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"Imagine all the hassle that could have been avoided if more communication took place," Cavan said.
"You're never going to get past that, are you?" Ryze asked.
"Twenty years of trying to tell you there's a risk that might destroy our courts? No, probably not."
"In that case, if you're wrong, I get to remind you every chance I get," Ryze told him.
"Since you're also walking on the road to Havenmoor, to look at a map, I'd suggest you're as wrong about this as I am," Cavan said. "At this point, we're equally invested."
"Maybe I'm just humouring you," Ryze said.
"I'd literally pay money to see them kiss each other," Tavian said with a groan.
Ryze and Cavan both turned to give him a look.
Tavian shrugged. "What? The sexual tension around here is hotter than that melted building."
Cavan and Ryze shared a look.
Ryze grimaced. "It is not sexual tension between me and him. It's a genuine, carefully cultivated dislike. Honed by years of him being an asshole."
"I was about to say exactly the same thing," Cavan said. "Although, I was going to say stubborn, ignorant asshole."
"I might be stubborn, but I'm not ignorant," Ryze protested. "We have years of mistrust between us. It's a centuries' old pattern. I had no reason to think anything changed."
"Except me sending envoys to try to get you to listen," Cavan snapped.
"See, sexual tension." Tavian sighed.
Ryze stopped in the middle of the road. "What envoys? None ever came from you talking about any of this."
"Because you didn't listen—" Cavan stopped too.
The only sound was the wind in the trees and the crunch of the guards' footsteps until they caught up with us.
"Not one word," Ryze said. "The Winter Court never got a word about any part of this from you or from anyone else. The first I heard of any of it were rumours about Silent Maidens being taken to the Summer Court, and the weather being screwed with. That was all relatively recent.”
"They never returned." Cavan closed his eyes tight. He exhaled loudly out his nose, like an angry bull. "They neverarrived."
His words fell in silence that lingered for a couple of minutes while we all absorbed the meaning and the implications.
"Who thinks they didn't make it past the Autumn Court?" Tavian raised his hand.
I raised mine as well. Ryze raised his, but Zared shrugged.
"Whether it's Harel or some other faction, someone has been working against us for a long time. Sowing the seeds of division between us. And we let them grow." Cavan opened his eyes. "Khala, what was it you said? Something about building bridges and getting over things."
"I was talking about you and my mother, but this is a good example too," I said. "We're all on the same side here. We don't have to like each other, but we need to stop being divided. That might even include Harel." I added that grudgingly because I really wanted to punch him in the face.
Cavan sighed and ducked his head for a moment before looking back up again. His generous mouth was pressed in a tight line.
"Let's get a look at this map first," he said. "Then we can make a plan."
"I can agree with that," Ryze said. "Although I have the horrible feeling that means going into the mist." He seemed more resigned when he talked about it now.
"It means whatever it means," Cavan said. "I think you all realise I'll do whatever it takes to stop our courts from being destroyed. Even if that means going into the mist and never coming back."
Ryze opened his mouth, probably to say something sarcastic, but he closed it again and nodded.
