After a long pause she said, “‘The shroud, the heir, and the weapon. Only then will they return.’”
“What’s that mean? Does that mean something to you?”
Terena looked at him and didn’t speak for a long time. Croak’s bones ached from standing so stiff.
“I hear a voice. In my dreams. I don’t know if it’s me.” Terena shook her head and pushed the heels of her hands to her eyes. “Sometimes I think it is, but I don’t… I heard those words before. It was ringing in my head over and over the last time I dreamt of the shroud.”
“The shroud, the heir, and the weapon, huh? Think these three were protecting the shroud?” Croak asked.
“Aye.”
“So… what weapon? Have you seen that in a vision?”
Terena shook her head.
“What about an heir? Think he was talking about your father?”
Terena’s eyes snapped to him, her face tight. “Who else could he have meant?”
“Makes sense,” Croak said with a shrug. “Baba said he found you up north at Hekate’s temple.”
“I don’t think he’s the heir, though.”
“It’s frozen up there now. Has been for over a year.” Croak said, wiping a hand over his face. “How would we even get there?”
Terena didn’t answer.
After a long pause, he asked, “You got your fancy blanket, then?”
Terena twisted her lips. “Yes, I have the shroud.”
“Can we get out of here now, please? Thank you. Also, I’m taking his scimitar.”
Croak grabbed the Magi’s weapon, then turned and headed for his saddlebags, snatching them up as he mumbled to himself. He heard Terena follow a few seconds later.
“Hey,” she called out and snapped her fingers a few times.
Croak arched an eyebrow when he turned to her. “Really?”
She nodded to her left.
He looked over, then narrowed his eyes when he saw a shadow on an overlook a hundred yards away. “Could be an animal. Or a rock.”
Terena’s dark brows furrowed, and she made a face. Redoing her ponytail, she asked, “Remember how he kept looking over that way? The Magi? It was weird.”
Croak shrugged and turned away dismissively. “This whole thing was weird.”
“We were just attacked by Magi. Guardians of the temples of Olympian gods.” She shook her head in wonder. “Why are they even out here? We’re nowhere near Lakonia.”
“Out drinking maybe and took a wrong turn? This one for sure was drunk or something, the way he was talking. I hear they drink a lot of keikon, so….” Croak shrugged, referring to the hallucinogenic drink the southern priests favored to bring them closer to the gods.
“Next time don’t kill the man we’re trying to get answers out of,” she said reproachfully.
Croak’s brows shot to his hairline. “Are you fucking with me?”
“A little more care next time. That’s all.” She went back to cleaning up the area of her markings, stepping gingerly over the fallen Magi as if they were decorative art in these ruins.
She didn’t notice the mulish look he threw her.
