“Safer to let me die if that’s the case.”
Peter gave her a tight smile. “Something tells me we wouldn’t fare well against the Ancient if you weren’t here.”
Finally, a motivation Tate could believe.
“What are you going to do?” Peter asked, breaking the silence that had fallen after his revelation.
“First, I’m going to rescue my dragon man. Then I’m going to kill the traitor.” Tate tilted her head. “Any questions?”
TWENTY TWO
“Are you insane?”
“You already asked me that.” Tate would prefer he stopped. Maybe focus on what could be done instead of the obstacles.
Peter straightened from the wall in a jerky movement. “Did you not listen to a word I just said? You have no plan to get there. Zero idea of how you’ll deal with the Ijiri halfling once you do, or even an inkling of how you’ll kill Nathan and shut down the power drain at the Rift.”
Well, when he put it like that it did seem inadvisable. Still, Tate didn’t care. No matter what he said she was going to save Ryu and all the rest. After that—or maybe during—she was going to stop Nathan.
“Are you going to say anything?” he asked loudly when she stayed silent.
Night released a husky, snickering laugh as Tate raised an eyebrow at Peter.
Just as she was about to respond with a sarcastic remark, a hazy form took shape directly to Tate’s left.
Peter backpedaled as Tate summoned her relic’s armor. It responded sluggishly, perhaps due to the energy used up in sustaining her life for healing. Night jumped nearly a foot into the air, reacting like a startled feline, before landing and facing the unknown threat.
Tate hesitated in the act of retreat, squinting at the figure. “Roslyn?”
The hazy figure’s image wavered before steading. The startled expression on Roslyn’s face changed to one of pure relief at Tate’s voice. “You’re alive.”
“Uh huh.” Tate scanned Roslyn’s insubstantial body.
Well, this was unexpected.
“Are you—” Tate started.
“Ghost.” Night looked atypically freaked out at the thought.
“I’m not a ghost.” Roslyn held her hands up to stare through them. “I’m not sure what I am, but I’m still alive.”
Tate circled her image. Different than Ai’s, who could also appear out of thin air and wasn’t really there. Roslyn’s image held a more transparent quality. You’d never mistake it as being real like you would with the minor goddess.
Honestly speaking, she looked like the ghost Night and Tate had assumed her to be. Only she wasn’t dead.
“Is this what you received from the pandora’s box?” Tate asked. It was the only explanation for the odd reality she could think of.
Roslyn nodded. “I think so. It’s taking some getting used to.”
There were so many questions Tate wanted to ask, avenues to explore with this new relic of Roslyn’s.
“Have you ever seen anything like this before?” Roslyn asked.
Tate pursed her lips. “There were relics that allowed you to attack someone mentally. Some even allowed you to cast illusions. I’ve never seen one that could divorce you from your body and allow you to travel in this way.”
Roslyn looked down in disappointment.
“That’s not to say they don’t exist. The pandora’s box is known for the oddities it bestows.”
