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F or hours they rode, stopping only when they were far enough away from the castle that Cora felt safe. She didn’t think she’d been followed, but she wanted to place distance between herself and the castle nonetheless. The night was still dark when she finally slid down from Valorre’s back. She groaned with relief, her legs aching from riding bareback after having spent so much of her recent time indoors. Valorre nudged her shoulder with his muzzle in a comforting gesture, and the sympathy she felt from him nearly brought a sob from her throat. But she refused to cry. She didn’t have time to break down, no matter how deep her fatigue.

The sound of running water snagged her attention. A small stream trickled over a narrow rock bed, a soothing melody in contrast to Cora’s frantic heartbeat. She crouched before it and gathered a handful of water in her palms. The cool liquid chilled her fingertips and tingled her skin, which served to sharpen her mind. After taking a few sips, she splashed some on her face. It was so cold it was almost painful, but at least it made her feel more awake. More capable of sorting through what had happened. What she’d learned.

Morkai was somehow alive.

In Teryn’s body.

She didn’t understand how Morkai had taken over Teryn’s body, nor did she remember what she’d left behind that had made it possible. She knew there was…something. Some item that escaped her memory the more she tried to think about it. Whatever the case, she understood enough about the situation to guess Morkai had likely regained his strength after Cora left. He could be looking for her. Tracking her.

Which meant she needed a plan. Now.

A familiar presence entered her awareness, and thankfully it wasn’t a threatening one. Glancing up, she found a falcon-shaped silhouette circling overhead.

She followed us from the castle , Valorre said, coming up beside her. He lowered his muzzle to drink from the stream while Berol flew down and landed on a nearby rock. Her wings were splayed with agitation, much like they’d been when she’d barged into the tower room with Larylis’ letter?—

The letter!

After everything that had happened since yesterday, she’d forgotten Larylis’ missive. It remained where she’d left it last, in her apron pocket. She remembered the words, though, his inquiry over Teryn’s well-being after Berol had brought him a scrap of his shirt.

Her eyes darted to Berol. “You knew it wasn’t him, didn’t you?”

She let out a sharp, keening cry.

Cora regretted that she couldn’t send a letter back. Not that she could fully explain what had happened. What could she even say? Your brother has been possessed by a sorcerer, but I cannot tell you how or why because some strange magic has made me forget. I promise I’m not crazy. Don’t come to Ridine, or your own brother will probably kill you ? —

Mother Goddess.

The signing of the peace pact.

Larylis was going to Ridine. In fact, he might already be on his way. Verdian too. In a matter of days, Morkai was going to have every monarch who stood in his way in one location. They were falling right into his trap.

She had to warn Larylis.

Cora rose to her feet and tore a scrap of fabric off the bottom of her chemise. Then she scoured the moonlit ground nearby, procuring a thin stick. Finally, she hastily dug beneath the underbrush, turning fresh soil. Gathering a handful of water from the stream, she made a thick paste. Overall, her writing materials were crude at best, but she had no other option. And while blood would serve as better ink than mud, she didn’t dare use something of such value. Should Morkai get hold of this, he could use her blood against her.

With trembling hands, she dipped the tip of the stick in the dark paste and brought it to the fabric. She froze, still stuck with the same dilemma regarding what she could say. There was no way she could convey the dangers lurking at Ridine, especially with such limited accommodations. No matter what she said, she couldn’t caution him from going to Ridine. His wife was there. She didn’t know Larylis well, but if he was anything like Teryn, he’d make haste to reach Mareleau, regardless of the risk to himself.

Instead, she’d have to give him a warning that would allow him to make his own assessment.

Danger at Ridine. Teryn isn’t Teryn. Trust no one.

—Cora

It probably wouldn’t be enough, but it might at least put Larylis on guard. If anyone could see through Morkai’s ruse, it would be Teryn’s brother.

After letting the fabric dry for as long as she could stand being idle, she rolled it up and handed it to Berol. Only then did she ponder whether the falcon would heed her directions. Teryn had told her about the creature’s intelligence in listening to his directions, but would she understand Cora?

It didn’t matter. She had to try.

“To Larylis,” she said, handing the fabric to the falcon. Berol gathered it in her talons and flew off at once. Cora watched her until she was swallowed by shadows, hoping beyond hope her letter would serve its purpose.

Warn Larylis.

Maybe save Teryn.

Her chest tightened at the thought, and her mind blared with the weight of her panicked realization.

I left Teryn behind.

Mother Goddess, I left him .

Guilt flooded her, even though she knew she’d had a reason. Yet whatever that reason had been was tangled up in the very thing she kept forgetting. What was that thing ? Hadn’t Teryn asked her to do something with it when he’d spoken to her as himself? And hadn’t Morkai threatened Teryn’s fate over that same nameless, shapeless, forgotten object?

