Lord's Fall (Elder Races #5)(26)

The drive took them around the edge of the garden, which was lush from every angle. Between the magnolia trees, Pia caught a glimpse of a gap in a high green hedge, bordered by two elegantly carved marble pillars. That looked like the opening to the labyrinth.

The stables were already a hive of activity. A couple of the Elves smiled at the newcomers. Several of them walked horses that were already saddled. Their horses were gorgeous, thoroughbred-sleek with gleaming coats, long, slender legs and intelligent eyes. Pia saw one horse mouthing affectionately at the hair of the Elf attending it, who bore the attention with a tolerant smile. They clearly loved their horses, and their horses loved them.

The animals were also quite large up close. While the rest of her group double-checked their packs, Pia took a deep breath and turned to Hugh, who carried her pack slung over one shoulder along with his. “I suppose now’s the time to mention that I don’t have a lot of horse-riding experience.”

“Not to worry,” Hugh said. His smile transformed his rather plain, bony features. “I’ll make sure they give you a suitable mount.”

“Thank you.”

Pia fingered her phone again as Hugh left to talk with one of the attendants. Her stomach was a tight knot of nerves. She ran her thumb over the power button, looking down at the black screen. She would take just one quick peek. She never said she would leave it off forever. And she ought to check on things anyway, since the phone probably wouldn’t work when they went into the Wood.

She couldn’t go all day without some sort of contact, she just couldn’t, not with how they . . . she had left things. She thumbed the power button on at the same moment that Beluviel walked out of the stables, caught sight of their group and walked toward her.

Beluviel looked even more exotic than she had yesterday, her long, dark hair braided for travel. She wore leggings and a tunic of a rich, soft green cloth, with a bronze jacket so intricately embroidered, it could have been a museum piece.

She was also more luminous and vibrant than ever, and a sense of refreshment wafted over the scene at her arrival, bringing with it optimism and hope. At first Pia thought she had imagined it, but then she noticed how the other Elves looked to Beluviel as well, smiling. Even the other Wyr did, although they didn’t lose their sharp-eyed alertness.

A useful attribute, that. It had to be much better than looking and feeling like something a cat coughed up.

Her phone pinged. The small sound sent a hot prickle over her skin, and her stomach clenched. She glanced down at the screen. She had several text messages.

“Good morning,” Beluviel said. “I’m so glad you were able to start early. We can make the journey in one day, but there is quite a lovely resting area where we can stay the night if you find yourself getting too tired. Please don’t hesitate to say something if you feel the need to stop.”

“Thank you, that sounds terrific,” said Pia. She tried to smile too, but the muscles in her face felt rigid. She hoped her expression didn’t look as ghastly as it felt. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be rude, but these messages won’t wait. I hope you don’t mind if I take a few minutes to check them.”

“Not at all,” Beluviel said. “Your phone won’t work in the Wood, so take the time you need now. We can leave whenever you’re ready.”

“I appreciate that,” Pia told her. “I’ll be as quick as I can.” She turned away, her heart knocking like a crazy thing.

Suddenly Eva was right beside her, asking telepathically, You all right, princess?

Pia’s stiff smile died a miserable death, and good riddance to it. I’ll be ready to go in a few minutes, Eva. Even to her own mind, she sounded tired.

Like the lady said, take your time, Eva said quietly. The captain stopped at the rear bumper of their nearest SUV and took a casual position, relaxed yet unmistakably standing guard.

Pia nodded in Eva’s general direction as she stepped between the two vehicles for a modicum of privacy. She was an idiot. She shouldn’t have waited so long. She should have checked for messages in real privacy when she had the chance.

As soon as she was a few feet away from the other woman, she looked at the screen of her phone again. She had nine text messages from various people. Most of them were from Stanford, who tended to be high maintenance.

Only one text message was from Dragos. It had been sent a few minutes after she had woken up and turned off her phone.

She clicked the message open and read it.

Talk tonight. Be safe.

Her vision blurred. The message was terse and to the point, as were all of Dragos’s messages, but was it enough?

She had to admit, she had boxed him into a corner in her mind where almost nothing he could have said would have been right, and silence would have been the worst thing of all.

But those four words said a lot. They said he had backed down and accepted her decision, even though he had to have still been angry when he sent the message. They weren’t enough, but they set a platform and were a promise of more.

Then she was able to take a deep breath for the first time since she had awakened. She texted him back.

Yes.

Almost instantly her phone pinged again.

Six days.

He had been waiting all that time for her reply. The starch left her spine, and she rubbed her face. Probably it was good to make him wait now and then, but hell’s bells, that was a hard road to take. You’re impossible, impossible, she mouthed at the phone as she gripped it in both hands and shook it. You make me crazy.