Sadal laughs. His chains jostle as he shrugs. Erzur shifts restlessly. “Can we move along? I don’t want to be in the Ether longer than I have to.”
Sadal saunters to the front of the group, followed closely by Altair and Erzur. Sadal leads us through the long grass into a thin forest. My eyes rove over the forest, darting between trees in case I see any signs of the Shades. But the forest is empty, silent. There aren’t even any birds flitting from tree to tree. My stomach churns with anxiety and I reach for the dagger at my hip. This place doesn’t feel right. But then again, nothing in the Ether feels right.
Suddenly, a hand clamps down on my wrist and I inhale sharply. I whirl towards my attacker, bringing my leg around to catch their knees. They sidestep swiftly, but the hand tightens on my wrist and I feel a flash of pain. Thal squeezes tighter and I bite back a whimper. He studies me. "That was an interesting move," he murmurs.
It was a maneuver Thal taught me when we rode with the soldiers, hunting for stray demons. “I had an excellent teacher,” I say through gritted teeth. “Can I have my arm back?”
“Sorry.” He drops me like a hot poker, pursing his lips. “I’m still distrustful of the Bloodbane.”
I open my mouth to deny that I’m a Bloodbane—an old habit—but I stop myself. I am a Bloodbane. I was born a witch and have a knack for ancient magic. There’s no use denying it anymore. “You have nothing to fear from me,” I say, lacing my voice with sincerity. “I don’t mean anyone here harm, except perhaps Sadal.”
Thal’s lips quirk into a roguish smile. “Seems we have at least one thing in common.”
“Verity?” Altair calls to me. I glance at him, concern twisting his handsome features. The group has stopped, waiting for us to catch up. “Are you alright?”
“It seems you have my cousin wrapped around your little finger,” Thal muses.
I lift a hand towards Altair. “I’m fine.”
Thal and I rejoin the group as the sky glows orange. The clouds above are a deep purple. “We should make camp for the night,” Sadal says, glancing at the sky.
Erzur’s brows raise. “I didn’t know time passed in the Ether.”
“It gives the illusion of passing,” Sadal explains. “But it’s not safe to travel at night.”
I think of the Shades' gnashing teeth and too-wide mouths and shudder. We stop in a small clearing, trees on all sides. I want to build a fire to keep the darkness at bay, but I know any kind of light would attract the Shades and other wicked creatures towards us. I can't even light a match tonight. My stomach churns as we set up camp. It's just a jumble of sleeping mats laid close together and a series of tripwires to sound an alarm and wake us if anything approaches. Serus paces beside me, feeding off the nervous energy and thoughts of the group.
“How are you doing?” Altair asks, joining me on my sleeping mat.
I scoot over, making room for him to sit. We sit shoulder to shoulder and it feels like my skin is on fire. “I’m nervous,” I say.
He nods. “This certainly isn’t an afternoon reading in the gardens, is it?”
“God, I miss that,” I sigh.
“Me too.” Altair’s eyes study my face, taking in the blood-shot eyes and swollen eyelids. “You’ve been crying.”
“I haven’t found much time to cry lately.” I force a smile.
Altair’s hand strays to my knee and I bite my lip to keep myself from leaning into him. “I know you’ll miss Thal. You two grew very close—close enough to make me jealous.” He flashes a sad, guilty smile. “He isn’t in any pain though. He doesn’t even know what he’s missing.”
“That’s part of what makes it so hard,” I whisper. “He doesn’t even know that he’s forgotten me.”
“Oh, but I do.”
I turn to see Thal looming over us, his hand resting casually on his sword. He’s just a shadow against the night sky. “Thal,” Altair says. “You’re meant to be keeping watch.”
“Your voices carry,” he says simply. His eyes glimmer in the darkness as he stares at me. “I don’t remember you Verity Chastain, but I don’t want that to bring you any pain. My cousin trusts you, and so shall I.”
Thal turns away, returning to his post on the fringe of the clearing before I can ask him how he knows my last name. Altair squeezes my knee, caressing the inside of my thigh with his thumb. "See?" He brushes the hair away from my cheeks, letting his fingers trail down my neck. "It will be alright."
I give in and lean into his hard, muscular body. Erzur is looking the other way, keeping an eye out for dangers. For a single moment, it is just Altair and I. He brushes his lips over my ear, holding me close until the pain in my chest has eased somewhat. “I just want to go back to the beginning,” I whisper, breathing in his scent. He smells like pine and fresh snow.
“We have to keep moving forward.” His fingers play over my back in a soothing rhythm. “One foot in front of the other until we can go no further.”
“What if this is my limit?” Exhaustion weighs on me, mingled with feelings of guilt and shame. If I had simply left and stayed in the mortal realm when Altair gave me that chance—perhaps none of this would have happened. And Altair would be dead.
“Listen to me, Verity,” Altair murmurs. “Haven’t you survived worse than this? And yet you’re still here. Because you’re a fighter. For all your bookish tendencies and your lack of fighting skills, you are a warrior.”
My lips quirk into a tired smile at his light teasing. “And what about you? Where is your limit?”
“Past yours,” he says simply. I scoff, elbowing him in the ribs as he
