“Our sources from Utopia and the spies along the acoustic channels have helped us create a nearly complete map. Fortunately for us, the serpent’s movement can be felt for leagues in every direction, making Adaro easy to track.”
She traced her finger from Eriana Kwai to the ruby at the top of the Aleutian Islands, and then to one on Vancouver Island.
“He acquired the serpent at Eriana Kwai and then went to the Aleutian Islands before moving east again.”
I scanned the rubies, committing their locations to memory.
“The next wave of attacks happened in Canada.”
Ephyra traced a zigzag of emeralds. Then she moved to the next round of attacks, marked by amethysts. I took in every gemstone, determined to remember all of the locations.
“I do not think he moves in a predictable pattern,” she said. “Tracking his location is a waste of time.”
I looked up. “You don’t think it’s possible to predict where he’ll go next?”
“Are you familiar with king tides, Lysithea?”
“Sure. When the full or dark moon coincides with the strongest tides. Happens a couple of times a year.”
Ephyra nodded. “There is one pattern worth investigating. I noticed it when I worked for him.”
“King tides?”
“During king tides, Adaro disappeared for a whole day without warning. He simply left, and no one knew where he went or why.”
“Did anyone else notice?”
“I am not sure. We did not discuss it.”
I considered this information. The behaviour was odd, but I had no idea what to make of it.
“What do Dione and the others think?” I said.
“They plan to leverage it. If we can expect the king to disappear, that will be a good time to attack Utopia.”
“So when’s the next king tide?”
“Next tidecycle.”
We fell silent. I could tell Ephyra wanted to say more. I wondered if she’d been able to share a lot of valuable information about the king, having worked by his side for so long. Then I recalled Dreadlocks saying Adaro made sure nobody in his government knew everything about him.
“Why did you tell me this?”
“It is something I thought you might find interesting.”
I nodded to the exit. “They aren’t going to try and find him any time soon, are they?”
Ephyra hesitated. “It is not the priority.”
A moment passed where we stared at each other. I saw my fears reflected in her expression, felt them in her heavy aura. All we had to work with was an odd pattern of behaviour. We were no closer to finding Adaro and the serpent.
“There are two wars happening, Lysithea.”
I nodded. The effort at Kori Maru was dedicated to the civil war, not the one against humans. But the latter was leading to explosives being dropped all over the Pacific. We had to stop it as soon as possible. I didn’t want to think about what might happen if we didn’t.
“What do you know about Medusa?” I said.
If Ephyra thought this was a strange question, she didn’t show it. “The king never spoke of her. Anyone who did was punished.”
