Draven gives him a distinctly threatening smile back.
“So how do we get there first?” I ask, looking between them. “Where even is the Silver Clan’s original homeland?”
“Here.” Draven points to a section of the map close to the top, which is the far north. “This is where the Silver Clan used to live before their lands were destroyed in the war against the Seelie Court.” He looks up at Grey. “Can you open a portal somewhere there?”
Grey, who everyone has been ignoring up until now, starts slightly at suddenly being addressed directly. His turquoise andyellow eyes dart to Orion, who gives him a nod to indicate that he can answer.
“No,” he says with an apologetic grimace. “I need to either have seen a place myself or have it described in detail in order to be able to open a portal there.”
“Aren’t there any illustrations of what the land looks like in your history books?” I ask, flicking my gaze between him and Orion.
Orion gives me an incredulous look. “Illustrations? Who has illustrations in their history books? And if there were illustrations, why would there be one of a destroyed landscape?”
“The sass really isn’t helping,” I huff.
“And besides,” Orion continues, locking eyes with Isera instead. “If we had illustrations in our history books, don’t you think I would have immediately recognized Lavendera as the Seelie Queen’s second daughter?”
“Her name wasn’t a dead giveaway?” Isera snipes back while arching her eyebrows at him.
“Do you have any idea how many female Seelie fae have been named Lavendera over the course of history? It used to be one of your most popular names.”
“And Dawnwalker?”
“You never told me that her last name was Dawnwalker.” Crossing his arms, he glowers at us all. “Could have saved myself a lot of trouble if you had.”
Good thing we didn’t. Because if Orion had figured out that Isera was lying to him before all of this business with the Gold Clan which endangers his court, he might not have been here right now. And regardless of how arrogant and frustrating Orion can be, I know without a doubt that we will lose this war if we don’t have the Unseelie Court on our side.
My gaze shifts to Isera.
Though, I have a feeling that the danger to his court is not the only reason that Orion is still here.
“Azaroth’s flame,” Draven growls while rubbing his forehead. “It’s like being surrounded by children.” He shoots the two of them a sharp look. “Can we get back to the problem at hand? We need to get to the Silver Clan’s homeland before Bane and Jessina, but Grey can’t open a portal there.”
“So we fly there,” Orion counters with an equally pointed glare back at him.
“You want me to carry all of you?”
“Yes.”
“I’m not a horse.”
“Are you saying that you’re not strong enough to carry five people?”
Draven narrows his eyes, and I swear I can see storm clouds gathering around his muscular body, as he stares Orion down. “One of these days, I will give you that beating you’re always asking for.”
Before Orion can retort, a female fae with shoulder-length black hair and eyes that are a vibrant mix of blue and green practically skids across the threshold. She’s moving so fast that she almost crashes right into the table with the map. Spinning her arms backwards, she tries to regain her balance before tossing her hair out of her face and looking up at Orion.
I recognize her from the Great Games. This is Hana, the girl with the magical ability to open pocket realities.
“Your Majesty,” she says, her voice soft but breathless, as if she has been running all the way here. “You sent for me?”
“Yes,” Orion simply says. Then he turns to Grey. “Where is the closest location you can open a portal?”
Grey absentmindedly draws a hand over his head and fixes the ponytail that his brown hair is pulled up in while squinting down at the map on the table. Then he moves his hand down and points. “Here.”
“Then open a portal there.” Orion looks between him and thebewildered Hana. “Both of you are coming with us. And we’re leaving right now.”
They nod, and Grey immediately begins to summon a portal.
