Rise of the Faire-Amanti (The Ascendant Series Book 3) by Raine Thomas Read Free Book Online

fruit.
    He smiled and brushed his fingers over her cheek, but she felt the concern he couldn’t hide from her. She guessed she looked wrecked, if his reaction was any gauge. It really wasn’t fair, considering she now shared his healing abilities. She should be just as invigorated and ready to go as he was. Was she really that out of shape compared to him?
    She supposed so. He’d been training all of his life, so this was nothing to him. There wasn’t much she could do about it. After eating as much of the food as she could stomach, she excused herself to see to her personal needs. She pinched her cheeks to try and give them some color when Ty wasn’t in direct sight of her, hoping they’d look flushed with healthy color instead of bruised. She took the time to scrub her face with the stream water, too, and by the time she was done, she felt more human.
    Keep your thoughts open , Ty told her as he lifted their satchels and the canister of the Gift and tossed everything over his shoulder with careless ease. That’ll be our first sign that we’re nearing civilization .
    She nodded, accepting his kiss before they started out. From that point, she knew he would be focused on their surroundings and keeping her safe.
    The first thoughts began trickling through around the time the sun was highest in the sky. Kyr waffled between disappointment that she was no longer alone in her thoughts with Ty and elation that they were nearing some form of civilization. The possibility of a hot meal, running water, and a serviceable bed helped pick up her pace.
    It didn’t take them long to hear enough thoughts to piece together that they were in the Wrym megai. Kyr knew this wasn’t the best news. Ty had hoped to be closer to the palace, but they were about as far as one could get outside of the Dark Lands. It was going to take some luck and planning to get from their location to the palace, and the longer it took, the more time they gave Vycor to enact whatever he had planned.
    Ty found some edible cones harvested from a meffal bush, so they stopped long enough to eat them for lunch and wash them down with water. Kyr found them marginally better than the dried fruit. At least they didn’t stick to her teeth.
    They took the time to change from their flight gear to the simple clothes they had packed in the satchels. Gren had helped them create plausible backgrounds and cover stories for each of the megais so that they could travel under disguise without raising any alarms. The fact that they could read thoughts would be helpful, too, and hopefully keep them from saying the wrong thing to the wrong person. They had no idea who within the megais might be under Vycor’s influence. One wrong move and the news of their plans would spread to the palace in the span of a single thought.
    If they were smart and careful though, they hoped to recruit some Alametrians to their cause. Kyr also wanted to warn as many people as they could about what was happening at the palace. How else could people protect themselves?
    It was a very fine line to walk, trying to reason out who they could trust and who might turn them over to the closest Mynder guards. They would have to rely on their instincts and abilities to get them through.
    Kyr had thought to pack a head cloth among her things, knowing many Wrym females chose to cover their hair, so she pulled it out and tied it around her head. The only thing she didn’t have were shoes that would blend in. All of the Outcasts wore boots to protect their skin and pant legs from the harsh elements. Shoes were impractical. She’d have to wear her knee-high combat boots under the plain, ankle-length blue dress she wore and hope no one cared about her footwear.
    Ty wore a loose white shirt with long sleeves tucked into unadorned black pants, and black boots that looked like larger versions of hers. Despite the unassuming clothes, he looked every bit the forbidding protector of the Ascendant of Alametria.
    And you