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“I know what I said,” Metis snapped. “I had initially planned to meet them on the far side of the lake. There is a bridge there with shadowed niches beneath it that would be ideal for evading detection. However, the water level is beginning to rise as the snow melts. I will likely have to think of a secondary location.”

“We will determine the secondary location now,” Eirik said.

“How are we to know which locations will be avail—”

“If they will arrive within a matter of hours, then I will wait in a location that was recently scanned by the Waresti. They will not go back and investigate it again before the females arrive. You can simply meet me—and Deimos—there when you receive the alert.”

He had her there, and they both knew it. She ran a hand along Deimos’ face and nodded.

“On the east side of the lake is an abnormally tight grove of ash trees,” he said. “Do you know the place?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Just north of the ash trees is an abandoned dwelling. It is rotted through and has little more than three walls left. But there is enough coverage within the ruins that Deimos and I can remain out of sight.” He deliberately paused. “That is, of course, assuming I can control Deimos enough to avoid us being detected.”

Metis flicked her gaze to him, then looked back at Deimos. “You understand that this is only for a short while longer, do you not, my sweet Deimos? We will soon be free from this place and able to access more beings on the mainland. I might even allow you to hunt if you behave for just a short while longer.”

Deimos gave her a jerking nod in response. It was apparently enough to appease Metis. She rose and turned to face Eirik.

“You will see to Deimos’ protection and I will bring the females to you,” she said, as though this had been her plan the entire time.

“That is what I indicated, yes.”

Her nostrils flared over his choice of words, but she didn’t contradict him. Instead, she gathered her cloak closer to her throat and said, “Just remember the next time that you are feeling ill toward him that it was Deimos and his abilities that got you out of the last predicament in which you found yourself. Were it not for him, we would not be having this conversation.”

His jaw clenched at the reminder. “I will ensure he is safe…so long as he does what I tell him to do.”

They exchanged no other words, both understanding that they each wanted to be in the position of power, but neither of them were. Metis turned and walked back toward Kanika’s dwelling as Eirik glanced at Deimos with his lip curled. It might be that he needed Metis and her pet right now, but he intended to change that dynamic at the earliest opportunity.

For now, he had to figure out a way to patrol the area with Deimos in tow while avoiding detection. He may have told Metis they would stay in one location, but he knew that plans had a way of changing.

With his goal now in sight, he’d damn well be prepared.

It didn’t take much to convince Clara Kate and Ini-herit to go along in search of Sophia, Tate and Ariana. All Quincy had to do was tell them what happened. Although they had both been as baffled by Knorbis’ actions as the rest of them, they had decided to set out right away.

Unfortunately, Quincy couldn’t leave immediately. He had to wait for commander Raphael to arrive so that someone capable was within the homeland if any emergencies arose among the newborns and their mothers. Even on an express platform from Central, the trip took a couple hours.

He spent those hours conducting exams of Amber, Olivia and Skye as well as their babies to convince himself they were all as stable as he could leave them. They had all been through this so many times by now that it was practically routine, but he wouldn’t have been able to focus while he was away if he doubted for a moment that they would all be okay. In the end, he determined that everyone was doing as well as could be expected. That eased his mind somewhat.

The other part of his mind obsessed over Sophia.

Where was she? They were nearly certain she was following Tate and Ariana, but how close to them was she? What would Knorbis do when he found out she was trailing after him? Although the highly intuitive elder wasn’t able to read the Kynzesti’s thoughts as well as a full Estilorian’s, he could possibly sense her intent to intervene.

Surely the elder wouldn’t hurt her, Quincy tried to convince himself. Knorbis was a peaceful, happy male. He treated the Kynzesti like his own children, as did all the elders. There must be a logical, nonthreatening reason for his behavior.

Quincy packed a satchel with the medical supplies he thought he might need. Although he was paired with a Lekwuesti, he preferred to save the once-daily connection for things like food and clean clothing. Having his supplies immediately handy could mean the difference between life and death. He wasn’t about to take any chances.

