Before I could answer, she slung her arms around me. She was far stronger than her lithe form suggested.
My stomach lurched as the deck beneath my feet disappeared.
We were flying.
Daphne
The Minaret of Whispers
Iwas falling. Wind tore at my hair and dress, cold as knives against my skin. I opened my mouth to scream—
“Are you hurt?” Camille asked. Was there a tiny flicker of concern? I shook my head. “That’s great. Don’t throw up on my dress, please. It’s new.”
I opened my eyes. Bright sunlight pierced them painfully.
What in the name of all saints was that?
I risked a glance down. We were flying over an archipelago of oddly shaped islands covered in indigo grass. Yellow flowers rippled in the soft breeze. Clumsy six-legged buffalo lay among them, some following us with large, shimmering eyes.
“Don’t look down. Look at me, girl.”
I obeyed and focused on the two birthmarks over her full lips. “You’ve traveled through the Dusk Roads before, right?”
I nodded. “Emrys—he’s in danger! We need to go back and—”
“You really think a few dozen Hollowborn could harm Emrys Ravenborn?” She snorted. “Damn it, girl. You’re a fun one.”
I tensed in her strangely strong arms. “Relax. We’re almost there.”
Relaxing was the last thing I had on my mind. “You don’t understand. He can’t take the Dusk Roads. He’s… weakened.” I decided to keep the details to myself. What if that was the last time I saw him? What if he never makes it to this place?
She studied me for a long moment, her dark wings beating the perfumed air. “Hmmm. Seems you really care about him.” A pause. “Don’t worry—he’s with Orren. Now, hold on tight, young one. We’re almost there. And don’t—under any circumstances—throw up on my dress.”
Orren. I remembered Emrys mentioning him. I held my breath and squeezed my eyes shut.
The surrounding air changed. It became warm and dry, with a scent of spices and sun-warmed stone.
Then—thank God—the solid ground beneath my feet.
She released me. My knees buckled.
“Welcome to Cairo, Daphne.”
Dear Lord. So, this was the real power of the Dusk Roads. We crossed the sea within minutes.
The sun hit the old walls at a different angle than back home. The air trembled like a mirage, and the dusty street was drenched in white light. We stood before a weathered door leading to a tower. No one was around, but the sounds of a busy city spilled over the surrounding walls.
“It’s a safe place,” she said over her shoulder while fiddling with the lock. “We call it the Minaret of Whispers.”
The old door creaked open, and cool air rushed out.
“Come on. Orren and Emrys will join us soon.”
We stepped inside.
The hush hit me instantly. Not empty quiet, but a deep, bone-deep stillness.
The air chilled my skin, scented with old wood, dried flowers, and something sharper—ozone and stone. The floor beneath my shoes was tiled in worn mosaics, faded by time and footsteps, though I could still trace the shimmer of ancient patterns beneath the dust. Strange, geometric shapes danced at the edge of my vision—but when I tried to focus, they vanished. Wards.
