Virelai stepped onto the small porch of the cabin, calling a breeze to keep her cool. It tugged playfully at her hair and brought the scent of pine trees with it. This far into the forest, she could no longer smell the ocean, and she almost missed it. She would happily trade being near the ocean for getting away from her father any day.

  Not that she could relax her guard here, either.

  She wasn’t sure she could trust any of them. Not even Eryx had any loyalty to her, even though she’d saved his life. To them, she was an extension of her father, and she wasn’t certain how to change that, or if she wanted to try.

  The alternative was as Kestrel had suggested. She could leave. The only problem was, she didn’t know how to be on her own. She had grown up inside Nyrene with servants to answer to her every whim. She hadn’t the faintest idea how to survive on her own, and where would she go? The human world? Unlikely.

  When she looked at all the options she had, staying with a group that didn’t like or trust her didn’t seem so bad after all. It wasn’t as if that wasn’t what she’d done her entire life.

  There wasn’t much outside the tiny cabin. It was nestled into a small clearing and surrounded by trees on all sides. It was so quiet compared to the activity of the city.

  When they’d arrived, the horses had been taken somewhere around the side, but she hadn’t seen another building to house them. This wasn’t the kind of place she expected anyone would stay for more than a few days, especially as it appeared to only have one bedroom and, therefore, one bed.

  Virelai spotted two figures near the edge of the tree line a short distance off. One was tall and cloaked in all black and the other was waving around a dagger like it was a toy. By the looks of things, they were having a heated discussion. The seer might have even been using that dagger she was waving around as a threat. Although even from here, Virelai could tell she didn’t really have any intention of using it. She’d probably never stabbed anyone before.

  Suddenly the necromancer, as she’d heard the others call him, moved in close and grabbed the seer’s arm. It didn’t appear to be to stop the dagger waving.

  Well, this is interesting.

  Virelai was contemplating using her winds to bring their voices to her so she could listen in on what was happening, when the cabin door opened behind her, and Kai stepped out.

  Even better.

  “Hello, Kaimana. What brings you out here? Have you come to observe nature with me?” She waved her hand with a flourish, making sure to specifically gestured toward the pair near the trees.

  Kai’s gaze followed the line of her hand, and his eyes narrowed. “What is going on here?”

  “Haven’t a clue, but it looks intense, doesn’t it?” She smiled at him even though he wasn’t paying any attention to her anymore.

  This was about to get a lot more entertaining.

  Kai stepped off the porch and strode across the clearing toward the pair.

  Virelai noticed with amusement that the necromancer quickly let go of the seer and backed away. He handed something to Kai before heading straight for her.

  Easily spooked, then. Or smarter than he looked.

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  “Did you get in trouble with the prince for touching his beloved?” she asked when Ren was within earshot.

  His head jerked up like she’d startled him, but surprise quickly morphed into a scowl. “Don’t you have something you could be doing?”

  Virelai shrugged. “Like what? They won’t let me help with plans, so I’m entertaining myself. You know how it is, I’m sure.”

  He drew up next to her. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

  Virelai smiled up at him. There was a scar on the underside of his chin, she noticed. “Of course you do. They don’t trust you either, which means we should be allies.”

  Ren snorted and pressed a hand to the door, but he didn’t move to open it yet. “I have plenty of allies already,” he said.

  “We’ll see about that.”

  He went into the cabin without another word to her.

  She supposed now that she thought about it again, she’d always been alone, and her strength was her ability to observe people and manipulate them to her advantage. Yes, perhaps she was already right where she needed to be.

  Kai didn’t believe Seraiah when she said nothing had been going on between her and Ren. Virelai had described their interaction as intense and though she may have been exaggerating to annoy him, he’d seen the end of the conversation with his own eyes.

  And why had the mage had Seraiah’s dagger?

  “Are you sure everything is all right?” he asked her again.

  She nodded, still looking distracted. “We were just discussing the shadows and what the Summer King might be able to offer us. What was it you wanted to know about my visions?”

  Kai let the subject drop. If she wanted him to know, she would tell him. “I wanted to ask if you have been able to physically interact with the world. You mentioned being able to touch Sterling before, but were you able to touch objects?”

  Seraiah shook her head. “I don’t think so. If I had, I would have been able to open the cell door in the prison and follow her, but I couldn’t. I was stuck in the room.”

  “So if you see Sterling, she could easily leave you behind somewhere if she didn’t want to speak with you?”

  “I suppose she could, yes. Sterling wouldn’t do that on purpose, though.”

  “She might not, but the thing inside of her might. And do you think she would be able to touch you?”

  “I-I don’t know.” Seraiah tilted her head. “Is that a concern?”

  “Unfortunately, yes. We don’t know if you can be hurt in these visions. What if the shadow creature does something to you with Sterling’s magic? You are able to touch Sterling, but not other objects, so what rule would Sterling’s magic go by? It’s part of Sterling and not an object.”

  “I’m not sure. I suppose I’ll have to find out. I’ve never heard of a seer being hurt in a vision. My mother never mentioned it and neither did Atherly’s journal.”

  “Did you discuss your abilities with your mother?”

  Seraiah shrugged and looked away. “We didn’t get to talk much. The faeries always carefully guarded her, so I was only allowed a few minutes alone with her at most.”

  “I see. I’m sorry you didn’t get more time with her. I understand the Winter Queen tried to trap you there, but if we can, we should try to rescue her.”

  “Thank you.” Seraiah gave him a small, tight smile. “But I’m not sure that is necessary.”

  The strange answer puzzled him. “Does she like it there?”

  “It’s . . . complicated. Was there anything else you needed? I should go check on my father and see how his wound is doing.”

  “Of course. When I left, Wisteria was with him, but I am sure he will be happy to see you.” Kai stepped aside to let her pass.

  “Thank you,” she said, giving his arm a squeeze before heading toward the cabin.

  Kai watched her go. Virelai was no longer standing outside the door, but he wondered how she would describe their conversation if she had seen it. He would call it confusing. There was something Seraiah was holding back, and he didn’t think it only had to do with whatever she’d been discussing with Ren. Her answers about her mother had been strange as well.

  And then there were the words Kestrel had said to him before he came out here. She was the one who’d encouraged him to speak to Seraiah about her visions. She’d insisted it was important to know if Seraiah could be harmed in them. It was something he’d considered before, but whenever Seraiah had recounted her dreams to them, she’d always said she passed through everything like she was an apparition. Until he was speaking to her, he hadn’t thought about what Sterling’s magic might be able to do, but Seraiah hadn’t seemed worried about it. In fact, she’d seemed in a hurry to end the conversation.

  Kai’s only other option if he wanted to know about the conversation was to ask the other participant. He was loath to speak to the necromancer, though. He’d have to take Seraiah at her word and ignore Virelai’s prodding. He’d done as Kestrel had wanted and asked Seraiah about the harm that might come to her in her visions. For now, it would have to be enough.