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His spine hadn’t healed, not truly It never would It had been the cost of saving his life after a Valg princess had taken him to death’s threshold Yet it did not feel like a cost too steeply paid

It had never been a burden--the chair, the injury It would not be now

But the other part of that bargain with the goddess who had guided Yrene her entire life, who had brought her to Antica’s shores and now back to their own continent … that part scared the hell out of hi power into hiic was not too drained, their very lives had been entwined

So if he fell in battle against Morath’s legions … It would not be just his own life lost

"You’re thinking too hard" Yrene frowned up at him "What is it?"

Chaol jerked his chin toward the ship sailing nearest their own On its stern, two ruks, one golden and one reddish brown, stood at attention Both were already saddled, though there was no sign of Kadara’s or Salkhi’s riders

"I can’t tell if you’reto the ruks or the fact that Nesryn and Sartaq are s like this" As we should be, her golden-brown eyes added tartly

It was Chaol’s turn to nudge her with an elbow "You’re the one oke , you know" He brushed a kiss to the column of her neck, a precise reminder of how, exactly, Yrene had awoken hi

Just the warh to heat his chilled bones "We can go back to bed, if you want," he murmured

Yrene let out a soft, breathless sound that had his hands aching to roa upon the all her sounds--loved coaxing them from her

But Chaol drew his head away froain to the ruks "They’re heading on a scouting an’s newly crowned Heir were currently buckling on weapons and layers "We’ve sailed far enough north that we need information on where to moor" So they could decide where, exactly, to dock the armada and march inland as quickly as possible

If Rifthold was still held by Erawan and the Ironteeth legions, then sailing the ar northward into Terrasen would be unwise But the Valg kingin wait at any point ahead Not to mention Queen Maeve’s fleet, which had vanished after her battle with Aelin and mercifully remained unaccounted for

By their captain’s calculations, they were just nearing the border Fenharrow shared with Adarlan So they needed to decide where, exactly, they were sailing to As swiftly as possible

They’d already lost precious ti the Dead Islands, despite the news that they once ed to Captain Rolfe Word had likely already reached Morath about their journey, but there was no need to proclaim their exact location

But their secrecy had cost them: he’d had no news on Dorian’s location Not a whisper as to whether he had gone north with Aelin and the fleet she’d gathered frodo remained safe

Yrene studied the two ruks on the nearby ship "How ?"

"Just the

"Easier for smaller numbers to stay hidden" Chaol pointed to the sky "The cloud cover today , too" When the worry in her face didn’t abate, he added, "We will have to fight in this war at some point, Yrene" How many lives did Erawan claim for every day that they delayed?

"I know" She clasped the silver locket at her neck He’d given it to her, had a raver carve the mountains and seas onto the surface Inside, it still bore the note Aelin Galathynius had left her years ago, when his orked as a barmaid in a backwater port, and the queen lived as an assassin under another name "I just … I know it’s foolish, but I somehow didn’t think it would come upon us this quickly"

He’d hardly call these weeks at sea quick, but he understood what she est yet"