Kiora snorted softly, hazel eyes sliding to Iver. “You have nothing to offer which I desire in order to place a bet.”
He tsked softly. “Is that so?” Earning an eye roll from her.
“Why move our forces now?” I asked Willis, getting back to the point. The Bavadrin turned to me and hesitated. Something was happening. He refused to give detailed accounts of Ariana’s whereabouts and experiences anymore. Only things he deemed pertinent to our success moving forward. Though for him to now wish for us to advance into the Sidhe territory meant something.
“Did something happen?” Kole leaned forward, resting his thick forearms on the table, when Willis was not quick to reply. Everyone looked at him, waiting for a response.
“Nothing of concern yet. But there is a strange tension rising. Shay senses it. The wolf fears for Ariana. I believe it is time to move closer in case she needs us to act. We have learned a lot since her time there, and we have prepared for what is to come.” His brown eyes held my stare.
“Why do you hold back what you know?” I pressed. Under the table, my hands formed into fists as frustration heated me from within. The Bavadrin Ariana left in charge pulled back on his knowledge, and all that it did was anger me.
“I share what is needed.”
“We are on the same side,” Kole stated.
Willis shrugs, turning to him. “Does not mean that every detail of the Leader Superior’s time there needs to be recanted for everyone here to judge.”
“What is there to judge?” I asked, my voice deceptively even, portraying a calm that I did not feel.
Willis turned to me, lips set in a firm line.
I released a disheartened breath. “You think I would judge her? For doing all she can to survive in that place?”
Iver sighed, turning to Edda, whose gaze remained fixed on the table, not present in the moment. “What about you, Seer? Care to share what you see?”
Onyx eyes lifted towards my youngest brother. “Everything is drenched in shadows. Nothing is as clear as it should be.”
“Ah, you Bavarians and your cryptic replies.” Iver remained focused on her. “You see something. You just wish to keep it to yourself, much like your little friend here.” He nodded towards Willis before turning back to her. “Say we move into the Sidhe land. Will that further endanger Ariana?”
Her lips thinned. “No.”
“And if I enter the city to find her?” I asked.
“Absolutely not,” Willis stated, a hard edge to his voice.
“Shay has found a way in.” I turned to him. Using a bit of detail he happened to inform us of. “An entire army could not take that route, but I could. And I am one of the strongest conjurors you have.”
“Are we forgetting about me?” Iver grinned, though he placed a hand on his chest as if offended.
“He saidoneof the strongest.” Eislyn cut in. “And you can’t help but stick your nose into trouble, Iver. So that means you get to stay with the rest of us.”
“Ah, still bitter towards me, I see.” He smirked at Eislyn, who shook her head at him.
I turned to Edda. “You did not answer me.”
Her frown deepened. “I see two hazy paths before you. If yougo, that is. One will help her, while the other will destroy her. You hold the answer to your own question based on your decisions alone. I must warn you, if you go, it will not be easy for you or her. You will see her experience pain, and you will need to refrain from trying to protect her from it or the outcome will be catastrophic.”
“So, my going could be helpful?” I leaned towards the old woman, as if hanging off her words. A spark of hope shot through me even though I swore to myself I would never trust her sight.
“Or harmful,” Willis stated the other path.
“What of your future?” Eislyn asked Edda. “It is clear something troubles you. That your mind is elsewhere most of the time.”
“At this point, I am trying to also not do harm,” she stated with a frown.
“What’s that mean?” Kole looked at her like she was a foreign animal. It was the only way he ever viewed her.
She released a low hum before answering. “There has been a block on my future for a long time. I cannot see it. For the first time since I can remember, I am moving through the world completely blind. To clear my sight I am going to need to leave. A few days in isolation should recenter things.”
