need to learn how to hold a feather, they need to learn how to wave a sword.”

“Right back at school you need to go,” Kilian said, kneeling before her. “A sword is yielded not waved.”

The both of us rolled our eyes at his words, but she flew in his embrace shortly. Reluctantly, she pulled away and glanced wordlessly yet full of questions at the both of us.

“You are allowed to like him, Lara. He is my enemy not yours. Though I wouldn’t get attached to him. My enemies don’t remain enemies for long.”

She clutched Kilian tightly as if I were to take him away from her. “Why is that?”

“Because I will kill him.”

“Glad to hear that I still have a chance,” Mal said. He leaned on the door frame, arms crossed over his chest and a knowing teasy look on his face that jumped between me and his brother. “Come on, sister-in-law, we both know it's me you really want.”

“Don’t you have better things to do than flirt with my wife?” Kilian asked, throwing a heavy bag to his brother.

Mal caught the thing as if it were weighted feathers and threw me a wink. “Ready for tomorrow?”

I nodded. “You?”

He threw a look behind where Kilian was directing the horses to a stable. “Are you sure you don’t want him to come with us?”

“The first thing my siblings will see after I free them won’t be their mother’s killer.”

Mal’s features tensed, a tick hammered in his strong jaw. Whatever he wanted to say got interrupted as Kilian’s hand slid over my back to wrap around the nape of my neck.

Oh, gods.

I was more than certain I was flush red, even my ears were burning. This felt way more intimate now. His hold and touch felt like a claim. Why had I allowed him to have that?

Even through the torment of thoughts, I leaned on him.