Commander Raphael arrived as Quincy secured a scabbard around his waist. Although he didn’t use weapons very often, he was rather skilled with a short sword. He prayed he wouldn’t have to use it.

He spent another twenty minutes briefing the commander on each of the sisters and their newborns. Fortunately, the commander was experienced and took everything in stride. Each minute at the homeland felt torturous to Quincy, knowing Sophia was out there somewhere without so much as a paired Lekwuesti to aid her. She had been missing for nearly twenty-four hours. Although night had fallen, that wasn’t going to keep Quincy and the others from leaving.

When he stepped out of the cottage, he found all of the parents of the Kynzesti nearby. They stood on the outskirts of the training paddock where a group of Waresti, led by the class second commander, Alexius, had gathered. Clara Kate and Ini-herit conversed with the commander, but Quincy couldn’t hear what they said. When he approached the parents, they all turned.

“Thanks again for doing this, Quincy,” Olivia said.

Devon was covered in a soft blanket and resting against her chest, much as her sisters held their babies. He read the barely controlled fear in her light green eyes. It closely mirrored the feelings he was trying to contain.

“We all appreciate it,” Gabriel added, his hand on Amber’s shoulder. His gaze reflected the same worry. “Not being able to go ourselves…well, it’s hard for all of us.”

“I know,” Quincy said. He would be going out of his mind if he couldn’t go after Sophia. “I’ll bring them all back. And we’ll have the scroll piece,” he thought to add.

“Feel free to let Knorbis know that we intend to kick his ass for this,” James said. He tried to keep his tone light, but there was a rare hardness to his gaze. “We’ll expect a full explanation of what he was thinking to put us all through this.”

Quincy nodded. Then he looked over and spotted Clara Kate. She gave him a “come on” gesture, so he said, “Looks like my cue.” Turning briefly back to Gabriel, he added, “We’ll keep you updated through
archigos
Ini-herit’s connection to you.”

“Thanks. Be safe, Quincy.”

“I will.”

He turned back to the training paddock and took a few steps toward it. Then he stopped.

Not knowing what suddenly prompted him, he once again turned around and walked back to Sophia’s parents. They both looked at him with puzzled expressions.

Funny, he thought as he made his impromptu decision. He had always imagined he would be more nervous than this. Terrified, even. Now, nerves and fear were the furthest things from his mind.

He looked from James to Olivia when he confessed, “I love Sophia.”

“We know, Quincy,” Olivia said.

“No,” he clarified. “I mean, I’ve loved her since she was born. But I’ve been
in
love with her for years.”

“We know,” Olivia repeated, her tone and expression as calm as usual.

Blinking, Quincy looked from her to James and back again. He wasn’t sure how to react. Neither of them was upset or shocked or angry. Neither demanded that he leave the homeland never to return. Neither went on and on about how he had violated their trust by falling in love with their daughter.

They did none of the things he’d feared all of this time.

“You do?” he finally managed.

“Yes,” Olivia said, now giving him a soft smile. “You’ve always treated Sophia differently than the others because you connect with her so well on an intellectual level. That difference in treatment became more pronounced when she reached maturity.”

He flushed with embarrassment and self-censure as he realized he had been transparent in his feelings to everyone except the one who mattered.

“Does Sophia know?” James asked.

Quincy thought of his failed conversation with her before she left. “Yes.”

Olivia’s smile widened at that. “And does she love you?”

The answer was suddenly right there. “Yes,” Quincy said. “She just doesn’t know it yet.”

“What do you suppose those Mercesti are doing with the Kynzesti?” Tycho wondered. “They have had her in that unusual dwelling for hours.”

“How should I know?” Bertram grumbled. “I have been sitting here beside you this entire time.”

He was hungry, tired and irritable. They had followed the group of Mercesti through the marshes until they reached a much larger swamp. That swamp was filled with an abundance of odd-looking trees. The enormous trunks of the trees reached up to high, wide branches ending in fluffy-looking, dark green foliage. A series of bridges connected the trees and the homes that had been built among them. From the sky, and even largely from the ground, the trees camouflaged the dwellings. Since the ground was nothing but murky water, the likelihood of anyone stumbling upon this place was slim.

