“I think Xoran played us.”
“No surprise there,” Croak said, shaking his head sagely. “I told you he was a snake.”
“Aye, but your sister seems to think we can trust him.”
“Once again proving her faith in humanity is a deep flaw. How do we rid her of it?”
Rydon snapped around, his eyes bulging and Croak’s hand flew up to guard against his wrath.
“Find Migela and tell her she is to accompany you and the cleric to Lethe. We will come for you when we’ve got Sonah. Do you understand?”
“Why does Cassandra get to stay with you? If she stays, I?—”
Rydon rounded on him. “Say you understand.”
Croak’s chest puffed out. He opened his mouth to argue but when Rydon’s eyes blazed brighter Croak thought better of it and instead inclined his head.
“I understand.”
“Good. Now get the fuck out of here.”
Chapter 30
RAVOS
After the strange conversation with the even stranger man outside the tavern, Sonah told the others of Lethe Monastery and her connection to the monks there, persuading them it was a better option than chasing blindly after the Liodari.
“They are waiting for us,” Fane had argued. “We’ll most likely run into them before we reach the monastery.”
“All the better, then,” Sonah had said with a shrug. “But we ride for Lethe.”
Leander, for the second time in their travels, sided with Fane. “You’re basing this all on the word of a complete stranger? It could be a trap.”
“He knew things,” Sonah had replied. “And we’ll be safe at Lethe. I know the abbot and monks there. They’d never do anything to harm me.”
“Except give you away to a nobleman to use in his games with the emperor!”
“He did that out of love! He thought he was giving me a chance at a good life! How could he know the man was so vile?”Sonah had yelled. She’d looking around at the others as they’d watched her in silence.
“We go to Lethe. And if Jason—if the Liodari find us on our way, they are welcome to journey with us.”
“The commander is your eudaemon,” Melanos had said, leaning across the table. “You’ll be safe with him. We cannot have something like what happened with the duke happen again.”
“The commander is not my eudamon,” Sonah had replied. She’d then told them of her conversation with the oracle. Melanos had exclaimed, thumping the table hard enough to make their tankards topple. He’d gone on to say how he’d had a feeling Daris was Ren’s eudaemon when he’d first met him, but had not pressed the matter because of Ren’s condition at the time.
“I’ll be safe with the monks until Rydon can come for me,” Sonah had added. “And since he’s with Ren, she’ll come for me, too.”
“Are you certain of this, little—Sonah,” Melanos had asked, his gaze tender.
Sonah had only nodded, keeping her eyes shielded from Leander. He’d seemed angry with her, his jaw clenched and eyes narrowed the few times he’d deigned to look at her. For the life of her, Sonah could not figure out why the man was upset. She thought she’d acquitted herself admirably during their skirmish, considering her lack of fighting skills.
Sonah had gone to bed shortly after, no longer interested in arguing over their destination. In the morning, they set out in silence.
Now, Sonah’s gaze shifted to her surroundings as they walked their horses, giving them a rest from the constant galloping, for which she was grateful. They’d barely crossed the border into Ravos and still no sign of Jason or the Liodari. Faneand the Spartans had ridden off earlier in the day to search for them, promising to meet them in Lethe whether or not they were successful.
“Lethe is another hour this way,” Sonah said, gesturing with her right hand.
“South?”
