Again, Neokles stopped abruptly. Terena frowned and glanced at Cassandra. The seer stared at the old man with a knowing smile.
“Are you going to tell me the secret, too?”
Startled, Cassandra swung her gaze to Terena. “What?”
Terena narrowed her eyes, using the book to point at Cassandra and Neokles, who seemed very interested in his nails.
“You two are hiding something. What’s going on?”
Cassandra shook her head and Neokles held his hands up as if he was not to blame.
“She told me I shouldn’t say.”
“Who?”
Neokles opened his mouth to answer when the door burst open. Gabriol took two steps inside, his eyes wide and his braided locks disheveled.
Terena straightened as he caught her eye. Before he could speak, Xoran and Vassori came in behind him.
“We’ve got trouble,” Gabriol said, his expression cold.
“Your brother has been arrested,” Xoran nodded. “He and the cleric were just brought before the emperor.”
Chapter 42
METILAI
Xoran smuggled them inside the palace with Lerek’s help. Terena was surprised to learn Lerek had approached Xoran to spy on his father, making keeping the captain’s promise to Terena easy.
Her mind barely registered the fact when Xoran first arrived at Neokles’s shop. Terena’s thoughts were instead occupied with the news of her brother’s and Orry’s arrests.
Pacing the small pantry, Terena grumbled an apology when she accidentally stepped on Vassori, who grabbed onto Ren’s arm so she wouldn’t trip. The room was stuffy but much larger than many of the rooms they’d stayed in over the past year.
“We’re sitting ducks,” Gabriol snapped, cracking his neck. He leaned against a wall to the right of the door.
Terena sighed and planted herself beside him. Across from her, Cassandra huddled close to Migela, who was signing something to the seer. Terena frowned when she caught the end of their conversation.
“No,” Terena said with a shake of her head. “You’re staying here, or somewhere safer where only Xoran or Lerek knowwhere you are.” She turned her attention to Cassandra. “If you can try to… do whatever you do to see where the amulet is, do it now. If it doesn’t work or we’re interrupted, wait until Xoran takes you somewhere safer. And you,” she pointed a finger at Migela, who stared back at her with a nod. “I want you to stay at her side. Do not leave and do not let her leave. Anywhere you go, she goes. When we’re out of here, we’ll find the amulet and use to it help us against Hermes if he tries anything.”
“I doubt he’ll try to hurt you again,” Vassori said. “But he will use whatever means necessary to get you on his side once more.”
“That’s never going to happen,” Terena mumbled, pushing away from the shelves at her back.
“It will,” Vassori said with a sympathetic smile. “It’s inevitable. You’ll need him. For what’s to come.”
Terena looked at the tracker. She’d told Vassori what happened before leaving Ravos. Vassori hadn’t seemed surprised Hermes had hit her, nor about what happened after, which the tracker called his ‘punishment’. Terena had disregarded it at the time, but wondered if the tracker knew more than she was letting on.
“You know,” Terena said as she crossed her arms. “This isn’t the first time you’ve said some cryptic shit. If you’re going to stay part of this team, Vas, you need to start talking. Why was Hermes looking for you in the first place?”
Vassori’s gaze darkened. “I am a cypher.”
Gabriol pushed away from the wall to face her. “We know that already.”
“What did you mean about Hermes being punished? Who punished him? What did he do? And how do you know what’s to come? Are you also a seer like this one?” Terena nodded over in Cassandra’s direction but her eyes remained locked on Vassori.
Vas shrugged. “I am no seer. But I am bound to someone. Someone like you. But more powerful. Much more. I cannot saymore or I’ll be censored. But I know who punished Hermes and I know why. Someday, I’ll be free to say more, but I am not now. Trust me when I say, it is all for you. You are all that matters right now.”
Terena smirked. “Me? What about Sonah?”
