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“We need the cover of night, and you know I have no control over the guard shifts anymore, Declan.”

Everyone went quiet at the reminder except Finian who made a small whine as if he could understand what the men were saying.

Shaking his head, Declan walked off without another word. The rest of them followed, all except Kessler and Bryn, to get the last of their things before they stepped outside the gate for the first time since they could remember.

Straight into the wilds that was the rest of the world.

Chapter 40

Brynfeltaticklealong her neck as she sat on the tailgate of the pickup truck, waiting for her friends to return so they could leave. Running her hand over the top of Finian’s head as he lounged beside her, she pushed away the fear plaguing her as she mentally willed her friends to hurry up.

They were supposed to have all met back up within thirty minutes, yet here they were... Bryn looked at her watch. Okay, so it had only been fifteen minutes.

She was a little antsy, she could admit it.

Kessler was moving around the truck, checking tires and saying words that made no sense to her.

Caden had come back fairly quickly and kept an eye out for anyone sniffing around that shouldn’t be.

Travis had gone to work his shift at the gate.

Her body tingled with nervous energy at what was to come, the excitement and fear pulsing through her in equal measures. Her legs were swinging constantly in nervous anticipation, which had irritated Kessler as he worked on the truck, but he was good enough to stop his angry grunting at her after the first few times.

She knew him working on the truck, double-checking everything, was his own version of restless waiting.

The only person they didn’t need to wait on was Mr. Rafferty. He could just cross the veil to wherever they needed to be, so Declan had planned for him to wait on the other side of the gate and cause a distraction if need be.

Cyerra landed next to her, her feathers ruffled, as a sudden wave of freezing air stole over the town, and Bryn sat up. Kessler stopped and walked to her as they looked together at the walls of the city. Finian jumped down from the tailgate to investigate what had everyone wound up.

“That is in no way normal,” he whispered.

“Neither was that sandstorm,” Bryn responded, and looked to Cyerra who was on high alert as well.

“Am I in another vision?” she asked the crow as Kian took form near the driver’s side door of the truck.

“What in the blazes?” Kessler murmured as he caught sight of Kian, seeing him for the first time, and Bryn wondered what Kessler thought to do with the wrench he was holding like a weapon against a man made of shadows.

“Kessler, this is Kian. He is a shadow man who I killed as the Morrigan and is waiting to become human and take his revenge. Kian, this is Kessler. He is an alive man who is a very good friend so attempt to mind your manners.”

Bryn pushed off the tailgate of the truck as Kessler murmured something more to Kian, but she wasn’t listening to them any longer.

“Not a vision,”Cyerra answered as she flew to Bryn’s shoulder. “It is time to leave before the wraiths come for you.”

A huge gust blew through, and Bryn watched the fire in the city lamps struggle to stay lit in the onslaught of wind.

It was time to leave Ifreann, and she was happy to do so. She just hoped the wraiths were not so close that they were able to stall their escape attempt.

“We need to go,” she yelled as she spun around, running to the front of the truck. “Where is everyone?”

Kessler looked at Kian one last time before moving around the man of shadows to the driver’s side of the truck.

“No idea, but we gotta move this closer to the gate before we do anything. Declan has a spot picked out so they can all meet us there.”

Nodding, Bryn moved to the back of the truck, closing the tailgate as she readied to help him push it.

“Darling, you are not moving that hunk of metal.” Kessler gave a small tilt of his head for her to move out of the way as Caden ran up from where he had been playing lookout.

Raising her hands, she stepped back and watched as the wheels began to turn on their own, Kessler concentrating on the truck but not touching it.