Chapter 1
Cadence felt Rowan before she saw him.
It had become impossible to explain. She couldn’t hear his footsteps or sense his magic. She simply knew.
Her heart gave the smallest, traitorous flutter.
He’s here.
They had been waiting for nearly an hour inside the most run-down inn Cadence had ever stepped foot in. The little back room they had claimed smelled of old wood, damp stone, and whatever questionable stew had been cooked downstairs for the last twenty years. A single lantern burned on the scarred table between them, casting long shadows across the walls.
No one talked much.
There wasn’t much left to say.
Every one of them knew that by tomorrow night, everything could be different.
The door creaked open.
Rowan stepped inside.
His grey eyes found Cadence instantly.
As always.
The realization warmed something deep inside her before she could stop it. Even now, with the world balancing on the edge of disaster, he looked for her first.
Then his attention shifted to Bryce.
“Alright,” Bryce said, slipping seamlessly into the role of strategist. “You ride out first. We’ll circle through the forest and approach from the west. If we’re lucky, no one will ever know we were here.”
Bryce stood, unfolding the map one last time.
Cadence couldn’t help noticing how different he looked than the boy she’d grown up with. Somewhere between the fortress, the battles, and falling for an impossible princess, he’d become someone people naturally looked toward.
Apparently Rowan noticed too.
“You’ve really come into your own,” Rowan said.
Bryce rolled his eyes.
“Don’t get sentimental on me.”
The corner of Rowan’s mouth twitched.
“You think you can keep the King and the princes occupied?” Bryce asked.
Rowan’s gaze slid briefly toward Adrian.
A dangerous little smile appeared.
“Oh...” he said quietly. “I’ve had years to prepare for this conversation.”
Despite everything, Cadence almost smiled.
Trust Rowan to sound excited about arguing with the most dangerous people in the kingdom.
The room fell quiet again.
This was it.
No more planning.
No more waiting.
The next time they all stood in the same building...
There was no guarantee every one of them would walk back out.
Adrian broke the silence.
“If everything falls apart, we regroup at the old barn north of the city. The one we passed on the way here.”
Everyone nodded.
Simple.
Clear.
No one wanted to discuss why they might need a meeting place after a failed rescue.
Rowan crossed the room.
Every instinct Cadence possessed wanted to close the distance between them.
She stayed exactly where she was.
He stopped only inches away and lowered his voice.
“Be careful.”
Three simple words.
But they carried far more weight than she wanted them to.
“Whatever happens...” he continued, “...make sure you get out.”
Her stomach tightened.
She knew exactly what he meant.
Or at least...
She thought she did.
The question had been living quietly inside her ever since the monastery.
Ever since he’d discovered the truth about the Boundary.
Ever since he’d begun pulling away again.
Before she could lose her nerve, the words escaped.
“Why?”
He frowned.
“Because we need my power?”
The words sounded smaller out loud.
More vulnerable.
She hated that.
“Because if I die...” she continued carefully, “...there’s no one left to heal the Seals?”
The light in Rowan’s eyes dimmed.
Not with anger.
With hurt.
He shifted slightly, turning his back toward the others until it felt as though the room had disappeared around them.
For a heartbeat he lifted his hands, almost resting them against her arms.
Almost.
Instead he shoved them into his pockets.
Cadence noticed.
Of course she noticed.
He was afraid to touch her.
His voice dropped to barely above a whisper.
“The world absolutely needs you.”
Her heart sank.
Then he continued.
“But if you honestly think that’s the only reason I need you to come back...”
He swallowed.
“...then you haven’t been paying attention, little warrior.”
The nickname nearly undid her.
It wasn’t the words.
It was the look in his eyes.
As though her question had reached inside his chest and squeezed.
She suddenly wished she could take it back.
She hadn’t wanted to hurt him.
She’d only wanted reassurance.
“I...” she started softly before giving up.
Instead she asked the only thing that really mattered.
“I won’t see you afterward?”
He shook his head.
“No.”
He looked almost disappointed by his own answer.
“I’ll go directly to the next Seal. If this works...” He glanced toward the window, toward the palace hidden somewhere beyond the snow. “I don’t want anyone connecting you to me.”
She nodded.
She understood.
It didn’t make it easier.
Ever since the monastery...
Ever since Rowan had looked genuinely afraid for the first time in his life...
Something had changed between them.
Not because they cared any less.
Because they cared too much.
The walls she’d thought they were finally breaking down had quietly risen again.
He was trying to protect her.
She knew that.
She just wished protection didn’t always feel so much like distance.
Rowan stepped backward.
His eyes lingered on her for the briefest moment before he turned toward the others.
After a few final instructions...
He was gone.
The room somehow felt colder without him.
Bryce slapped his hands together.
“Alright.”
A grin spread across his face, the kind that always appeared before he did something reckless.
“Time to go save Solene.” He was bouncing a little like he was amping up for a fight.
Adrian stood.
All traces of humor disappeared from his face.
“Yes.”
His voice was quiet.
Steady.
“And then we’re going to make sure my father never lays another hand on her again.”
