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“I can’t begin to assume anything about Dade,” Master Grey said.
I nodded. That was a feasible answer. I shouldn’t be surprised by it. Still…I wished I had some idea what was going on with him. I wished I knew if he was okay, if he was still alive.
But no.
I couldn’t think like that. Felix would kill me, and honestly, Dade deserved to know we still had faith in him. That we would search for him no matter what it took. He didn’t need us doubting him.
“However,” Grey continued, “there might be a way for us, foryou, to find out.”
I sat back, my eyes going to the scroll once more.
“However, like I’ve warned, it will require a lot from you,” he said. “I have contacts in the north that have discovered a Light Bringer den. You’ve heard of the dens, haven’t you?”
I stiffened. Of course I had heard of the dens. They were incredibly dangerous places that, once brought there, it was likely a person would never escape. Dens were where Light Bringers congregated to feed on those they deemed would enhance their magic. The victims would be kept either in chains or under heavy sedative magic in order to ensure they never escaped. There were a couple of towns around known dens that constantly reported human children and women – those who weren’t able to fight back – being trafficked to dens, but no one wanted to risk anything and prove it. The missing stayed missing.
“Yes, of course,” I said when I realized he was waiting for an answer.
Grey nodded once. “This mission will require you to be a captive at one den in particular,” he said gravely. “I’ve received multiple reports that Dade is a frequent user there –”
“So, Dade is taking magic?” I asked, interrupting him.
“I can’t say for sure, but that’s what these reports seem to claim,” Grey said. “Your job will be to tell me the truth of it. Is Dade even there, and, if so, is he too far gone that not even we can save him?”
Adrya
“How was breakfast with the family?” Rianne asked once we met up after First Hour. She bumped my shoulder with hers. Her arms held at least three textbooks. For someone as willowy as she was, I was surprised she was able to carry those heavy tomes without issues.
The halls bustled with energy, probably all gossiping about the new girl.
“I know someone who works in the kitchen,” Rianne continued, brushing her brown hair out of her face. “Apparently, Byron brought her down there last night to get her some of the leftovers.”
This didn’t surprise me.
“I wonder what he thinks of her,” Rianne continued, tilting her head to the side.
“Byron?” I asked.
She nodded. “I’m sure he’s not happy about having to deal with her,” she said. “But still. It was nice of him. Lily said he seemed soft with her, whatever that means.”
“Soft?”
“I think she’s just jealous because he’s forced to escort a human around,” Rianne said.
“Escort?”
Rianne glanced over at me, her lips curving up in a mischievous way. “What’s gotten into you?” she asked. “You never told me about breakfast by the way.”
Matthyw’s face flashed in my mind — all angles and narrowed eyes. There was heat scorching even from the thought of him, and I quickly curled a strand of hair behind my ear to give myself something to do.
I wanted to tell her that Matthyw was here, but I also didn’t. Part of me wanted to keep him as a secret to myself, something I didn’t have to share, even with my closest friend. More than that, it had been so long since Rianne had seen Matthyw, and she had never been fond of him because of his savage reputation in both violence and exploits. Just because he was supposed to be my brother to me didn’t give him a pass, and I agreed.
But something changed with Matthyw.
I just didn’t know what.
And worse, that mademechange.
“I’m just curious, I suppose,” I forced myself to say as we made a right down another hall.
