Tavor straightened, only the slightest wince crossing his face. “I’m fit for fighting again if need be.”

  Avery gave a half smile. “Good. Have the men gather enough of the remedy for their people and bring it here.”

  Jace’s heart leapt in his chest. Avery turned his gaze to him as Tavor left the table.

  “You may not have expected payment for rescuing me, but I want to give it. Whatever you need for those in your camp and the sick here in the city, you can have.”

  Jace gasped out a breath, hardly daring to believe it.

  Avery offered another half-smile. “I don’t understand them, but I admire your convictions. If all Elôm believers are like you, then it would be a shame to lose them. After all, you may be the only ones who can restore Daniel to his throne. I dismissed your ability to do that at first, but I’m beginning to rethink it.”

  Jace shook his head. “I don’t know how to thank you.” Or You, Lord.

  New energy coursed through him, combatting the effects of the fever. In just moments, they would have possession of the remedy! The very thing that could save Kyrin and Rayad. He turned to Holden.

  “We need to leave as soon as we have the remedy.” He wouldn’t waste another precious second.

  “It won’t be an easy trek back to the dragons for you.”

  “I’ll manage.” Jace turned his attention back to Avery. “We’ll see that you receive our payment for the remedy. I know it doesn’t cover it, but at least it’s something, and we do appreciate that you are helping people.”

  Avery shrugged. “Whatever you have will help. And you did save my life. I think we got off on the wrong foot. It is important to me to help the people in this city, but they are not the only ones in need of aid. At present, you are the strongest force in Arcacia standing against Davira. I may have trivialized that at first, but I wouldn’t want it to change.”

  He offered Jace his hand, and Jace reached out to grip his forearm.

  “Again, thank you.”

  Avery smiled and nodded. “If you’re ever in Valcré again and need help, I’ll be here… that is, if Davira doesn’t succeed in killing me first.” He looked at Aaron. “Same goes for you and your people.”

  A few minutes later, a couple of Avery’s men walked in with four leather satchels they laid on the table. Avery opened the flap of one and pulled out a small vial of dark liquid. Jace’s heart reacted in an elevated thump. There it was—the remedy that could save Kyrin.

  “Two teaspoons is a dose,” Avery told them. “For especially severe cases, you can give three. It’s best to mix it with tea or something to help it go down.”

  Jace nodded, ready to snatch up the satchels and race back to Gem to be on their way.

  “Try your best to keep them from freezing,” Avery said. “Perhaps you can rig something to keep them under your coats.”

  “We’ll have to go back to get our gear,” Holden replied, looking in one of the satchels, which was filled with carefully packed vials. “We’ll figure something out there.”

  They all stood. Aaron took one of the satchels, while Jace and Holden took the three others.

  “Good luck with your trip back,” Avery told them. “I hope you haven’t lost too many people.”

  Jace’s lungs seized with the thought of the losses they might face once they returned home. But he thanked Avery even though he knew the success of this trip had nothing to do with luck. Once more they clasped arms, and Avery said, “Say hello to Daniel for me.” A wince crossed his face. “We didn’t exactly part under the best circumstances.”

  “I will,” Jace told him.

  Itching to be on their way, Jace led them toward the door. His legs still shook a little, but he didn’t think even a group of soldiers could stop him from getting the remedy back to Kyrin.

  They paused at the street corner where Aaron said, “Tim and I will deliver the remedy to the warehouse. We’ll meet you back at Ben and Mira’s.”

  Jace nodded, and they parted. At first, he and Holden strode down the street in silence, but as the excitement of the last hour settled, Jace thought about what had led to all of this. No doubt Holden knew what he’d intended to do to Baron Reynold. Unease churned inside him. What did his friend think? Had Elôm not brought him to his senses, he might have murdered a man. The very thought made him sick to his stomach.

  He glanced at Holden. “How did you know where I was?”

  “When I got up and realized you’d left, I went out to find you. I thought maybe you would offer Avery the deal of turning you in.”

