She smiles. “I would be lying if I said I didn’t have moments of doubt. But I have to say, after you refused to slay the dragon, I knew we had chosen right.”
I frown. “Really? Why?”
She takes a sip of her coffee. “You know, it takes a special kind of person, one with great inner strength and moral compass, to refuse to slay the threat to their life. When I watched you face that dragon without flinching…well, it was a sight to behold. I have only ever witnessed such strength and bravery once before.”
Vera doesn’t have to say it. I know she means Kitajo.
I lean forward, closer to her. “That’s because you clearly don’t spend enough time looking at yourself in the mirror. You are thestrongest and bravest woman I know. Without you, I wouldn’t be where I am. And for that, I’ll be forever grateful.”
Vera blinks, taken aback by my words. I don’t blame her. I’m not the best at expressing my feelings, thoughts, and emotions. Especially not verbally.
I only hope she can’t see the guilt that her kind words awakened inside me.
She clears her throat. “It’s a good thing our paths crossed. But our work together is far from over, Phoenix.”
“I know,” I say with a sigh and sink deeper into the plush pillows.
Sleep claims me the moment I close my eyes.
CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE
PHOENIX
After another week of training with Oka Oya, I’m exhausted.
That’s why after dinner, I’m stretched out sideways on one of the couches in the conversation pit. Jax and Bart sit next to me, playing cards. With my belly full and muscles aching from pain, I’m very close to dozing off to sleep. But the way Jax’s wicked fingers move as he shuffles cards keeps me alert.
Still no invitation to the last trial.
Vera’s bedroom door opens, drawing my attention away from the game to her. She wears a cape with a hood over her suit.
I frown at the unusual choice of clothing. “Where are you going?”
“I’m heading to the safe house to check on the kids we rescued last time,” she says and tosses one identical cape to me and one to Jax. “I thought you might care to join me so you can see it for yourself.”
I’m on my feet in the blink of an eye. I welcome all and any distraction that keeps my mind from spiraling about the next trial.
We put on the hooded capes and follow Vera outside where the carriage already waits for us. Once we scramble inside, it springs to action.
“Where is this safe house?” I ask.
“In a small town outside Jaakii,” Vera says. “It’s a two-hour ride, which is not the most convenient. But it’s far enough from Caligos to keep the kids safe, so worth it. You’ll see for yourself.”
I nod. Vera radiates calm today, which helps me relax as we ride through the city and then out of it. For the majority of the journey we remain silent. Each of us looks out through the windows, lost in our thoughts.
The roads we take outside the city are narrow, surrounded by deep forests and snowy mountains. Once the sun sets, I can’t see much of the scenery outside the window. But we’re somewhere deep in the forest at the base of two wide mountains.
Finally, the carriage comes to a stop. Vera slides out of her seat next to me and hops out of the carriage with ease. I follow her, and Jax is not far behind.
“It’s a late evening, so unfortunately you won’t get to see the outside of the place,” Vera says in a low voice to us. “But at least you can get a tour of the inside.”
The carriage is parked at the edge of a little village. A number of small one- and two-story homes are built to make a circle around a clearing. In the middle there is a tall stone structure with a fire burning at the very top. It offers enough lighting for us as we follow Vera inside one of the two-story homes. She doesn’t even pause to knock.
“Dominique, it’s Vera.” Vera announces herself the moment she steps through the door.
I hear chatter somewhere in the house, and then a burst of laughs. Just like the outside of the building, the interior is humble and earthy. The ceilings are low here too, so me and Jax have to crouch a little as we remove our shoes and leave ourcloaks in the entryway. But it’s warm and toasty here. Just as cozy as Vera’s studio.
A petite, round woman with cheeks red as apples emerges from the corridor leading deeper into the house. Her eyes twinkle and a broad smile blooms on her face once she sees Vera, and then us.
