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“What do you mean?”
“They didn’t believe us.”
“What? How can you know that?!”
“Because one of them is following us right now. Don’t look. Colbolt, pick it up a little.”
Colbolt did as he had been asked, gently accelerating so as to try to lose the clanker who was following us. I could hear him, now, that armored suit of his making all sorts of noise as he tried to keep pace with our Maukibou. We weren’t exactly hard to miss, but once Valerian steered Colbolt into side streets and back alleys, it became clear, the guard hadn’t been able to keep up with us.
“How did he know who we were?” I asked.
“I’m not sure that he did, but I think he was suspicious,” Valerian said. “We should get inside and lay low.”
“What if she knows we’re here?”
“She knows… either they’ll tell her, or her magic will.”
“We can’t stick around, then. We have to go.”
Valerian hopped off Colbolt’s back, walked up to a door, and unlocked it. “We aren’t going anywhere,” he said, as he opened the door. “You and Gullie get inside, eat, and get some sleep. I’ll take Colbolt somewhere safe and come back for you.”
“Wait, where are you going?”
“I can’t very well go find my contacts with the Princess of Windhelm at my side. Stay here, I’ll be back before dawn.”
“And what are we supposed to do until then?”
“Like I said, sleep, and eat. You’ll need your strength tomorrow.”
“Are you telling me you’re going to do this all on your own tonight?”
He shook his head. “Unlikely. I’m going to see if any of my contacts still recognize me. If they do, I will try to get an audience with the Guild of Hunters. That won’t be tonight, but the sooner I start the process, the sooner we can get one.”
“Valerian, I don’t like this,” I said. “Sitting around on my hands isn’t my strong suit, especially when we’re probably already compromised.”
“Me either, but we’re on the clock.” He helped me off Colbolt’s back and held me for a moment, his firm hands gripping my shoulders. “I’ll be back. I promise.”
“And if you don’t come back?”
Valerian grinned. “Don’t mourn me for too long. I’m not worth it.”
My eyes widened. “Valerian!” I hissed.
“Gullie, take care of her?”
Gullie came buzzing out from inside my hood. “Always,” she said. “Come on, let’s go.”
I gave Valerian another incredulous look. I hadn’t come all this way to be sidelined, but right now, I didn’t have much of a choice. There was no way he was going to bring me with him, so all I could do was head into the safehouse and wait.
And wait.
And wait.
CHAPTERTWELVE
It wasn’t until he was gone, and I was about to enter Valerian’s safehouse, that I realized where I actually was and what I was about to do. I had only ever heard of this place, this mythical, magical wardrobe of weapons and armor tucked away somewhere in Lysa. This was the place he was taken from when the Royal Selection came calling. The place he had called home for… a long time.
And I was here, at its door.
