Page 43 of Shadows of Ruin (The Broken Prophecy #2)

Chapter 42

Ian

C orbin and I stared at the makeshift map we’d made from mugs of ale and utensils, courtesy of William.

I rubbed my temples, taking in the sight.

It only struck me now how many people we’d helped over the two years of Hidden Henchman work. Pride swelled in my chest at what Lan had accomplished in such a short time, just because she loved her people.

“Oh, and here.” Corbin set down a spoon up toward the coastal towns. “It was out of the way, one we completed a year in. Leif and I ran it.”

I nodded. “I remember. Good work. This is—” I paused.

“Incredible,” Kalliah finished, setting down plates of food for both of us. “Now eat something before you get back to it.”

“There’s too much to do. We have no idea how long we have,” I argued, rubbing my temple. A headache had formed an hour ago, only growing stronger as we worked.

“You won’t accomplish anything if you starve yourselves. They only just left last night. According to Raya’s estimate, they should have arrived in Mysthaven not too long ago.”

“Raya’s estimate?” I pressed. Hearing her name clawed at my brain, raking over my spine, and not at all in the disgusted way I pretended to believe. Spending time with her in my head had been strange. In person, awful.

Kalliah glared at me. “She was nice to me. Even when you were a dickhead to her.”

“I was not,” I argued.

Corbin wiped a hand over his mouth, coughing as though covering a laugh. I shoved his shoulder. He stepped away from the map with his hands up. “It was intense. Your behavior. I’ve never seen you treat someone so poorly before.”

“Her magic?—”

“Saved your life and told Lana where to find us,” Kalliah huffed. “I knew you could be dense, but I never took you for an inconsiderate idiot."

“You don’t understand,” I sighed.

Kalliah refused to back down, cocking her right eyebrow the way she always did when determined to get to the bottom of Lana’s or my lies.

I grabbed the plate of food on the table and moved to the bench Corbin and I had dragged away earlier. Before I could take my seat, I stumbled. I heard the plate clatter to the floor, but I was no longer in The Knotted Willow.

I was in my own mind, like I had been in the dungeons.

And someone was screaming.

A hazy form took shape in front of me and screamed again.

Raya .

I rushed over to her like I could touch her somehow, even though we were merely illusions.

“ Ian,” she shouted. Her body jerked, and she crumpled forward on her hands and knees.

What’s wrong? I reached out, but the illusion flickered, and she was gone.

She screamed my name again, screamed it like there was something I could fucking do, and my heart pounded in my chest .

I couldn’t see her in my head anymore.

I turned frantically, wondering where she could have gone.

Another scream.

Raya! I demanded more forcefully.

She appeared again, back on the floor. She looked up at me, blood running from her nose, from her ears. Fuck, from everywhere, all while bloody tears streamed down her face.

I reached for her, startled when my hands actually touched her shoulders. She shuddered once as I made contact. I could feel her, even in my mind. The pain coursing through her threatened to break me. I’m here, I promised.

Fuck, I didn’t know that to do. What she needed.

“ Help ,” she whispered.

And then she was gone.