I shake my head and clear my throat. “Noire, this is taking too much time. She can’t be alive.”
Noire purses his lips. “If she were dead, you’d know, General. They’d make sure you knew. We must remain patient, and hopeful.”
Those words make me want to roar, thrash, and claw at everyone and everything until there’s nothing left but an empty void.
Instead, I take a steadying breath, straighten my back, and nod.
“We’ll do everything we can to find her, as soon as possible,” Ezkai Seraphina says. “You have our word, General.”
“Thank you,” I say and dip my chin low. “Noire, may I have a private word with you?”
“Absolutely, General,” Noire says and smiles at me. “Why don’t we take a little tour around the spy lair at the same time?”
“Lead the way, Taaslord.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
PHOENIX
At first, we walk in silence. Noire’s steps are light, as if his feet don’t touch the ground when he walks. Here, deep down under the castle, his shadows are more prominent, clinging to his shoulders and neck and leaving a trail on the ground behind him.
Even if I know by now that Noire is a friend and an ally, all the unknowns about the man still give me chills.
We walk side by side. He glances over at me. “You’re more tense today than you were yesterday.”
I roll my shoulders and crack my neck. “Am I? Haven’t noticed.”
“Does it have something to do with your sneaking out the other night to go see Master Oka Oya?”
My steps don’t falter. Of course there is nothing that can slip past Noire’s eyes. He’s my spy master, after all.
“At least I know you’re good at your job,” I say instead of answering his question.
“You’re too kind, General,” he says, amusement dancing in his voice. “You don’t have to sneak around at night to leave the castle. You may leave whenever you desire, through the main gate. And Master Oka Oya may visit whenever you want, too.”
I arch an eyebrow. “Can I leave without two Ezkai escorting me at all times, breathing down my neck?”
“It’s for your safety, General. Many risks come with being the most powerful person in Ekios.”
“Many of those risks to my safety seem to fester right here, inside my fucking castle,” I snap.
“You’re safe while you’re in the castle, General. Trust me.”
“I do trust you, Noire. I don’t trust the rest of the Ezkai and Dzuni.”
Noire’s steps come to a halt in front of wrought iron double doors. He turns to face me.
“I understand why you might feel that towards your government and soldiers,” Noire says. “However, not everyone here is our enemy. There are many honorable soldiers eager to serve you and follow you, and not all nobles are corrupt.”
“I hope you’re right,” I say, darkly.
“I’m not always right,” Noire says, and a cheeky smile blooms on his face, “but I’m right more often than I’m not.”
I crack a smile, too.
Noire waves at the door next to us. “Behind this door, you’ll find the barracks where Ezkai spies live.”
My head whips to the side and I frown. “Ezkai livehere? Underground?”
