Page 9

Chapter Nine

Jasce

Anger ripples through me as I stand in front of a window in the War room, the spy’s words echoing in my mind. “Annora is in Bakva.”

The door swings open, and I whirl around, my hand instinctively reaching for my sword, but it’s only Jude, and he isn’t alone. Arian stands beside him.

Her dark hair catches the torchlight, and her emerald eyes lock onto mine with an intensity that would make lesser men flinch.

She’s grown since I last saw her—not in height, but in presence. The way she carries herself speaks of someone who’s faced down storms and emerged stronger.

“Arian,” I say as I walk toward her. “I need you to create a portal to Bakva.”

Her lips part in surprise. “But you’re at war with House of Silver. Why would you want to go there?”

Frustration spikes through me as I rake a hand through my hair. “My wife is there, and I need to get her.”

Arian’s expression softens. “I’ll help you.”

“Wait,” I say as my thoughts shift to the last time Arian helped us. “I want to know what happened to Emerin when you escorted her to Bakva.”

“I took her to Bakva,” Arian says, “and that is all.”

Is it?

I don’t know Arian well enough to tell if she’s lying, but she seems sincere.

She raises her hands and speaks in ancient Hematite words, the air rippling like water as a doorway made of light materializes in the center of the room.

Annora is just on the other side of that light. The woman who has found her way into my thoughts, my dreams, my heart.

I take a step forward, but Jude’s hand clamps down on my shoulder. “You’re not going alone.”

“I don’t need—”

“—this isn’t a debate.” The amber flecks in his eyes blaze with determination as he continues. “You are our chieftain, and I will not allow anything to happen to you.”

The portal pulses as I give him a curt nod.

“Ready?” Arian asks.

I don’t answer. Instead, I move forward and step through the portal. The world dissolves into pure light, then darkness, then—

Heat hits me as Bakva’s scorching air fills my lungs. Jude appears beside me, followed by Arian—her portal closing behind us with a soft whisper.

We’re here.

And somewhere in this cursed place, Annora is waiting.