The Hunter and the Mage (The Raven and the Dove #2) - Kaitlyn Davis Page 0,120

I mean. I want to stay and try to talk to him again once he's calmed down."

"Of course." Malek swallowed and stepped back. "I'll have someone bring you both food and whatever else you need."

"Thank you."

An awkward silence stretched between them.

"Lyana?"

"Yes?" she answered too quickly, too cheerfully.

"That wasn't what I wanted, for him to react that way." He meant it. She could see the truth in his eyes. Though she also saw a confession—it was exactly what he'd expected. "And I'm sorry for you."

"I know, Malek."

He stared at her for another breath, then abruptly turned and walked away. Lyana fell back against the wall behind her, letting the moisture of the stones seep into her feathers and her clothes, the coolness welcome. When the sound of his footsteps faded, she lifted her fingers to her lips and touched them gently, unsure what to think. So she didn't. She just stood there and stared at nothing, finally doing what he'd always wanted as she built a wall around her heart to keep her unruly emotions at bay.

37

Xander

Helen spent the better part of the journey from the House of Wisdom warning Xander about the severity of the earthquakes that had wracked his homeland during his absence, but no words could have prepared him for the sight of Pylaeon as he crested the mountain ridge and saw the city in the valley below. It was in ruins. Stones lay crumbled, wood splintered. A haze hung in the air, thick with soot and dust. The river overflowed where the dams had fissured, flooding entire streets. Part of the castle wall had collapsed. The only sparks of color were the mountains of flowers deposited at the ebony arches throughout the city, the spirit gates leading lost souls to Taetanos's realm. They were offerings and prayers, a symbol of the suffering his people had endured but also of their unyielding faith in their god to come save them.

At a loss for words, Xander landed on an outcropping of rock and stared at the destruction, his heart aching for his home. He should have been here. If his mother had sent word, he would have returned in an instant. But, of course, that's why she hadn't. She'd wanted him safely out of harm's way. And a part of him hoped she'd thought that if she just gave him enough time, he'd come home with all the answers.

Instead, the only things he'd found were more questions.

"I tried to warn you," Helen said as she landed by his side.

"Nothing could've prepared me for this."

Cassi's boots scuffed on the rocks behind him, but she said nothing, perhaps just as shocked as he.

"You said it started before I left?"

Helen nodded and crossed her arms, brow furrowed as she stared at the city in shambles before them. "You were here for the first two earthquakes, both short enough to seem like aftershocks, which is exactly what we thought they were, until the next one happened a few days after you were gone. It was short too, but then a few days later another one happened, also short. The queen and I sat down with the advisors and tracked the timing, realizing they were happening closer and closer together. For the past week, they've been occurring daily, sometimes more than once or twice a day, almost as though leading up to something—but we don't know what. By themselves, they don't cause much damage, but with so little time in between, the structures are failing bit by bit. Even if the dove prince hadn’t come, I would've gone to retrieve you. I was already preparing for the journey to the owl kingdom when he landed at our door."

As she spoke, Xander let his gaze drift along the river cutting through the center of the valley. In the late-afternoon sun, its crystal waters sparkled like a beacon for his eyes to follow, leading him to Taetanos's Gate. The gushing fall spewed with all the fury of a scorned god, white and chaotic. A fine mist curled into the air to catch the light, but the shadows were what interested him. Wet with moisture, the cliff face glistened like polished onyx. Hidden deep at its heart was the sacred nest that now occupied his thoughts.

"Have you kept a watch on the god stone?"

"We've been getting daily reports from the priests and priestesses, but nothing is amiss. It remains in the heart of the sacred nest where it's always been. The only thing that has changed is