Page 83 of Omen of ice
Valen’s eyes widen. “What?”
“I’d already sent a message to Levina. We need to hurry if we’re to meet her in Ventin.”
Delkin motions to Benj, who is hovering at the edge of a growing crowd of Fae. “Supplies,” Delkin commands. “Enough for five.”
Benj nods and is gone.
“Five?” I ask.
“Benj and I will go with you. Do you honestly believe that after almost nineteen years, I’m going to let my son out of my sight?”
“Who will look after things here?” I ask. I can’t tell how Valen feels about Delkin inviting himself on our little quest. I don’t even know how he feels about meeting him. We haven’t gotten a chance to talk, and I’m not getting anything through the link.
“Ander will watch over the village while I’m away.”
“Really?” I balk. This whole situation is getting stranger and stranger by the minute. “You’re leaving a human in charge of a Fae village?”
Valen groans.
Delkin simply smiles. “This isn’t a Fae village. It’s a village. A home. Everyone here is equal. I hope that by the end of our trip, you’ll realize that.”
It’s a nice sentiment. One I would have believed at one time. Now? I’m starting to wonder.
28
Valen
Ander walks us to the southern edge of the village. Delkin, Daroose, Tania, and I start down another set of stairs, leaving Benj and Ander to their goodbyes. No one wants to intrude on such an intimate moment.
We hike in silence for a long time. Occasionally, I catch Tania looking at me. I get a spike of concern mixed with the smallest hint of fear, but it’s fleeting, like she’s trying hard to suppress something. Every time I meet her gaze, she turns away and the link goes cold. Does she know I’m hiding something world-changing? Is she getting suspicious?
We make it just over the old Summer Court boundary before stopping to set up camp for the night. Delkin and Daroose chat quietly on the other side of a roaring fire while Benj carves what looks like a small dragon out of a fallen tree branch.
“Bet this wasn’t where you saw yourself ending up,” I say to Tania. “Camping with three Fae and a kelpie.” I laugh.
“Not in my wildest dreams.” Tania plucks a weed from the ground and twirls it between her fingers, watching as it transforms into a flower. “There was no point while I was growing up when I thought one day I’d know what it felt like to connect with someone.”
Our eyes meet, and an entirely foreign sensation spreads through my body. Warm, almost electric. I fight the urge to brush a lock of stray hair from her shoulder. “Someone?”
“Something.” She flushes, letting the small flower fall to the ground and dropping her gaze. “Obviously that’s what I meant. The magic… What about you?” She clears her throat and inclines her head toward Delkin. “Unexpected, right?”
“I was raised to believe my father was a monster. A piece of rebel scum who kidnapped my mother and forced himself on her. To find that my entire life has been a lie? I’m still processing it all.”
“But finding Delkinwasa bonus.”
Was it? It unlocks a way to get the answers I seek, but more than that? I’m still not sure. What am I supposed to do, moving forward? Stay with him in his treetop village? Spend this trip getting to know him, then forge my own way in this ruined world?
Then there’s what I’ve learned about Orbik… I can’t just let that go. Dealing with him will leave a vacancy on the throne—one I have no desire to fill.
“I have no idea where I am with Delkin—or where I want to be. Right now, I’m focused on dealing with this link.”
“You mean fixing it.”
“Huh?”
“You said dealing with the link.”
“Oh. Well, obviously I want it fixed.” The link was unexpected—and unwanted—but now that we’ve learned to live with it, is it really that bad? A part of me likes the connection. Sure, it was strange at first, but once we learned our way around it, it became oddly comforting. Just knowing, without a doubt, that Tania is here, relaxes me on a level I never imagined possible. It gives me…peace knowing that wherever she is, we’re connected.
