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The Guardian was dangerous … and still very much a mystery to Lady Frexin and the Science Division.
And that didn't even go into the forest creatures, the Isle-bound residents, or the danger of the mysterious, one-of-a-kind relic itself.
The mission sounded like a dream come true. For me.
I glanced from the sheet to Jaiel, who still appeared to be digesting the words on the page.
He may be a fine agent in Foreign Relations, but surely no one thought he was suited for this kind of work! There were no suit coats or balls for him to attend in the wilderness — no people for him to charm.
If anything, bringing him along would increase the chances of failure.
"This report was written by the late Professor Fiddles," Lady Frexin said as she closed the file. "He was killed on the Isle shortly after submitting the report, three years ago. However," her lips twisted into a proud smile. "We've been executing on his recommendations, and have had excellent results thus far. In fact, I am confident the new mechs will be capable of combating the Isle-bound without triggering the Guardian — something previous teams were unable to do."
"Seriously?" Jaiel interrupted, standing abruptly. "Are you insane?"
Lady Frexin's jaw dropped and Lord Dimiri's brow furrowed.
"Look." Jaiel held out his hand. "I respect the work you've done, Lady Frexin. But I highly doubt some clunky contraption will be enough to keep us safe from that thing! I've seen what it can do to a person firsthand, not to mention the hordes of wraiths between the coast and the Heartless Basin. We should not go in looking for a fight! I strongly suggest we continue to rely on local contacts and stealthy, non-violent ops." His gaze slid to me. "Ops that Miss Maderoth is not trained for or capable of. In fact, her unyielding, single-minded, selfish determination will only be a liability on a mission like this — a liability for which I refuse to be responsible for."
Selfish? Liability?! Single-minded! Not ready! My jaw dropped.
HE wouldn't be responsible for ME?!
I clenched my hands in my lap to keep myself from strangling the asshole. What kind of mad hypocrisy was this? He was the one who was out of his depth. I had literally just been awarded a medal acknowledging my skills at hunting relics for gods sake!
But no — now was not the time for an outburst. I needed Lady Frexin on my side if there was any hope of doing this mission without that buffoon.
Lady Frexin lifted her hand. "Prince Kierstall." She motioned for him to sit, jutting her chin toward the small stool. "While I understand your concerns, you will not find the relic without Kaiya. She has skills you and your team cannot even dream of possessing. So, might I suggest you swallow that pride of yours and learn how to be responsible for her?"
Jaiel looked at Dimiri, but the old man only nodded in agreement.
I had to hold back a laugh as the prince sat heavily in his chair. It served him right — saying he'd need to protect me.
"And you, Miss Maderoth," Lady Frexin said, turning to me. "I'm impressed you've held in what I am sure are several mountain's worth of objections. But my decision will not change. The kings want this relic retrieved — no matter the cost — and the two of you must work together to carry out that task."
My heart sank. I knew that stoney look. Nothing we could say would change her mind.
"This is a mistake," Jaiel said to Dimiri.
"Unfortunately, we are out of options." The old man sighed, looking as tired as I felt.
"When do we leave?" The words caught in my throat.
"Tomorrow morning," Frexin said, brusquely gathering a pile of papers and passing them to Jaiel. "The airship is needed for another mission, and my other Science Division ships are out at sea. I've booked you two passages on a Fae merchant vessel. It's passing by the Isle and will drop you off as it passes." She arched her brow. "You will need to row to shore, where a team of mechs and agents await your arrival."
Getting up, Jaiel looked at me. "Well, this should be fun."
I lifted my chin and looked away from him as I stood.
There was far too much to do before tomorrow. And now I had the additional complication of figuring out how to do the mission while babysitting a gods-forsaken Fae prince.
Chapter 9
Jaiel
Just what was Dimiri thinking?
I pulled out three sets of pants from my wardrobe and piled them neatly on the bed, then returned for matching shirts.
