The Hunter and the Mage (The Raven and the Dove #2) - Kaitlyn Davis Page 0,23

interrupted, these are the ropes." She shoved the bundle into his hands, nearly punching his gut in the process. In truth, he wasn't sure if she missed on purpose, or if a lucky undulation of the ship sent him stepping backward for balance just in time. "A sailor who can't tie a knot might as well be a stowaway, and Captain's never been fond of useless baggage, so I suggest you pay attention."

Rafe sighed. There would be plenty of time to ruminate later. For now, it might do him some good to get his mind off things. Hours in the practice yards had always alleviated his burdens. His swords were below deck and there wasn't a target in sight, but any physical task would work.

He took the ropes. "Just tell me what to do."

7

Cassi

Sinking into her mother's dreams always felt like a falling into warm embrace. Not that Captain Rokaro was particularly affectionate, but she was familiar and trustworthy, which mattered far more to Cassi. As though she sensed her daughter's spirit, the chaos of the captain's mind slowed. It took hardly more than a thought to spin the racing colors into a scene mirroring Cassi's mood.

They stood at the highest peak of a jagged mountain range, the wind nipping their cheeks as snow battered their eyes. The sun was shrouded by gloomy clouds, and howling storms echoed from the valleys below. Toes sticking over the edge of a steep cliff, Cassi couldn't help but notice she'd forgotten to give herself wings. Or maybe that had been on purpose, her body like her mind, teetering and precarious, one wrong move from falling.

"How's Rafe?"

Her mother turned toward her, arching a brow in question. "Where have you been?"

"How's Rafe?"

"He's…" The captain paused, expression heavy as she looked back toward the blistering view. "Surviving."

"What does that mean?"

"What do you think?"

Her mother had an uncanny ability to say everything yet nothing at the same time. Cassi snarled and cast her gaze onto the rocks below. What did she think? That he was broken. That she'd destroyed him. That to be a bird without the sky was a fate almost worse than death—a fate from which the man she'd once called a friend would never recover.

What had she expected her mother to say?

He's fine? He'll be all right? He likes it better down here?

Those were just the lies she told herself to keep the guilt at bay, to prevent it from eating her alive from the inside out. Cassi was rotted to the core, and she wasn't sure how long she could keep everyone else from seeing it too.

"He had a better day today," the captain murmured softly. Sympathy churned in her frosty eyes, though Cassi was certain she didn't deserve it.

"Why?"

"I gave him something to live for, something to fight for. I think it helped."

"What?" Her brows twitched. "What did you give him?"

"Hope."

A nauseous feeling stirred in Cassi's gut, as real as if she were in her own body. The taste of bile ate at her tongue. "What kind?"

"I told him I could grant him an audience with the king."

"Mother!" The word spilled out sharp with disbelief and accusation. She knew instantly what the captain had promised. It was a cruel trick, not as brutal as the one her daughter had played, but close. "Malek will never give him back his wings."

"I don't know that."

"I do."

He would never. Not this king. Not Malek. Not the man who ordered the death of an innocent prince in the name of keeping his world a secret. Rafe had only seen a small glimpse of what the lands within the mist had to offer, but it was enough.

"Do you know what he's planning then?"

"No." An angry puff of air escaped her lips. "I wasn't privy to that information. I was just told what to do."

"Then neither of us knows what the king will or won't agree to. It's possible he just wanted to give the boy time to learn about our world and to appreciate it before recruiting him to our cause. The only way to do that with an invinci is to remove the wings entirely—otherwise Rafe would've already healed and flown away. I don't see much use for his magic aside from using him as a fighter, and a warrior with wings is always better than one without, especially in a war against dragons."

"It's possible," Cassi conceded. Though I doubt it.

Malek wasn't kindhearted. For better or worse, he was single-mindedly focused and ruthless in his pursuit