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Of course that was exactly the thing to make Ryze respond to the way he wanted him to.
"I'm going," Ryze said firmly. He never could back down from a challenge or a dare. "But there's somewhere we need to go first. I'd like to see that map in Havenmoor. If we can match that with this, we might have a better idea where we're going."
"I'd like another look myself," Cavan agreed. "And for the songs on the maps to be transcribed. Unless you prefer we carry these around with us?" He waved his hand over the maps.
"I'll do it," I said. "I presume we don't want anyone outside this room to know about it?"
"I think that would be wise." Ryze nodded. "These maps are too fragile to remove from here. Make a sketch of the maps too, so we can take them with us to Havenmoor."
I nodded. "Khala, want to help me?"
"Of course," she replied. "On the condition I get to go to Havenmoor too."
No one needed to ask why.
The High Lords exchanged a glance. Ryze looked as though he was waiting for Cavan to say no. Cavan simply pressed his lips together, leaving Ryze to answer.
He looked at the way Khala's chin jutted out in determination and reluctantly nodded.
"Fine, but if we bump into Zared—"
"I just want to see if he's all right," she said quickly, firmly. "I want to see that map for myself anyway."
Ryze held up his hands in surrender. "All right. Get to work. We'll leave first thing in the morning."
I nodded and went in search of paper and something to write with.
By the time I returned, everyone left except Khala. She stood pouring over both maps, a frown on her pretty forehead.
I wanted to tear off her pants and fuck her over the table, just like that. But I had a job to do first.
"Do you think it is a riddle?" I placed the paper down beside the first map and started a careful sketch.
"It could be a silly children's song for all I know," she said. "The Court of Shadows sounds like a nightmare. The Court of Dreams sounds like, well, a dream. Do you think they really existed?"
I paused in my sketching for a moment. "Until yesterday, I would have said I don't know. Going with Ryze… It was something to do. You know? Indulging his fantasy of the glory of finding missing Fae or some shit like that." I shrugged one shoulder.
"And then yesterday?" she prompted.
"Then I saw griffins right above my head that weren't there. I have a good imagination, but this was something completely different. It was happening in front of me."
I’d smelled smoke in the air. Felt the rush of wings above me. I heard the screams of people dying, and the clash of steel on steel. I was right there. In the middle of a field of battle. Hells, I could even smell blood and fear. It coated the insides of my nostrils, heavy and thick. Several metres away, a man sobbed in agony before he twitched and felt completely still. His eyes stared up at the sky, accusing and scared.
The moment passed, I found myself standing in the streets of Garial, surrounded by people going about their lives. Nothing about it seemed real. It took me a solid couple of minutes to reorient myself again. To convince myself I wasn't really on a battlefield. I was nowhere more extraordinary than a street in the Summer Court.
"It's too strange to disregard anything at this point," I concluded.
"Can you keep a secret?" she asked.
"Sweetheart, I wouldn't be a good Master of Assassins if I couldn't," I told her.
She smiled and lightly kissed my mouth. Then told me about Hycanthe and her magic.
"Whatever happened yesterday, something happened to both of you." She looked worried, for her sister and for me. Not for herself. That was typical Khala. She was beyond sweet. Especially when she told High Lords to fuck off. That was literally the best thing I've seen in years. That and the look on Harel's face.
I nodded, and said, "I think we should keep both of these things to ourselves. For now at least. We can trust Ryze and Vayne, but Cavan would feel obligated to tell Dalyth and fuck knows what that bitch would do."
"I trust her as far as I could throw a mountain with one hand," Khala said eloquently.
