A human seer and an elven prince have one thing in common: a missing sister.
Seraiah's dreams have a habit of coming true, but when all her dreams turn into nightmares, she fears for her sister's life. Each nightmare is a little different, but they...
"Quick! Hide in the trees," Kestrel ordered, her hand falling to her sword.
Instead of following Kestrel's orders, Seraiah turned toward the sound. A lone rider had appeared on the horizon. From here, she couldn't make out any details, but something in her gut told her she didn't have to be concerned. Apparently, Kestrel felt the same way because she dropped her hand from her weapon, and together, they waited.
Kestrel launched herself at the rider as soon as he stopped and dismounted.
"Whoa." Kai attempted to dodge her. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Please don't be mad."
"I'm trying to hug you, you idiot. Now stand still."
"I thought you were going to murder me," Kai said, gazing over Kestrel's shoulder to Seraiah.
"I wasn't sure what was happening either." Seraiah tried and failed to suppress a smile. "We were worried about you, though."
"You were worried about me?"
He was definitely staring at her now.
Before Seraiah could amend her statement, Kestrel ended her hug and punched him in the shoulder.
"Ow! What was that for?" he asked.
Seraiah was grateful for the distraction.
"That was for being stupid and making me worry," Kestrel said, folding her arms over her chest. "Also, where is my horse?"
Kai backed away from her. "I may have lost him."
"What do you mean, you may have lost him?"
"I mean, I definitely lost him, and you will have to walk back to Nyrene."
"Seraiah?" Kestrel looked back at her.
"Yes?"
"He is not on my list today. You have my blessing."
Kai swung onto his horse. "I'm not sure I want to know what that means, but I promise I'll send someone back to fetch you. Seraiah, you're welcome to ride with me or wait here with Kestrel."
She looked back and forth between the two of them. As much as she'd like to be in a city again with all of its comforts, she felt bad leaving Kestrel by herself. "I think I'll stay."
For a second, Seraiah thought she saw a flash of disappointment, but Kai's expression quickly returned to neutral.
"Suit yourself," he said. "Expect someone to find you in two days."
Then he disappeared into the trees, leaving them alone again.
Seraiah sat back down, making herself comfortable.
"What are you doing?" Kestrel asked, hands on her hips.
"Waiting."
"Since when do you wait?" Kestrel gave her a meaningful look.
"It was one time you told me to wait, and I didn't listen."
Kestrel narrowed her eyes.
"What? What are we going to do? Start walking?"
Please, no, Seraiah thought. She wasn't sure her feet could take any more.
"That's exactly what we are going to do," Kestrel said to Seraiah's horror. "Put your boots on and let's get moving."
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