She bit back a cry as she recalled the blood trailing from Teryn’s nose, the streaks of white hair at his temples. It reminded her too much of what had happened to Dimetreus, how he’d aged under Morkai’s control. Mother Goddess! She’d left her brother too. And Mareleau. None of them knew…

Cora cursed under her breath, truth dawning.

Her brother did know. He’d just suffered too much in his past to trust his own mind. He’d described his interaction with the man he’d thought was Teryn as a hallucination. He’d turned over his crown, his kingdom, all because of him . The sorcerer who’d already taken so much from Dimetreus. From Cora.

How much more would he take? How much time did she have?

No answers came, only a hollow dread.

She knew one thing for certain. Whatever Morkai ultimately wanted, it involved dark magic. Which meant there was only one place she could go for help.

“I have to find the Forest People,” she said.

Valorre lifted his head from the stream. Oh, I do like them. They revere me, as they should. As all people should .

A small smile curled her lips, but it sank into a frown. “How can I face them like this? The last time I sought them out, I brought dark tidings and drew them into a war they wanted nothing to do with. Here I am, once again coming for help.”

They are family , Valorre said. They will understand.

Family . The word echoed in Cora’s mind, warming her chest.

He was right. While she knew there were many who resented her for having hidden her royal identity, there were some who loved her. Salinda. Maiya. Even High Elder Nalia had supported her. No matter how guilty she felt for having chosen her royal family over the Forest People, they’d understand, wouldn’t they? They couldn’t have expected her to come back with them after the battle at Centerpointe Rock. They’d made it clear Cora could never be a permanent resident amongst the commune again. Her royal identity went against one of their most essential rules—never get involved with royal matters.

But this matter with Morkai was one of magic. The fact that he’d defied death was no small concern. If he was alive in any form, the Arts—both fae magic and witch magic alike—were once again in danger.

Cold certainty stilled her worries. She had to go to them. Now her concern was how. The Forest People would have moved camps just before Litha. That was weeks ago. They could be anywhere now…

No, not anywhere. While the commune rarely ever made camp in the same area twice, they moved according to the fairest weather. In the summer, they chose areas with cooler temperatures, ample shade, and nearby sources of water that weren’t at risk of drying out. They’d be near the mountains then. Close to a large river. But that still left too wide a net to cast.

She could try to track them from their previous camp, but that would take too long. She couldn’t leave Teryn like that. Couldn’t leave her kingdom at Morkai’s mercy. She needed to find them now .

A ripple of energy ran through her forearms, warming her palms.

“I can astral travel,” she whispered. The confession sent a shudder through her. She could no longer pretend the first time had been a fluke. Could no longer make up excuses for having misinterpreted what had happened at Centerpointe Rock.

The thing you did when you startled me out of nowhere , Valorre said.

“Yes, but…”

How could she use that now, when she hadn’t a clue where her destination was? Could she travel…to a person? Could she bring Valorre?

When she’d freed herself from under the horse on the battlefield, she’d traveled with everything that had been on her person, everything she’d carried. But not the dead horse. So proximity hadn’t been a factor. Was it simply a matter of intent? The horse’s body had been something she’d needed to be freed from, a location she’d wanted to leave.

Could she travel with Valorre by touch? Or perhaps through their mental connection?

Valorre left the stream and approached her. Lowering his head in an invitation for her to mount him, he said, We can try .

Steeling her resolve, she climbed back onto Valorre’s back. A wave of exhaustion crested through her, but she breathed it away. She didn’t have time to sleep. She hardly had time to think.

Closing her eyes, she shifted her attention to the elements around her, strengthening her connection to them. She breathed in the mild night air, filling her lungs with the scent of leaves and soil. Pressing her palms to Valorre’s shoulders, she let her awareness radiate down his smooth hide, past his legs and hooves to the earth he stood upon. Through him, she rooted her energy to the earth. Next, she shifted her attention to the melodic trickle of the stream. Then tilted her face toward the sky to feel the light of the moon. The warmth of summer infusing the night.

Air. Earth. Water. Fire.

On a deep exhale, she filled her mind with thoughts of Salinda, the woman who’d treated Cora as a daughter. She saw her brown skin, her long black hair, her dark eyes that crinkled at the corners when she smiled. She pictured the slight angle at the tip of her ears, marking her as a Faeryn descendent. Then she imagined the triple moon sigil that marked the tip of her chin, the ink that adorned her neck in complex geometric patterns, the insigmora that trailed over every inch of her arms down to her palms.

Cora’s own insigmora seemed to hum in response, warming her blood, fueling her with the thrum that was her magic. She extended her senses and tried to feel for Salinda’s presence. Her nearness. Her location.

She got nothing back.

Nothing.

