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Though her calling Karemi a success made me a bit queasy …
Jaiel's stool squeaked as he leaned forward. "I assume that's why I was brought in?"
Dimiri nodded, his hat casting shadows across his face. "Since you've done several missions there, you will provide the connections and experience Miss Maderoth lacks."
I turned to stare at the Fae prince, aghast.
For the past two years, Lady Frexin had refused my requests to do any Isle missions, citing it as too dangerous.
Yet can't-keep-his-dick-in-his-pants Jaiel has been there — and more than once! What kind of diplomatic missions could there even be on the Isle?
And what was this about him providing experience I lacked? Unless the mission involved orgies, I sincerely doubted he had any experience I did not.
But I needed to know as much as possible before I could convince them to remove the Fae prince from the mission.
So, I forced myself to stay calm despite the irritation thrumming through my body as I turned to Frexin.
"What kind of relic?"
She gestured to Lord Dimiri and he nodded.
"We don't know the specifics of its species or appearance," he said. "But we have reliable intel that it's one of a kind. And extremely dangerous."
His worried frown spoke volumes.
But what 'one of a kind' even mean for a living creature? How was that possible?
"Indeed," Lady Frexin said, gaze directed at me. "If our sources are correct, we believe this relic has the potential to be even worse than the Karemi Relic."
A phantom pain stabbed through the fresh scar on my side, and I winced.
"Due to the extreme dangers on the island," she continued. "This has been a strictly military operation until this point. But every team Lord Dimiri has sent to investigate has returned empty-handed or disappeared entirely."
Hells, if the military was having trouble — that was not encouraging. And since when did Lord Dimiri work with the military? Didn't his team specialize in foreign relations?
"I know this is a lot to ask so soon after your experience in Karemi," Dimiri interjected, his gaze heavy. "But your work there makes me think you may succeed where my agents have failed."
Guilt rose, hot fire in my throat. "Yes, but Karemi —"
"Oh hush, Kaiya," Frexin cut in, eyebrows raised in warning. "We know it wasn't a glorious success like we tell the public. But you found and captured that damned relic, did you not? And you survived the ordeal? As far as I'm concerned, that's all that matters." She smiled tightly. "You are the right person for this mission."
My throat ached with the need to object, but the words didn't come.
I wanted the assignment. And if Dimiri knew the full story, it was unlikely he'd give it to me.
Plus, Frexin was obviously invested in me doing this mission, and she was not someone I wanted to cross. My friendly mentor was single-minded with her goals — a trait I respected her for. But it also meant she wouldn't hesitate to remove any obstacles in her path.
The last thing I wanted was to become one of those obstacles.
Dimiri looked from me to her, then back again, before clearing his throat. "Yes, well — the last team made a bit of progress before their communications stopped. It seems the relic is somewhere in the Heartless Basin." He gestured towards a map on the desk by Frexin. "It's a dangerous swampland inhabited by creatures that have torn far too many of our agents to shreds. To complicate things further, the Guardian protects the beasts, so we're unable to attack."
"The Guardian?" I asked, looking up at him.
He nodded, and my jaw dropped.
Every child in the Empire knew the stories of the Forsaken Isle — home to the twisted, insane mages.
And every child knew the Empire was protected from those mages by a force called the Guardian — a mythical creature that roamed the waters around the Isle, preventing any Forsaken mages from coming over to the mainland.
