Page 150 of Keldori By Daybreak

“She’ll be fine,” I said before he could reprimand me.

“She’s going to kill you.”

“I have to survive the trip home if she wants to do that.” I glanced around, taking stock of our provisions. Orla, Fana, Iseult, and Tiernan needed us. “When do we leave?”

Ciarán heaved a labored sigh and ran his hands through his hair, shaking out his bun so he could retie it in a tighter knot.

“Whenever you are ready, though I’m assuming that’s now.”

Blue embers sparked in my hands. I hated how much I’d missed the buzz of Skal in my veins.

“In a moment,” I said. “First, I think we might need more blood.”

32. Intro to Mycology

The volcanoes weren’t happy. Their energy pressed against mine. My usual medical magick had never agitated them when I’d used it before, but that had been rudimentary healing. Creating blood, creating living cells, required a deeper power, one that pulled on the invisible string between me and Skalterra’s mantle.

But Ciarán and I both had enough blood to travel comfortably now, though catching a steamcart was out of the question. With Una’s help, we reached the next city in just over a day. Barony guards swarmed around the city gates, checking each traveler entering or leaving the city. Word had spread of the new Saergrim and her Grimguard, and the Baron wanted us both.

We doubled back into the trees, which had turned from stone to wood at some point in our travels. I kept my eyes on the space between Una’s green shoulders as we rode down the cart-beaten roads, still unable to bring myself to look up the trunks of real trees since graduation night.

Linsey’s recent transformation made the anxiety all the worse, but I kept my head. I had to. We didn’t have time for panic attacks when Orla, Iseult, Tiernan, Fana, and Jonquil were all unknowingly headed to their deaths.

Wood turned into rolling prairie, and I was shocked at how quickly the mountains at our backs receded. Una was making great time, but the farther south we traveled, the more breaks she took. She probably needed another Barony guard to replenish her energy, but we were fresh out.

Admittedly, it was nice getting to stretch my legs after being on Una’s back all night, but every second was a second lost in the race to beat the others to the doorway.

I studied Mom’s handwritten instructions by the light of the rising sun when we’d settle to rest in the mornings and before resuming our trek in the afternoons. After our fourth night of travel, I nearly had the words memorized, but I continued to pore over them anyways as I gnawed on a bit of venison jerky.

At least, the animal Ciarán had dragged into our camp the night before looked sort of like a deer, despite its taloned paws, so venison was the best word I had to describe what it was I was eating.

A creek babbled over rocks and pebbles, and a low hanging fog over our ravine kept us hidden. Percolating sun turned our camp gray, and Ciarán’s eyes seemed all the more orange against the dull colors.

“They’re probably still trying to get a boat,” Ciarán assured me. He sat next to Una’s sleeping form, running his fingers through her wiry jade coat absentmindedly. “There aren’t a lot of seafarers in Skalterra, even on the coast. Even then, most of them are owned by the Baron.”

“They’ll find a boat. They might already have one.” I kept my eyes on the notebook, as if reading Mom’s handwriting might slow our friends down long enough for us to catch them.

“We’re going as fast as we can.”

“I know.”

“Una can only—”

“I know!” I snapped. A jolt of surprise traveled down the tether, and I set the notebook down to bury my face in my hands. “I’m sorry. I know we’re doing our best.”

“I’m stressed too.” It was more of a commiseration than an admonishment, and I tried to smile in response. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

I laughed, but the sound was bitter. “Go back in time and tell me not to be so self-important?”

“You saved Willow’s Grave.”

“At the cost of my friends’ lives!”

“And possibly the fate of both our worlds.” He weighed a rock in his hand, and then skipped it upstream across the surface of the creek.

“How is that supposed to make me feel better?”

“It’s not, but I thought you could do with the reminder that there is more at stake than Orla.”