Page 166 of Tears for a Broken Sky
I stared at Slade, my face paling. Because if that was true –
“How badly?”
“I didn’t get to see the end. I only heard her screaming after.”
“After you fell.” I said, my voice final.
“They wouldn’t kill her. Surely. From what I know about him—Vael wants her alive,” Caelen said.
I turned on him. “What do you know about Vael?”
Caelen hesitated, the usual smugness drained from his face. “Only what I saw… when my parents brought me to summits at Shadowmere.”
That took me off guard.
“Elira was there?” Slade asked.
Caelen nodded. “She and I would sneak off while the adults talked politics. We were just kids. Five, maybe six. We played games. Told stories.”
He paused, jaw tightening.
“Sometimes we’d sneak back in. Just to listen. We thought it was funny. But… sometimeshewould find us.”
“Vael,” I said flatly.
“Yeah. He’d come out with sweets. Little trinkets. Always for her. Always with this... smile that made my stomach twist, even then.”
Caelen looked away, jaw clenched. “I didn’t understand it at the time. I just knew I didn’t like him. Now—knowing what we know—it’s monstrous.”
He looked up again, voice low. “The way he looked at her... like she was already his. Like he was waiting for her to grow into whatever fantasy he’d built in that twisted head of his.”
My whole body tensed.
“So no,” Caelen said, voice clipped. “He won’t kill her. He’ll try tokeepher. Break her. Bind her, even. But not kill.”
Silence settled between us—thick, suffocating.
“And that,” I said, “is exactly why we have to move faster.”
We crossed through a thinning area of forest and could see a wharf and docks in the distance. Frostwatch was teeming with red and blue shirts currently, although it looked like the red were beginning to overwhelm the rest. From our view point we saw a boat was docked. Inside I could see a suspicious amount of silver grey tunics.
“Shit. That’s a Shade vessel.” The words slipped out before I could stop them.
“Sonofa – “ Slade growled.
We ducked back into the foliage.
“We need to stay downwind in case they have shifters. As soon as they smell us we are dead.”
“Where do you suggest we go, genius?” Caelen snapped.
“Deeper in the woods. Find a river and follow it maybe?”
“How far until Velmere?” Slade asked.
“Maybe a day or so ride, but walking – who knows.” Caelen said.
“We need transport.” I said. “We need to get the hell out of here fast.”
