“This is no ordinary girl.” I eye him sharply.
“The Trioris will kill you both. And then they’ll kill me for helping you.”
“Let us worry about the Trioris. You don’t know us yet. But they’ve taken something that belongs to us. It’s they who should be afraid,” Zadyn says.
Loryn chews his lip for a long time. “What do you want to know?”
Loryn leadsZadyn and me to an apartment on the second floor of a decaying sandstone building. The space is small—an unmade bed shoved up against a dark green wall, a kitchen table with chunks of wood missing, and a rickety uneven paneled floor. We move to file through the door, but an invisible shield bars us from the threshold.
“Old habits. I never have company.” Loryn’s hand twitches at his side, his fingers shifting in a quick series of gestures that reminds me of signing.
The barrier falls, and we step through. The mangy dog lounging on the bed shakes itself off and dashes for Zadyn, panting and nearly pissing himself with excitement. Probably sensing his kin is near. Zadyn bends to ruffle the scruffy hair on his flea-infested head.
I roll my eyes.
Loryn moves over to a wobbly bookcase in the corner, its top shelf slanted, resting on the books below. Dust leaps out as he removes the loose shelf along with the stack of books to reveal a small hole in the wall. He dips a hand inside and then sits down at the table holding a rectangular black box. Zadyn takes a seat across from him, and I remain standing, a hand on my hilt.
“What is that?” I toss a nod at the box.
Loryn pries back the lid to reveal a small crystal wand about three inches tall with a tapered point. A powerful aura rolls off its cloudy density.
“This”—he holds it up to the sliver of light pouring in through his shuttered window—“is celmillene. One of the rarest crystals in the world.”
“Never heard of it.”
“Not many have. It only grows in a few locations. The ancient ward masons used to mine it, but now that they’ve been dissolved, the whereabouts of the caves have been lost. The only remaining stones are the ones passed down through the generations.”
“What’s so special about it?” Zadyn asks.
Loryn takes the fraying edge of his tunic and polishes the enigmatic rock.
“It has many uses. With its help, an average ward maker can build an impenetrable fortress. It can disable wards and illusions too, without any detectable sign.” He glances at us. “Temporarily.”
“This will lower the illusion around the castle?” Zadyn asks.
Loryn nods. “I’ll do my best to help you, but it’s been many years since I’ve been near that castle. I don’t know what’s changed in that time.”
“Your best is all we ask.” The dog pants at Zadyn’s feet, eager for more pets.
“You’ll have it. As long as I’m promised protection. I want your word that I will not be harmed. The king will know it was I who helped you.”
“Of course. You have my word,” Zadyn says. “We’ll secure you safe passage from Vod.”
“I want his word too,” Loryn slides a mistrustful glance my way. I laugh, oddly flattered by his fear.
“Jace,” Zadyn urges.
I purse my lips. “Sure, fine, you have it.”
“Very well,” he says, closing the crystal inside its padded box. He bends to scoop up the dog’s empty bowl and refills it with a pitcher of water.
“So this ‘friend’ of yours,” he starts. “Which one of you belongs to her?”
Zadyn and I lock eyes.
“Ahh.” The old male straightens, suppressing a smirk. “I see. Never ends well, let me just say that.”
“Maybe not for you,” I snap.
