“What’s going on?” Artemus asks as Ryder starts frantically sifting through the different scrolls of maps. He pulls one out and spreads it across the table.
“He’s taking the wards down tonight,” Ryder answers as the rest of us gather around the table.
“The wards? Wait, like to the caves?” I ask, doing my best to follow his thoughts.
“Yes, Demetri found a way to bring them down, and he’s wasting no time. I need to be there when he gets them down.”
He rolls up the scroll that I realize is a map of the caves and tucks it into a pocket inside his tailored jacket.
“What do you need from us?” Artemus asks as Ryder continues to rummage through the room.
“Keep working on Cylas. I can tell he’s starting to break. I’ll deal with him when I get back.”
“I’m coming with you.”
Ryder pauses to look at me for just a moment before continuing his search. “No, you’re not,” he dismisses.
“Yes. I am.” I walk over to him, forcing him to acknowledge me.
“We just got you away from him. I’m not putting you back on his radar.”
“I know the risk.”
“The answer is still no.” He turns away, but I grab his arm, turning him back to me.
“Please.” I hate that I’m begging, but I hate the idea of not going even more. “I know it won’t undo what I’ve done, but I need to do this.”
He stares back at me for a moment like he’s trying to understand why I’m so insistent.
“Fine,” he agrees with a sigh of defeat. “But you don’t leave my side.” The intensity in his voice is almost scary.
“I won’t. I promise.”
“Go get changed into something warmer. It’ll be colder in the caves.”
When I turn around and head down the hall to my bedroom, I hear Artemus question Ryder’s decision to let me go.
“My father took every choice away from her until she was nothing but a slave. I won’t do the same thing.”
I’m shocked by his response. I by no means trust him, but he’s proven himself to be different from his father, and I can’t ignore that.
I quickly grab a pair of wool-lined leggings from one of the drawers. In the closet, I find a black jacket that covers my neck and a pair of knee-high boots that are a half a size too small.
“Jace is going to cloak us, so we’ll be invisible to the others,” Ryder tells me when I return. “Even though they won’t be able to see us, they’ll still be able to hear us.”
“I can be quiet,” I assure.
“Good. Now, how long will we have?”
“The magic will only hold for six hours. Maybe less,” Jace warns us.
“How will we know if it’s worn off?” I ask.
“You’ll feel it. It’ll feel like an intense shiver throughout your whole body.” Jace looks to Ryder. “You guys ready?”
Ryder nods, and Jace takes off his glove. He puts his hand on Ryder’s shoulder and then mine.
“Did it work?” I ask the others once he removes his hand. I can still see everyone, including Ryder.
