Page 81 of Boundless

And I felt exactly like the outsider that I was—which, to be honest, came with a tiny bit of relief.

“That, I do not know. It will be a while until my sight becomes clear. I must get to my new home now and begin my preparations. And you must find the lost crown,” the woman said.

“Alive,” Rune whispered, staring at the ground now, lost in thought. “An Unseelie heir is alive.”

“Yes. The Council of the Vale has heard of it, too. We’ve spoken to them,” Maera said. “All hope isn’t lost yet.”

A pause—the sorceress who claimed to have been chosen to be a seer now was surrounded by her people. They touched her like they were trying to make sure she was real, spoke to her in whispers, and she responded.

“You must be Maera Thornevale,” Rune said, throwing me off for a moment—I’d completely forgotten that he and Maera had never met before.

He offered his hand and she shook it. “I’ve heard great things, Your Highness. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”

Your Highness,she said.

“Likewise. And please—Rune is fine,” Rune immediately said and stepped back, sheathed his sword, put his hand over my shoulder. “Wildcat, let me look at you.”

I was too shocked to say anything, do anything at all but let him pull me to the side, look at me—reallylook at me—and I looked at him.

Shaved cheeks. Hair as messy as always. No crown on his head, and he wore black, same as always, except his black shirt was made of thick silk, not like the shirts he used to wear before. The boots on his feet looked brand new, too, and the spark in his eyes was dim, the silver that shone in them faded.

I could hear my heart breaking in my chest, especially when he wrapped his arms around me and came closer, pulled me to his chest and held me there, whisperedI’m sorrya thousand times in my ear.

Tears came out of my eyes though I didn’t even feel like I was crying. I felt…emptied out. Like I was a shell all of the sudden. Skin and bones, and nothing more.

It didn’t take long to remember the pain and the guilt and the torture I had gone through to get to this moment, to be in his arms. And for the relief that he was okay, that he was standing, he was still king, and we werenotin danger for now.

Not sure how long we stayed there for or what we looked like, if anybody was watching us. But Rune let go of me eventually, moved away and pushed back my hair, wiped my tears with his thumbs. Planted a kiss on my forehead.

“We’ll be okay, Wildcat,” he whispered against my lips, and the spark in his eyes was there again. I saw it, though not as bright. Those silver maps were shining like a beacon for me.

We’ll be okay.The thought echoed in my head.

Then Maera cleared her throat like she wanted to get our attention. We both turned to see the woman—Neria—not five feet away from us, those strange, pale eyes on me still.

“A word before I leave?”

How in the world could I say no?

twenty-four

She was changingright before my eyes.

It wasn’t anything big. Not even something physical. Just her energy that was shifting, and I felt it as if I could read it on a page. Or her eyes that continued to get paler and paler, before they shone silver when the light hit her right.

“Hello,” I foolishly said, feeling so awkward in my own skin as she watched me—likeshewas reading every page of me, too.

“You’ve come a long way, Nilah Dune,” she told me, and when she spoke, her voice sounded different from before, too. Heavier. Deeper. More…anchoredsomehow.

Licking my dry lips, I took a look around as if to remind myself that I was surrounded by trees, and that Rune was just there, watching me, and Maera stood with her wolves to his side. Most of the sorcerers had already left, and the forest wasn’t so crowded anymore, but plenty had stayed. At least a couple dozen of them spread out around us. Impossible not to be aware of them at all times.

“I have. I came back through a ley line, actually,” I muttered.

“Yes,” the woman said. “I see you.”

Fuck if that wasn’t the creepiest thing I’d ever been told—by a woman who looked both perfectly stable on her feet, and like she was about to collapse on the ground any second at the same time.

“Oh.”What the hell does that even mean?