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Sorin bared his teeth at the Earth Prince. “I cannot feel her in the territories. I cannot feel her anywhere.” His eyes settled on Rayner, who merely gave a nod of his head, and disappeared into smoke, understanding the silent command to comb the lands for her.

“Because they are not in the territories.” Ermir’s voice was calm and prudent. “Not the lands of this continent, anyway.”

Everyone turned to the Wind Court male. Well, everyone but Ashtine, who continued her queer listening to things no one else could hear. She walked to the window, allowing her Second to speak, as though she already knew what he was going to say.

Ermir was one of the oldest of all of them present. He had been young when Ashtine’s parents had ruled the Wind Court and had also served in Queen Henna’s Inner Court. He had silver hair, the color of Ashtine’s and Scarlett’s, and he was just as discerning and clever as the Princess.

“Where are they if they are not on the continent?” Azrael demanded. “Why would Sorin not be able to feel his twin flame?”

“Because the Darkness has powers of its own. Powers that can stifle such connections,”Ermir replied. His tone was neither grave nor grim. It just was, as if he were stating the weather.

Sorin’s blood ran cold at the words, though.

“Are you suggesting they are across the seas?” Briar asked in disbelief.

“Possibly,” Ermir said, considering. “Possibly not.”

“Where else would there be Darkness?” Azrael snapped.

“Darkness is everywhere, of course,” came Ashtine’s lilting voice from near the window. “Queen Scarlett walks with it in her wake much of the time.”

“I swear to Silas,” Azrael seethed. “The two of you need to stop with the fucking riddles and give us answers. The queens of the Courts are missing. We do not have time to sit here and listen to the two of you talk in your Wind Court perplexity.”

For once, Sorin had to agree with Azrael.

Ashtine merely studied Azrael, those sky-blue eyes calculating. Ermir had gone silent, stepping to his princess’s side, hand within casual reach of his weapon.

Briar stepped before her, his back to the rest of them. “I think what everyone is trying to say, Ashtine, is that time is of the essence here. If the queens are in trouble, we need to know where they are so we can aid them.”

A small smile formed on her lips, and as she spoke, her eyes stayed fixed on Briar. “Darkness exists everywhere, in every world, and on every plane.”

“Every plane?” Briar pressed. He had always been the one, other than Talwyn, who could speak to Ashtine without losing his mind in frustration. Everyone had gone silent as they let Briar and Ashtine converse.

“You did not think there was only one, did you?” she asked, cocking her head to the side quizzically. When Briar did not answer, she continued, “The planes overlap each other. They are the spaces between the worlds. The planes are how the Spirit Animals can travel among the territories. They travel along the Spiritual Planes. But there are others. The Darkness waits there, in the places between the stars,patiently waiting to be let in when one opens a door.”

“So you are saying Shirina and Maliq could have taken them to another plane, and that is why Sorin cannot find Scarlett through their twin flame bond?” Briar asked tentatively.

“If a door was left open, the Spirit Animals would know and would have come to collect one of the beings in this world who can close the door before the Darkness can come through,” Ashtine replied.

CHAPTER 50

SCARLETT

Scarlett found herself standing on rocky ground amidst a forest of trees. It was cold, and there was a thick fog that made it impossible to see more than three feet in front of her. She pulled a dagger from her hip and looked down at the panther beside her.

“The Forest? Again?” she murmured quietly.

It was silent here. No birds. No other animals. No wind to make the leaves rustle. Just utter, eerie silence. She began walking slowly forward, feeling down that bond for Sorin, but she felt nothing. She tried to Travel as she had done a few times now, but she either hadn’t mastered that enough, or she couldn’t access that magic here. Shirina was just as silent by her side. At least the panther was here. Although she wasn’t entirely sure why she found that comforting. Every time the panther showed up, some startling new information was revealed.

She found a path that wound between the trees and began following it, but the sound of snapping branches and twigs had her whirling to her left. She palmed her dagger as a giant black wolf stepped from the fog along with Talwyn.

“Where have you brought me this time, cousin?” Scarlett asked, her voice low and steely.

“I did not do this, Scarlett,” Talwyn replied. She sounded exhausted, as if she hadn’t slept in days. “Furthermore, while I know I said I sent Shirina to take you to the Oracle, it was more of a suggestion. She responds to very few.”

Scarlett straightened as she took in the queen. She was barefoot, wearing only black pants and a white tunic. Other than the dagger she was holding, she didn’t have any weapons on her. She’d never seen her in anything other than her brown pants, white tunic top, and armed to the teeth.

“Maliq brought you here?”