  Jace would have to tell Holden that he had indeed offered, but his friend was still speaking.

  “I met Timothy and Aaron on the way, and Avery told us where you were.”

  He stopped there and didn’t mention anything about Jace’s intended actions, for which he was thankful. He knew what a terrible thing he had almost done and was more than ashamed of it. He appreciated that Holden chose not to speak of it.

  When they arrived, Ben and Mira waited anxiously. Apparently, they had been worried about Jace as well. He would miss their parental-like concern.

  As Ben closed the door behind them, Jace lifted one of the satchels. “We have the remedy.”

  Mira put her clasped hands to her chest. “Praise the King!”

  “Timothy and Aaron are taking some to the warehouse,” Holden told them. “Jace and I need to leave immediately for Landale, but first we have to figure out how to transport the remedy without it freezing.”

  Mira thought for a moment and then bustled off. “I have an idea. Bring it into the dining room and I’ll show you.”

  Jace and Holden brought the satchels into the dining room and set them on the table. Jace then turned to his friend. “I need to change into a fresh shirt and get my things.”

  He hurried upstairs to the guest bedroom and grabbed his pack from the floor. He pulled off his coat and sweat-soaked shirt. Once he’d put on a clean shirt and his jerkin, he stuffed everything else into the pack and carried it down to the dining room. Holden came in just behind him, carrying his own pack.

  By then, Mira stood at the table and sheared a long strip from what looked to be an old bed sheet. “We’ll wrap the vials up in this and you can tie them around your waist, under your coats. The closer to your skin, the better. That should keep them from freezing.”

  She emptied the satchels, lining the vials up in the middle of the cloth strip and wrapping it over them a couple of times so they would not slide out. Lifting it carefully, she turned to Jace. He pulled off his jerkin so that only his shirt separated the vials from the warmth of his skin, and he held them in place while Mira wrapped the length of fabric securely around him. Once she’d tied it off, she stepped back.

  “How does that feel?”

  “Good.” Jace was happy to have the precious vials so close so he could make sure they were well protected. It was as if each one contained the lives of those he held most dear.

  Satisfied, Mira turned to help Holden. Jace put on an extra wool shirt before slipping on his jerkin and buckling it snugly against the bundle around his waist. He then pulled on his coat.

  Looking them both over, Mira asked, “I know you’re in a hurry, but do you need anything to eat before you go?”

  Holden shook his head. “We can eat once we’re on our way.”

  Jace wasn’t sure if Holden was just as anxious to return to camp or if he said that because he knew Jace would never wait. Either way, he appreciated his friend’s understanding of the situation.

  While they finished their final preparations to leave, Aaron and Timothy showed up, each with a full pack in tow.

  “We’re going back to Landale with you for a visit,” Aaron told them, “in case you need any extra hands.”

  A bit of a smile reached Jace’s face for the first time in what felt like weeks. “Everyone will be very happy to see you again.”

  Now the only thing left was to say goodbye. They all gathered near the door.

  “We’ll probably be back in a few weeks,” Aaron told Ben and Mira. “Keep the payment safe, and I’ll take it to Avery when we get back.”

  Ben nodded, and then their attention turned to Jace and Holden.

  “Thank you for your hospitality while we were here,” Jace told them. “With everything going on, I’m not sure we were the most pleasant guests.”

  “Nonsense,” Mira said, shaking her head. “We were happy to have you and even more thankful that your trip was a success, thanks be to Elôm.”

  Not prolonging the inevitable, Ben clasped hands with each of them. “Tell Daniel he is in our prayers daily, as is the rest of your group.”

  Jace thanked him, and they traded reluctant farewells. Once out the door, however, Jace’s mind turned toward Kyrin and Landale. If only Elôm could just place him there right this instant. The flight home would surely feel like an eternity.

  Following the same path they’d traveled days earlier, they headed for the gate. They kept a close watch for soldiers who might be searching for them after the attack against Reynold. By the time they reached the gate and passed through, Jace was winded and had begun to sweat again.

