Page 65

Two grooms were waiting for them, no doubt spotting them as they came up the long hill. Sion dismounted first, and then pulled Selenia off and carefully lowered her to the ground.

“Selenia!”

She whipped around to see Tumwalt rushing towards her, Almory a few paces behind. Tumwalt had grown grayer in the weeks they'd been gone, and his hairline receded even more. He looked thinner, as if their absence caused him a great deal of stress. Almory looked the same, although his eyes twinkled even more, as if he was pleased to see them.

“Selenia is hurt,” Sion said immediately, looking at Almory.

“I'll see to her at once—” Almory started, but was cut off by a woman who appeared quickly, racing across the yard with speed that didn't match her age.

The woman looked at Selenia and Sion, sizing them up quickly. She wore several strange pieces of clothing, layered as if to keep her warm in the Snow Lands.

“Where is Renya?” the elderly woman asked, eyes darting quickly around the courtyard and behind them, as if she expected more guests to appear.

Selenia understood immediately who this was, even though she hadn't met her the last time she barged into the lodge.

It was Renya's aunt, Agatha.

Selenia's jaw fell the second she realized that Renya's aunt was here, not only in their world, but here at the lodge.

“She's not with us,” Sion said, clearly baffled by the woman's appearance. “You're Renya's aunt? I met you briefly in the Sunset Land. You hit me with some falling rubble.”

“Ah, the spy, is it? Hopefully I just knocked some common sense into your brain. If my Renya isn't with you, where is she? That boyfriend of hers better be taking care of her. He's far too handsome for my liking, but he does seem to care about her.”

Selenia tried to piece together the timeline in her mind. Based on her speech, she guessed that Agatha didn't know Renya was fated to Grayden. She glanced at Sion, and he shook his head slightly while Agatha looked behind them again, as if Renya would pop out from behind the horses.

Sion was right. It wasn't their place to tell her of Renya and Grayden's bond.

“If everything went to plan, Renya, Cyrus, Grayden, and his brother Phillippe should be on their way here as we speak.” Sion looked at Tumwalt next. “Have you had any communication with them?”

“None since they left the Twilight Kingdom. We've been in the dark here.”

“You all better hope my Renya's in one piece. What has happened since Renya came back through the portal?”

Selenia spoke up. “Renya's powers were unlocked by the Shadow Queen. We went to the Twilight Kingdom so Renya could be trained by Queen Kalora—”

“That old bird is still alive? Hmph. She stole my beau from me when we were younger and I've never forgiven her for it.”

“—and then the Shadow Queen came there and took Renya—”

Agatha gasped at this revelation.

“But Renya was able to get on her good side. Cyrus, Grayden, and Phillippe went to the Shadow Realm to get her back.”

“What's being done to end this threat for good?” Agatha looked at them all, hostility rolling off of her in waves. Selenia wasn't sure why she was hostile towards them, or if this was just her personality.

Sion cleared his throat. “Grayden has a plan.”

Agatha snorted. “I'm sure Pretty Boy does. Hopefully it's better than the plans he's had so far.”

Selenia wanted to argue, but she was tired and cold. She shivered, and then felt Sion's eyes on her.

“We can talk about this later. Selenia is in pain and needs to be seen to.”

Sion gave her a gentle nudge forward and Almory beckoned for her to follow him. She turned her back and marched away from the courtyard, towards Almory's workshop. Just before the doors closed behind her, she could hear Sion trying to reassure Agatha.

“Grayden is the best leader I've ever known. He also loves Renya. She's safe as long as she's with him.”

Chapter Twenty-Nine