Page 81 of Ignite the Infernos

“You all right?” she asks, clearly picking up on my cartwheeling emotions.

“Better than okay,” I confess, the words coming out choked. “My scale armor is light gray, Ens, and I accidentally siphoned fire the other day. I’ve been training my affinity since.” A tear slips down one side of my face and then the other, and I quickly wipe them away.

“How?” she rasps, and I cry harder, knowing she’s crying too.

“The answers are here, Ens. Get here. All of you. Three days,” I tell her.

“Are you sure?” Enslee asks, and I can feel how desperate she is to believe and how scared she is to actually try.

“Trust me, Ens. This is the only way.”

Silence fills the line for a moment, and then I hear, “Where?”

Eager anticipation pumps through me, and I work to calm myself and focus. “That spot we always talk about from that day we’ll never forget. I’ll have people we can trust meet you.”

“How will we identify them?” she counters.

“They’ll give you a password when you meet; you’ll know it as soon as you hear it.”

I can practically hear my sister weighing the pros and the cons. I say nothing, letting her work through the risks and alternatives like I know she needs to do.

“Three days. At the spot we always talk about, from the day we’ll never forget,” she finally confirms after a nerve-racking drawn out pause.

My smile is triumphant, but all too quickly fear wraps itself like a vise around my chest. It’s not just for my sister and the other Syphons, as I worry whether this is the right move or not, but for Aeson and the inevitable fallout we’re careening toward when the others finally arrive.

“I’ll see you soon, Ev,” Enslee declares, and the longing in her tone makes my eyes start to sting again.

“Soon,” I answer, remembering this swapped goodbye from the first call I made after I escaped the hospital. I was so afraid that day, certain that I’d be dead within hours of that phone call. Now I’m striding through the halls of King’s Keep, bonded to Aeson Noctis, and I’m days away from completing phase two and finally bringing my people home.

The line disconnects, and I blow out a breath and hand the com to Luma, who gives it back to Vesper. The empty hall around us echoes our steps, and magnitude of what I just put in motion weighs heavy on my shoulders.

“The other Syphons are coming?” Julian asks casually.

I smile, unable to help myself. “The other Syphons are coming,” I confirm, and then we round a corner and slam right into Karis and Blay.

“What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be in the ballroom with Lorn and the others,” Blay barks, his gray-blue eyes scanning the hall like he’s expecting danger to come leaping from the shadows any minute now.

“What are you doing here?” I lob back, worried they just heard the call I made, and confused when I notice no one else is with them. “Where is Aeson? What’s going on?”

“We were coming to get you,” Karis answers, his features surprisingly softer than they’ve been since I was brought back here.

“What happened?” I press, unease crawling up my spine.

“Aeson will explain, just come with us. Can you run?” Blay asks and my stomach drops.

“Is he hurt?” I demand.

Panic seizes my thoughts and I hike my skirt up and start sprinting after Aeson’s Wing. I have no idea where we’re going, but it’s the last thing I can focus on because all the things I’ve said to Aeson over the last few days, and all of the things I haven’t said, ring loudly in my mind.

“No one’s hurt,” Karis assures me, but I turn to Vesper to confirm, because if that’s true, why are they acting like this?

Vesper nods, but I don’t miss the shocked look on Karis’s face, like he didn’t realize the trust between us was that fractured until now. Something akin to remorse flashes in his gaze before Daelith’s big form blocks Karis from view.

We run for what feels like forever, and Karis and Blay only slow when we approach a tower with a singular door blocking entry. The corridor is darker than any of the other towers I’ve been to in the keep. It’s almost as though this area is hoping to be overlooked or go unseen all together.

‘Where are we?” I ask no one in particular, but no one answers.

“Wait here,” Blay instructs, ignoring the tension radiating through me like a live wire.