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How many times had he imagined her laughing at his misfortune, reveling in the chaos she had left in her wake? How many times had he pictured the moment when she would be sentenced to death, and the misery on her face. He never would have dreamed that she was already living in that misery.
Sera joined them a moment later, followed shortly after by Elyse. Her hair was brushed and she had put her stoic facade back in place, concealing the vulnerability he’d just witnessed.
The rest of the group speculated as to where Jaime might be while Killian remained entrenched in his own thoughts. Occasionally he glanced at Elyse, but she seemed to be avoiding his gaze.
Finally, Jaime arrived. He swooped casually into the room, one hand brushing through his blond hair.
“Oh good, you’re all here,” he said, as if they hadn’t been sitting around waiting for him.
Killian snapped out of his trance and glared up at Jaime. “I don’t know how you were raised,” he began sternly, “but where I’m from, we apologize for keeping people waiting.”
For once, Jaime appeared rattled. From the corner of his eye, Killian saw Manny suppressing a grin. Elyse looked embarrassed, though it was unclear whether she was embarrassed for Jaime’s tardiness or Killian’s blunt statement. Meanwhile, Sera seemed flat-out amused.
“I’m… sorry?” Jaime said, though it was one of those apologies that sounded more like a question than a statement. “I’d expect you’d be a little kinder to me after I spent the whole night busting my ass to get answers,” he continued as he seated himself at the foot of the table.
“Did you find anything?” Elyse asked eagerly.
“Yes,” Jaime answered with a sigh. “There is a private auction tomorrow, and one of the items is rumored to be the eternal rose.”
Everyone exchanged excited looks with one another. Tomorrow? It seemed too good to be true, though Killian hoped it was just a torrent of much-needed luck.
“Do you think it’s the real thing?” Elyse asked.
Jaime shrugged slowly. “I think so. My sources are usually correct.”
“Well, it sounds like a good enough lead,” Manny cut in. “So why do you sound so disappointed?”
Jaime leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. Defeat washed over his features. “Because the auction is in De Vesalis.”
Killian grit his teeth. De Vesalis, a coastal city along the far southern border of Rhodan, was known for its debauchery. “The City of Vice,” it was called, as gambling, prostitution, and heavy drinking were its main attractions. And, of course, it was a two-day journey.
“We could ride all day and night and still not make it,” Sera said, shaking her head. “Unless—”
“Has anyone been there before?” Killian finished her thought.
Everyone shook their heads, their faces despondent. Transportation potions would do them no good if none of them had traveled there before.
“What about…” Killian began, standing and striding toward the enormous map of Rhodan that hung on the wall. He pointed to Sevhella, in the center of Rhodan, then trailed his finger southwest toward the Staerion Sea. “Privya’s clinic is more than halfway to De Vesalis,” he mused, gesturing his hand between the general area of Privya’s clinic and the coast.
Elyse stood as well and neared the map, her dark eyes alight with a plan. “We could magick there, and then it would just be a day’s travel to De Vesalis.”
She flashed a smile at Killian, her pink lips signaling her pride for him. His stomach fluttered at the warm sentiment, a reminder of what had been, and he smiled back before catching himself.
He turned abruptly toward the group. “We can use today to prepare and be there by tonight, ready to ride out in the morning.”
“Wait,” Jaime started, his brows knitted. “We don’t all need to go. Elyse and I will—”
“No,” Killian cut him off firmly. “Absolutely not.”
Jaime’s face twisted into a snarl, but before he could speak, Sera chimed in.
“I agree with Killian. We don’t know what we could be getting into. Whoever is trying to resurrect the demon could very well be at the auction. We should at least all be in the same city.”
Manny nodded. “So we’ll go to the auction, buy the eternal rose, and then—”
“Oh, n-n-n-no,” Jaime said with a cynical laugh. “The starting bid on the rose is expected to be ten million gold pieces, so unless any of you are secretly extremely wealthy…” He trailed off, looking around the room at each of them.
Ten million gold? Even with Elyse’s secret horde of coin, they weren’t even close to having that amount.
