A Court of Stars and Memories

83. Attempted Rescues

    Lysander raced through the trees with his mother at his side. Mitsi's frantic warning had come only moments ago. Moments in which Julian could've already killed Wynter and Elodie's infant son.

    "Do you sense anything?" Lysander called, sparing a brief glance at Seren before scanning their surroundings once more.

    Her features were contorted in a look of deep concentration as she searched for the child's presence through her daemati abilities. "Nothing," Seren replied. "Corbin and your father haven't found anything either."

    "Kallias' map showed another set of caves in this area. We should try to find them. Maybe Eliana and Hollis are there."

    Seren nodded and stretched a hand towards him. Lysander took it and wind roared in his ears as she winnowed them further. Mitsi jerked on the Bond again just as they landed in another cluster of trees. There was no sign of the caves. They lingered for a moment while Seren searched the area with her senses, then winnowed again.

    We're trying, my Heart, Lysander spoke amidst the wailing air. If you have any idea where Julian might've winnowed to, tell me.

    I don't know. Father just ordered him to kill Hollis and he left. I don't know where he's gone. We... Mitsi's voice was interrupted by a cry of alarm.

    His heart jolted at the sound. Mitsi? Mitsi, what happened?

    There was a long pause before she responded. Nothing. I'm fine. We're keeping Father distracted. Hurry, please. Wynter and Ellie are looking for the children. Kallias too, and I think he took someone else with him but I don't know who.

    Lysander struggled to bite back his worried instincts as they landed once more. This time, Seren had placed them in a swell of rocky hills. With relief, he picked out a set of dark cave openings hewn into the craggy hill faces.

    "I can sense two presences," Seren reported. "One is close, but the other is very faint."

    "Show Dad where we are. Tell him Wynter, Elodie, and Kallias are searching too. He needs to find them and bring them here," Lysander replied, already drifting into the shadows.

    His siphons shed a pale green light over their surroundings and flames ignited in Seren's palms when she followed him in. A few of his father's shadows wrapped around her wrists, drawing close to her flames.

    Lysander kept his ears pricked and senses alert for anything amiss, but he could hear nothing more than dripping water and the occasional scurrying of small rodents. His eyes narrowed and he slipped Toothpick into his grasp, keeping his wings flared in case they were needed.

    Not that he'd be able to fly easily in here. The walls of the cave were too narrow for him to spread his wings to their full width, and the ceiling was too low for him to gain much altitude. He could glide at least, if he could manage to get off the ground.

    "I don't like this," Seren murmured, lifting her hand higher. Her flames flickered brightly, casting long shadows down the tunnel.

    "There's another opening down there," Lysander noticed, pointing at the chamber they were approaching. The jagged rocks lining the entrance impeded his view of the area. "Can you still sense those presences?"

    Seren nodded. "The closer one is stronger now, but I can't tell if it's the boy or the girl."

    "And the other?"

    "I can sense it more clearly, but it's still far away."

    "Is Dad coming?" Lysander grimaced when something crunched beneath his boot. He tightened his grip on Toothpick and paused, listening intently. When no answering sound came, he moved again.