He slapped at a mosquito large enough to carry off a small animal and cursed his lot in life.

“They maintain a regimented watch,” Tycho observed.

“Yes.” Bertram had already noted that. “There are likely converted Waresti among them.”

“Have you ever heard of a permanent Mercesti settlement such as this?”

Frowning, Bertram admitted, “No.”

“Do you suppose they even know of Eirik?”

That was an excellent question. If this group didn’t know who Eirik was, they would have no reason or incentive to turn the Kynzesti female over to them. And if they didn’t turn the female over, Bertram and Tycho would have no way of finding the two females Eirik sought. If they returned to him empty-handed, they might as well just stick their necks out for his krises to do their worst.

“We cannot spare much more time here,” Bertram said. “I do not know if this group has ever heard of Eirik, but they are Mercesti. If they do not bring the Kynzesti female out and let her fly soon, we will intervene to get her free so she can continue after the other females. She is our only hope to get past Eirik alive.”

Turn her over to them?

The comment made by the tattooed male named Derian ran through Sophia’s mind, causing her anxiety to crest. Had she been a fool to let her guard down?

“Do not be an ass,” Melanthe said then, making Sophia blink in surprise. The other female walked up to Derian and tilted her head back so that she could look up at him. “Sophia is our guest. We should make her feel welcome.”

“She is
yer
guest,” Derian argued in his thick brogue. “Ye welcome her as ye see fit and we shall welcome her our way.”

Melanthe gave the large male a shove. It didn’t really move him, but the effort was there. She obviously wasn’t intimidated by his aggressive demeanor.

Sophia looked from the bickering pair to the other Mercesti in the room. Although she spotted a number of beings just outside the door, standing in her room were two other males and two females. One of the males was almost as tall as Derian, but not nearly as broad or muscular. He could best be described as lithe, judging by what his outfit of an eye-searing green tank and tight plaid pants revealed. His mop of copper-colored hair hung in shaggy lengths around his square face. Several pieces of hair on either side of his head had been braided and decorated with beads. Sophia noted the same colorful tattoos as Derian’s lining his skin.

The other male was bald and dark-skinned. He stood several inches taller and wider than even the large Derian, making Sophia think of the giants her mother told her about in her fictional bedtime stories. Like Derian, he wore no shirt. Wide metal bands adorned each of his huge biceps. His pants were khaki colored and appeared to be made of some kind of animal skin. His boots were fur-lined and probably would have reached Sophia’s breastbone if she’d put them on. Although his dark skin masked some of the coloring, he was also tattooed.

Both of the females wore flowing gowns similar to the one worn by Melanthe. The first had rich, brown hair worn in an up-do decorated with jeweled pins. Her pretty face was dusted with freckles across the bridge of her nose. She stood beside the giant and her head topped out just above his elbow. The second female was taller and her blonde hair was cut into a short style that suited her long face. It was clear by the way she stood and the well-toned lines of her build that she knew how to handle herself.

“—and that is that,” Melanthe said, pulling Sophia’s attention away from the group staring at her. She turned from Derian and offered a small smile. “I would like to introduce you to some friends of mine, Sophia. I assure you that they will not harm you.” She darted a warning look at Derian. “Despite what impression has been made.”

“Okay,” Sophia replied, squelching her fear. She tried not to think of the time ticking away.

“These are my friends, Alys,” Melanthe said, indicating the blonde female, “and Oria.” She pointed to the brunette. Turning to the copper-haired male, she continued, “This is Verrell, and over there is Cleve. You have already deduced that this is Derian, I am sure.”

“Hello,” Sophia said, sweeping her gaze across the group to include all of them in her greeting. When they stared at her without responding, she added, “Thank you for pulling me out of the marsh.”

“Are you a Kynzesti then?”

The question came from Verrell. She realized he was the male with the French accent. “I am,” she answered.