Page 98 of Obsidian Throne
I didn’t want to think about him right now.
It was just me and this horse and the endless mountains and an impossible task ahead of me.
Oh, and the sincere hope that I was going in the right direction.
When I finally passed by the patch of trees that were all leaning sideways, ones that Theo had explained were that way because of the constant windstorms, I breathed a sigh of relief.
Occasionally, I reached into my saddle bags to touch the armor, experimenting with the strange energy I could feel so much more clearly with the help of Rayan’s stones.
Each time my fingers even barely grazed the material, awareness came crashing over me in an overwhelming wave. It stole my breath, sending shivers running up and down my skin until I adjusted to the new heightened ability.
But other than honed senses, I hadn’t discovered anything terribly helpful.
I could divert the wind to a small extent, which made sense, in hindsight. That storm that hit on the way to the Summit should have swept Theo up, too, but the wind had seemed to stop right where he was.
Other than that, with the help of the armor, or the stones and crystals it contained, I could make a tiny gust or get the rain to fall a little sooner.
Which, of course, reminded me of the conversation I had with Evander back at Lochlann. In his rooms, just before…
The wave of fury and panic and betrayal that hit me every time I thought his name crackled through me with an intense energy this time.
A bolt of lightning shot down in the clearing next to me, close enough to scare my horse. I took several minutes to calm her before I contemplated the meaning of that.
So.
Emotions, it would seem, played a crucial role as well.
I removed my hand from the armor and sagged in my saddle, whatever just happened having taken a significant amount of my energy. It was an effort not to fall asleep on my horse, but every time I started to doze off, I pictured Evander’s forces getting overwhelmed at the estate.
Pictured his obnoxiously perfect features still and unmoving.
And I damned well found the strength to keep riding.
* * *
When I arrived at the village, I paid the stable boy extra to care for my horse before checking into an inn for a few hours of desperately needed sleep.
I didn’t bother to hide my hair. Evander was past here by now, and Iiro’s soldiers were coming in from the South. By the time anyone cared where I was, I would be gone.
The innkeeper clearly recognized me, but he didn’t comment, just gave me a key and directed me to my room. I wasn’t concerned for my safety here, with the shrouded protection of being a clan wife.
It was the Unclanned I would need to worry about.
Still, I locked my door, pushed a chair up against the handle to secure it, and kept all of my weapons within reach while I slept.
I was as safe as I was going to be, and eventually, I managed to fall into a restless semblance of sleep. Even if the bed felt empty and cold and like a betrayal in and of itself.
It was well after noon when I groggily pulled myself out of bed, and I kicked myself for even sleeping that long. I threw on my most casual, functional dress before smoothing out my curls and grabbing a quick lunch downstairs.
On my way out of town, I stopped by the market and the bakery to see what little they may have to spare in the way of food. It wasn’t enough, but it would have to do.
I was finally ready to make my way to the Unclanned.
The camp I had passed with Theo was a short ride from here, nestled into the snowy hills on the other side of the field.
Not nearly enough time to prepare my jumbled nerves.
If this didn’t work, I was well and truly out of options. I would still go back to Evander, it would just likely be to join him in his death sentence whether he stars-damned-well liked it or not.