Chapter 150. River of Sorrow

Celeste’s POV

I crouched on the edge of my cot in the dim lantern-light, clutching the messenger bird’s smooth, feathered body against my chest as if it were the only thing keeping me anchored to reality. I didn’t notice when the first tear rolled down my cheek—maybe I was too busy listening, too keenly attuned to every note of Eryndor’s trembling voice as it poured through the bird’s soft coos.

His message was raw with grief; he had lost his master, his home, his sense of safety—yet, even in the midst of his own devastation, he still thought of me. Guilt coiled around my heart like a serpent’s embrace. I had completely forgotten him during my long stay in Ironshade village. What a dreadful friend I’d been.

“I’m missing you too!” I cried into the quiet room, my voice hoarse. “I want to see you again!” Saltwater pooled in my eyes. His sorrow pressed on me, a physical weight that turned my limbs leaden. I yearned to be by his side, to offer him a shoulder to