  “How are you doing?” Holden asked.

  Jace drew in a deep breath, though the cold air stung his lungs. “I’m fine.”

  He wasn’t going to let anything keep him from reaching Gem. As soon as he reached her, he could let his body be as weak as it needed. He just had to make it the final couple of miles into the forest where they’d left the dragons. He prayed no one had found them there. But who would venture that deep into the forest with all this snow and freezing temperatures? He comforted himself with this as he, Holden, Aaron, and Timothy detached their snowshoes from their packs and strapped them on.

  Straightening, Jace lifted his pack a little higher on his shoulders and took another deep breath, blocking out the pain and weakness in his body and focusing on the path ahead. Leaving the wall of Valcré behind, they set off determinedly into the forest.

  Chapter Twenty-two

  The familiar landscape of Landale set Jace’s pulse to thumping against his ribs. How could only five days make him feel as though he’d been away for years? He glanced over his shoulder. Timothy’s expression displayed his own anticipation to reach camp. After all, he hadn’t seen Leetra in months. Jace didn’t know how either of them did it.

  He set his eyes back on the horizon, toward his home of the last two years. Everything felt as though it could turn out right… but would it? What would they find when they reached camp? Jace tried not to ask himself that question and focus only on what he prayed—no, pleaded—would be true: that they weren’t too late to save the sick. That they weren’t too late to save Kyrin.

  Still, as they drew near, his heart changed from a rhythm of anticipation to a heavy thudding of dread. One part of him longed to urge Gem on with all speed while the other half shrank with the terror to land in camp and see what had transpired in their absence.

  At last, barely perceivable wisps of smoke appeared above the trees. In another moment, the treetops thinned to reveal the snow-covered rooftops of the cabins. Gem glided downward with barely a prompting from Jace. When they set down just outside of camp, Jace looked around, hardly daring to breathe. Holden landed behind him. All was quiet and still. Aside from the smoke rising from the chimneys, there wasn’t much for signs of life. Jace’s throat constricted, and he had to stop himself from imagining the worst. He quickly dismounted, careful not to jostle the vials still tied around his waist. He wanted to run straight toward the Altairs’ cabin, but he held himself back and looked over at Holden. His struggle must have been painted all over his face.

  “Go,” Holden told him. “I’ll send someone for the vials and take mine to the meeting hall to distribute.”

  Jace nodded in thanks and was about to go but stopped himself once more. It was difficult to get words past his throat. “Will you… check on Rayad for me?”

  Holden clapped him on the shoulder. “Of course.”

  Jace looked toward the cabin he and Rayad had shared. Was he still alive? Jace’s heart already experienced the pain of the possibility that he was not. He’d been sick for so long . . .

  Jace shook his head. Unfortunately, he could only check on one person at a time, and Rayad would understand his need to reach Kyrin’s side. She was the love of his life—his soon-to-be wife if Elôm fulfilled his desperate pleas.

  Half walking, half jogging, he strode toward the Altair cabin. His mouth felt as though he hadn’t had a drop to drink in days. What would he find when he stepped through the door that now stood only a few feet away? Crossing the remaining distance in three strides, he reached for the knob, pausing for only the briefest moment to gasp out a prayer before pushing the door open.

  He blinked as his eyes adjusted to the dim interior.

  “Jace!”

  It was Kaden’s voice, but Jace’s gaze locked on the occupied beds. Kyrin’s mother lay in one and Kyrin in the other. Jace looked at Kyrin’s face. Deep in his heart he’d hoped to find her awake and recovering, but she didn’t stir at his entrance. She lay perfectly still, her eyes closed, her face a deathly, ashen hue just like in the horrible nightmare he’d had in Valcré. For one paralyzing moment, he feared she truly was dead until he caught the slightest rise and fall of her chest and let out his own breath that had been trapped.

  “How is she?” he asked hoarsely, dragging his eyes to Kaden.

  “She’s not doing well. Did you get the remedy?”

