Book 4: Love

Finn

Xandra leans on my arm as we duck out of the “palace” and into the blistering sun. As soon as the door shuts behind us, I can’t hold it in anymore. I grin. Xandra laughs when she sees it, leaning on me even more heavily.

He took the bait. Denidor is ours—in two weeks, which is what we need to train the various captains and convince Alden to make the first move.

“Did you see his face?” she asks.

I twist mine into a mockery of it—barely restrained anger behind a mask of politeness. “Matej looked like he was going to shit himself.”

Her giggles make her miss a step, and I catch her. Just like I did last night, when the run clearly almost wiped her out. Two weeks seems much longer now—Xandra needs her rest, and she needs it soon. But if we said any quicker, Denidor would’ve torn us to shreds.

“He didn’t even mention my powers,” she says breathlessly.

“He’s not bright enough.” I roll my eyes, glad we didn’t have to pull out t