The Hunter and the Mage (The Raven and the Dove #2) - Kaitlyn Davis Page 0,164

"We have to get her out of here. You grab her legs and I'll grab her torso."

They moved with haste. Xander dug his elbows under her knees as Lyana did the same with her shoulders. By the time they lifted Cassi's body off the stones, grunting from the heaviness in her limbs, an unbroken stream of water dripped through the cell bars, landing with another splash by their side. It was awkward to maneuver her through the narrow door, one not meant for flying, but after a few tries they found a way. In her spirit form, Cassi hovered behind, wishing there were more she could do as they soared over the liquid cascading down the hall. With each passing second, the gush strengthened. When they reached the stairs, the splashes soaked their clothes, slapping against the walls and spraying the ceiling. With the isle on its side, the long winding steps from the dungeon went not up, but sideways. They rushed to carry her to safety, but the ocean water kept coming, thickening and strengthening, weighing down their wings as the narrow strip of air grew thinner and thinner. One by one, the torches lighting the way went dark. The castle descended into shadow, nothing but the subtle sheen of Lyana's magic to light the way.

"We're almost there," she called to Xander, whose world was utterly black. "Just keep following me. We're almost there."

Her power sputtered as she strained to hold the unceasing waves back. Lyana was weak, her magic pushed to the limit. But still she didn’t stop. She didn't drop Cassi and leave her to drown. Even though Cassi had lied, and even though she'd done horrible things, her friend still fought with every fiber of her being to keep her safe.

They emerged into the mist just as the sea pulled the castle under, the stone parapets disappearing beneath the velvet darkness. Neither Xander nor Lyana stopped until they were clear of the drowning city and all its debris. Then they hovered, holding her between them as they watched the isle sink slowly into the sea. Tears did streak down Xander's face then, though Lyana was kind enough to leave him to his grief. She turned her head to the side and sent a golden current of magic into the fog.

Only a few moments passed, but they felt like hours before Xander finally broke the silence. "What now? Do you think we'll be able to carry her all the way to the House of Song?"

"No," Lyana murmured. "And it wouldn't do her any good anyway. I don’t know how to save her, but there's someone who might."

Sharp as ever, Xander understood in a heartbeat. "The man from the sacred nest?"

She nodded. "I sensed a ship not that far from here. We'll leave her with them, and I'll order the captain to bring her to their king."

"He'll help her?"

"I hope so."

"And then what?"

Lyana tore her gaze from the murky sky. "What do you mean?"

"Will you go to this king with her? Will you come back home with me? Cassi told me about the prophecy, about who you are and what your life means. I know you have the whole world on your shoulders, but I also know our people could use someone to look up to, someone to believe in, and I think that person could be you."

"By the power of Aethios?" Lyana asked wryly, a joke Cassi didn’t understand, but Xander got. He smiled.

"If that's what you want to call it."

"It won't be easy to change their minds," she cautioned. "We'll be up against five hundred years of fear and hate, and now that the House of Whispers has fallen, there won’t be much time."

"We'll make time," he said, earnest conviction laced through his tone, the voice of a warrior. "Just like we did tonight, we'll make time. We were never meant to be mates, Lyana. I see that now, but that doesn't mean we don't make a good team. Between my book smarts and your cunning, we'll come up with something. We can do this. We can save them—not just the ravens, but all the houses. We can give them a future."

"One way or another, the islands will fall."

"Then we must give our people a reason to fly."

Something unspoken passed between them, something honest and true, the sort of exchange to which Cassi had never borne witness. Still, it shot through her, filling her spirit with a sense of purpose. They were good. They were noble.