  Snapping fully to his senses, Jace nodded and dropped his pack, quickly tugging off his coat. “Yes.” He let it drop too and unbuckled his jerkin, casting it aside. “The vials are here. Help me so they don’t fall and break.”

  Jace lifted his wool shirt, and Kaden assisted him in unwrapping the strip of cloth.

  “Get cups of tea,” Jace instructed Marcus and Aric.

  They jumped to do so.

  Setting the bundle carefully on the table, Jace pulled out one of the vials and uncorked it. In a moment, Marcus set two cups of tea near him. Jace measured two teaspoons of the remedy into each. He handed one of the cups back to Marcus and took the other himself, crossing the room to Kyrin’s bedside.

  The sight of her pale, sunken face up close jolted him again. Gently, he slid his fingers through her matted hair and under her head, tipping it up. The back of her head heated his palm. He placed the cup to her lips and let a little of the tea and remedy mixture dribble in. She did nothing at first, the liquid just pooling in her mouth.

  “Come on, Kyrin, swallow.” Please. He tipped her head back a little more.

  Finally, her throat moved. She coughed a little, but the tea went down. Little by little he let the rest trickle in until the cup emptied. He set it aside and rested her head back against her sweat-dampened pillow. Marcus seemed to have had success with his mother as well. Jace lightly brushed a few strands of hair away from Kyrin’s face. How desperately he desired to see her gorgeous blue eyes open and looking up at him. Please, Elôm, I love her so much. His breath trembled as he drew it in and let it out again.

  Still a bit weak from the fever and the lack of sleep, Jace sank into the chair next to Kyrin’s bed and took her limp hand in his.

  “I’m back,” he murmured. He lifted her hand and kissed the soft skin near her knuckles. “I’m back and I’m not going anywhere until you’re better and we’re married.”

  The last few words came out in a hoarse whisper. He wanted so much for it to be true. He stared at her face. How long until they knew the remedy was working? It hadn’t taken long for him, but he’d only been sick for a couple of hours, not days.

  After another minute, he pried his gaze away from her to look up at the others. Kaden stood nearby. Jace had never seen him, or any of them, look so ragged and in need of a month’s worth of sleep. It was a wonder they could even stand.

  Jace swallowed hard. He needed to ask—needed to know—but dread lingered. Once he knew, there would be no more reason to hope. But with the hope, fear would continue to gnaw at him. He met Kaden’s gaze, forcing his voice out for one, painful word. “Rayad?”

  Jace’s heart nearly broke apart with the force of its impact against his ribcage in the split second of unknown, waiting for Kaden’s answer.

  “He’s still hanging in there… barely.”

  Jace’s breath rushed out, and he felt a bit dizzy. Rayad could still die, but at least he hadn’t yet. Hope remained. He fought back the sudden flood of moisture to his eyes. “Elanor?”

  “She’s fine so far. She’s been helping out in the meeting hall. Josef got sick three days ago.”

  Jace’s eyes widened at the news. It couldn’t have been easy for anyone without their primary physician. He would have to go see Elanor and Rayad. For now, however, he couldn’t make himself let go of Kyrin.

  * * *

  Timothy followed Aaron and Holden toward the meeting hall, more than a little afraid of what he’d find. He’d witnessed the ravaging effects of the fever on those in Valcré, but this camp was like home to him—the people here like family. Lord, You see what is happening here. You’ve been here all along, and everyone who has fallen ill rests in Your hands. Give healing to those who are fighting this fever and peace to those who have lost loved ones. Let us all feel Your love in the midst of this hardship and tragedy. He took a deep breath and added a personal prayer for one person in particular.

  When they reached the door, Timothy braced himself. No doubt the meeting hall would resemble the warehouse in Valcré. Holden opened the door, and they stepped inside. Warm air engulfed them, but it was heavy with the smell of sweat and sickness. Row after row of cots and makeshift beds lined the floor. Timothy’s gaze followed them all the way toward the back of the hall where his gaze snagged on one person.