Before I could call to him, he cut her throat in one smooth move. It was the same lethal strike that he had delivered to her brother, Mogkan.

When Valek caught up to me he said, “We can’t afford to play favorites.”

We raced back toward the plains. The Vermins ceased chasing us at the border of the Avibian Plains, but we kept our pace until we reached the rocky outcropping where Kiki and Rusalka waited.

“No doubt they will move their camp farther into the plateau,” Moon Man said. The effort of running had not winded him, although his skin gleamed with sweat. “I will need to bring more soldiers. To have deceived my scout and me means their Warpers are more powerful than we suspected. I must consult with the elders.”

Moon Man inclined his head in farewell and I soon lost sight of him in the grass.

“What now?” Leif asked.

I met Valek’s gaze. What now, indeed.

“You go home and so will I,” I said to Leif.

“You’re coming with me to the Keep?” Leif asked.

“I…” Back to the Keep and to the feelings of isolation? Back to being feared for my abilities? Or back to spy on Sitia so I could eventually return to Ixia? Or just being on my own, exploring Sitia and spending time with my family?

“I think you’re afraid to go back to the Keep,” Leif said.

“What?”

“It will be much easier for you to stay away, and not have to deal with being a Soulfinder, being a daughter and being a sister.”

“I’m not afraid.” I had tried to find a place in Sitia, but I kept getting pushed away. How many hints did I need? I wasn’t a glutton for punishment. What if they decided that a Soulfinder equaled evil and they burned me alive for violating their Ethical Code?

“You are afraid.” Leif challenged.

“Am not.”

“Are too.”

“Am not.”

“Then prove it.”

I opened my mouth, but no sound came out.

Finally, I said, “I hate you.”

Leif smiled. “The feeling is mutual.” He paused for a moment. “Are you coming?”

“Not now. I’ll think about it.” It was a delay tactic and Leif knew it.

“If you don’t come back to the Keep, then I’ll be right. And every time you see me, I’ll be insufferably smug.”

“And how’s that different from now?”

He laughed and I could see the young carefree boy he had been in his eyes. “You’ve only had a small glimpse of how insufferable and annoying I can be. As the older brother, it’s my birthright.”

Leif mounted Rusalka and galloped away.

Valek and I walked with Kiki toward the north. Toward Ixia. He held my hand and I felt content as my thoughts mulled over the last few hours.

“Valek. What did you say to Alea?”

“I told her how her brother had died.”

I remembered how I had trapped Mogkan with magic, immobilizing him so Valek could cut his throat. Alea died the exact same way.

“We had no time to take Alea with us, love. I wasn’t going to let her have another chance to hurt you.”

“How do you always know when I need you?”

Valek’s eyes flamed with an intensity that I had rarely seen. “I know. It’s part of me like hunger or thirst. A need that must be met to survive.”

“How do you do it? I can’t connect my mind to yours with my magic. And you don’t have magic. It should be impossible.”

Valek remained quiet for a moment. “Perhaps, when I feel your distress, I relax my guard and allow you to connect with me?”

“Perhaps. Have you ever done that for anyone else?”

“No, love. You’re the only one who has caused me to do the oddest things. You have truly poisoned me.”

I laughed. “Odd, eh?”

“It’s a good thing you can’t read my mind, love.”

A sapphire-blue fire smoked in his eyes, and I noticed a tightening in his lean muscles.

“Oh, I know what you’re thinking.” I stepped into his arms, putting my hands under his waistband to where his thoughts had traveled, making my point.

“I can’t. Hide. From you,” Valek panted.

I heard Kiki snort and move away as my world filled with the feel and smell and taste of Valek.

Valek and I spent the next several days walking the plains and enjoying being together without any worries or problems hovering over our heads. We would discover small caches of food and water along our path. And while I didn’t have the feeling that someone watched us, I felt that the Sandseeds knew where we were, and the provisions were their way of extending their hospitality to a distant cousin.

Eventually, we left the plains. Skirting east of the Citadel, we headed north through the Featherstone clan’s lands. Careful to travel at night and hide during the day, it took us three days to reach the Ambassador’s retinue.

I had lost track of the days and been surprised to see their camp, but Valek had known they would be about a half-day’s walk to the Ixian border. After determining where the Sitian “spies” hid, Valek changed into his Ilom disguise, and slipped into the camp in the middle of the night. I waited and approached the next day. There was no reason for me to hide, and, if I went back to Ixia, the Sitian spies could report back to the Keep and the Council that I had left.

The Ixians had begun to pack up their equipment when I rode in on Kiki. One tent still stood, but Ari and Janco rushed over to greet me before I could reach it.