Chapter 40

I tried to reason with Xander for the better part of the night. If he attacked Silas, who knew what would happen to us. Clearly, Silas had acted alone. The rebellion leaders would have never sanctioned such a mission. I thought I was too valuable for them to do something that would put me at odds with their cause. Again, some still wanted me to renounce my engagement to my fated mate, even going as far as suggesting finding a way of removing my mark. I thought it would be best to leave Starling Castle for a while.

We made for the underground tunnel, and I guided Xander through its labyrinth. Once we arrived in my room, I quickly closed the door and gestured to some of the men's clothes I had brought with me. Xander took the pair of pants and pulled his legs in it. Diana arrived moments later and looked over at us in surprise. I saw Nimu was trailing behind her, his bent shape swaying. He was trying to stand straight, but with many difficulties.

“I didn’t think you would be back yet.” Her face seemed relieved, but her tense shoulders made her look restless.

“I overheard some of the rebellion leaders talking. I don’t know what Lord Starling has told them, but they are not too pleased by what has happened. They are calling this disloyalty, attacking an esteemed member of the rebellion.”

“I told you to beware the Sturnidae. He’s a tricky man.” Mumbled Nimu absentmindedly.

I was confused. Did Sturnidae mean Starling? This man kept talking in riddles, and it was of no help. I arched my brows at Diana and pressed her on.

“I went to see Lord Junco. He was with the other one. Hmm. Swallow, I think his name was. I know he regards you with utmost trust since he has known you since childhood and openly defended you at the leaders' meeting we attended. He confirmed my suspicions that there was discord amongst the ranks of the rebellion, and he suggested we leave. I think we should heed his warning and go in the early morning light.”

I was stunned. The leaders thought I had attacked Silas.

“But he was the one that assaulted me first! I was defending myself.” I cried, outraged.

“I’m afraid it’s his word against yours, and they have known him much longer than they have known you. He has been an ally to the rebellion cause for years, even going as far as offering the rebels shelter in his home, whereas you seemed to not want to take part in the cause. It’s two against three. Heron and Robin are siding with Starling.”

“But their condition was for me to marry. I cannot marry anyone! I have a mate.”

Xander pulled on the strings of the pants and tied them at the front of his waist. His face was in a grim frown that frightened me. He paced around the room barefoot, and I could feel him trying to reign in his anger. This was not going our way.

“Very well. Where should we go?” I questioned Diana and Xander. If we needed to leave, we would have to go somewhere safe.

“Cardinal city.” She stated with a sure voice.

“You’re kidding, right?” Scoffed Xander. “That city is armed and guarded through its teeth. Not to mention that it’s almost a month’s travel from here! Why would we go there?” He bared his teeth at Diana in a challenging way.

She didn’t seem fazed by his attitude and continued explaining her chain of thought.

“Nimu mentioned a prophecy, and I need to get my hands on those scrolls in the Arcane Library. We think you are part Faith, which would explain everything happening to you. Most of all, we need to find who has bound you so that they can undo it.” She looked straight into my eyes as she said that.

I laughed nervously after Diana finished talking. Was this some sort of poor joke? I wasn’t part Faith. I was only me. To be part Faith, I would have to have at least one parent that was a Faith, and I was confident that none of my parents were what she claimed they could have been.

Xander came to my side and placed a hand on my hip, pulling me closer to him. I looked up, waiting to see the same laughing eyes as mine, but his gaze was shadowed with concern. I scanned the room and found that all three had the same look, even Nimu's white blind eyes. They couldn’t possibly think that I was a Faith.

“You’re all nuts! I’m not a Faith! I’m not even part Faith. You’ve all been breathing this stale underground air for too long.”

“Whether or not you think it’s funny, we need to go to Cardinal city and find those scrolls. We need answers! Xander can take us through the gates. He’s the son of Duke Kestrel, for Faith’s sake. He has diplomatic immunity almost everywhere. It will work!”

I elbowed Xander, scrunching my face in the process to show my discontent. I matched his gaze and raised my shoulders questioningly. Why wasn’t he taking my side?

“I’m afraid that with this come to light, we might not have a choice but to go there. We need to know what’s going on with you, Ida. I can’t protect you from something we don’t understand. If we need to go to that Faith-forsaken place, so be it. Let’s leave in the morning, as Diana suggested. It’ll be a long road ahead of us, and we should join parties with Gideon and Leo as we make our way out of Perch.”

Diana nodded and packed our belongings. We hadn’t come with many items, but we would need to get some provisions before leaving, especially if our travel would be as long as Xander mentioned.

“Oh, and we’re bringing Nimu.” Added Diana casually, folding something in my little satchel.

I sat on the bed, still dumbfounded by what had been revealed. I had severe doubts that what they thought was accurate, but I couldn’t explain why all the events happened to me. I did practically impossible things. A typical magic wielder would not have been able to do those. I spread my hands in front of me and stared at them. What was I?

There was a hard bang at the door with someone shouting my name, and then it burst open. A banged-up Silas looked at us with wide, worried eyes. His pupils were small and alert, making his bright blue eyes stand out from his face even though only an oil lamp lit the room. I couldn’t believe I ever thought that they were beautiful. I heard Diana say, “oh dear,” and I shrank on the bed, wanting nothing more than to disappear. I had never wanted to see that man again, not after what he had done to me.

His chest was bare, and he had bandages all over it. One of his arms was in a sling, securely attached to those wrappings. He winced as his arm that had opened the door fell to his side. The bandages were probably there to prevent him from moving too much while his ribs healed. He had a cut on his lip, where I had bitten him.

“Ida! I heard Junco saying that you were leaving. You can’t go, not with anyone to protect you. Your mate is dead. You need to stay by my side so I can protect you. So the rebellion can protect you. I’ll do right by you.” Silas said urgently. He was pleading like a scolded child who tried to regain what his parents had taken away from him. He was an entitled prick.

He still thought that Xander had perished in the fire. I didn’t blame him for thinking that. If the blast was as extreme as Xander had described, no ordinary human being could have ever survived that.

Xander stepped in front, blocking Silas’s view of me. His knees had bent a little, and his arms were away from his broad, muscular naked torso. I could see his back muscles twitch under his skin. His position was highly protective and menacing. I imagined Silas would have shrunk from seeing him like this.

“You’re wrong,” Xander growled. “I am very much alive.”

I stood from the bed and peered over Xander’s side. I couldn’t stand on the sideline and miss out on what was happening. Silas had his mouth hanging open and backed away slowly.

“That’s not possible. I was told the fire burned everything to the ground!”

“I suggest you take your leave now, Sir, before I do something I might regret.” Xander pushed me back behind him.

I heard Silas take a deep breath and stand his ground. He wasn’t getting the hint.

“You’re not worthy of her, Shifter.” I heard Silas challenge through his teeth. He wasn’t letting go.

“I beg to differ. The mark on both our shoulders says otherwise. Now leave!”

I heard Silas exhale loudly through his nose and walk away. My heart was slamming in my chest, making my head feel light from all the blood rushing upward. This had been a close call, and Silas didn’t know the chance he had been given. I saw what Xander became once he transformed. A human would be no match against a Lycan.

Xander walked to the door and slammed it shut, muttering something under his breath. Waves of anger and hatred rolled onto me from our mate bond. He turned to us, his black eyes looking at the three of us intently.

“Pack up!” He barked. “Dawn will be here in a couple of hours; once we see first light, we will depart. Try to get some sleep. It’s going to be a long day tomorrow.”

AUTHOR'S NOTE: And they're off for Cardinal City! What do you think will happen? Let me know if you're also enjoying the book :)