Emotion , she reminded herself. I need emotion to travel .

She imagined Maiya next, the girl she loved as dearly as a sister. Her chest felt warm, but her heart felt so clouded with dread. Fear. Fatigue. Her emotions refused to rise past it.

No, I must feel. I must .

She thought of how the Forest People had cared for her. How they’d taken her in and taught her about the Arts. How they’d helped her recognize her clairsentience. Nurture it. Hone it.

Her heart began to lift.

They were my family , she said to herself. My family. My home .

Her emotions grew lighter. Richer. More potent.

She shifted her awareness to Valorre, welcoming his mind to connect with hers.

My family. My home . She said it again and again like a mantra, seeking some inkling that could guide her toward the location she sought.

My family. My home .

An invisible tug drew her forward, cleaving through her emotions. She followed it with her mind. Her heart?—

My home . The words came not from her mind but Valorre’s. Or was it simply a matter of their minds being connected?

I had another home before this .

This time, she couldn’t decipher where the thought came from, but the sense of awe that accompanied it was so strong that it pulled her deeper into her emotions, strengthening that tug, that pull toward a place. A vision filled her mind now, a meadow of lush green grass in the most vibrant shade of emerald. Dewdrops glittered rainbow light upon every blade. Flowers in the most spectacular array of color shifted in a playful breeze, creating a susurration more melodic than any stream, any instrument.

It was…breathtaking. Unlike any place Cora had ever been. Was this where the Forest People were now?

Home . The word pulsed through her mind and filled her heart with longing. Another pull. Another tug forward. Everything inside her said to move. To step. To enter this new location.

Valorre shifted beneath her.

He took a step forward.

A flare of warm light kissed the other side of Cora’s eyelids. Blinking them open, she greeted daylight. Her mind stumbled under the haze of her meditation, but as her senses sharpened, she realized she and Valorre were in the very meadow she’d seen in her mind. It was even more vibrant than she’d imagined, more stunning.

She dismounted from Valorre’s back and fully took in their surroundings. The meadow was surrounded by towering willows, their waterfall leaves swaying in the warm breeze. Yet she saw no tent, not even in the distance. Found no sign that the Forest People were nearby.

Something pulsed inside her. A warning that this was very, very wrong.

Only now did the sudden daylight concern her. No matter where in Khero the Forest People had gone, there should have been no change in time. No hour difference. No way to account for having stepped from night to day. Unless…

Mother Goddess…did she move through time as well as space?

No, that wasn’t part of astral travel. Not even astral projection could bypass the present.

I’m sorry .

She frowned, turning back toward Valorre. His muscles quivered, ears twitching in agitation. “What are you sorry for? I…I’m the one who messed this up?—”

No. This was my fault. My fault.

Her blood chilled. “What do you mean?”

You thought of home, but I remembered. Remembered my first home .

She swallowed hard. “Are you saying we traveled to your home? The place you came from?”

Yes. This…this isn’t good for you. I remember now.

Panic laced up Cora’s throat. Wherever they were, it was far enough from Khero that it was daytime instead of night. Still, if she brought them here, she could bring them back.

She grabbed hold of his mane in preparation to mount again. “What kingdom are we in? What continent?”

A rush of sound erupted behind her. Cora startled and turned toward it in time to see an enormous sphere of swirling color perched at the edge of the meadow. Three figures strolled out of it as if it were a doorway. As soon as the three were fully outside the strange vortex, it disappeared, leaving Cora to stare at the strangers.

They appeared to be male, and beautiful at that. The one at the center had golden-blond hair the color of honey, fair skin, and piercing blue eyes. The second was shorter than the first, of wide build, and had curly hair in a fiery copper hue. The third was the tallest of the three with umber skin and long black hair laced with gold and silver thread that sparkled in the sunlight. All wore silk britches and an elegant knee-length robe belted with a wide sash. The style was unlike anything she’d seen of current fashions in any region. But that wasn’t nearly as surprising as the angled tips of their ears. It wasn’t a subtle angle either. Not an almost-imperceptible hint like some of the Forest People had. These ears came to a distinct and obvious point.

She couldn’t pull her eyes from the three men. Their towering height, their unearthly beauty, their regal style…it was straight from a faerytale. And there was only one word she could think of to suit them.

Elvyn.

An ancient race of High Fae known to be extinct, even more so than the Faeryn.

Cora’s heart slammed against her ribs as an impossible truth began to dawn.

We’re not in your world at all anymore , Valorre said, finally answering the question he’d left hanging between them. We’re in my world. The fae realm. El’Ara .

Cora sensed he was keeping himself from saying more. His silence didn’t matter; the anger in the three Elvyn figures’ eyes was universal enough for her to understand what he’d left unsaid.

She was not supposed to be here.