“A couple, I don’t know. It’s not like I’ve been keeping track.”
“Plus, that time you went to his lair looking for Taren, and he just let you go.”
“Goddamn it, Elara. Does the Ember Warden tell you everything?” Rynna groaned.
“No,” Elara said, raising an eyebrow, “but now you just confirmed it.”
Rynna opened her mouth to retort, then froze.Damn it. She got me. “Fuck, Elara, maybe you should interrogate him. You’re obviously better at this than me.”
“Wait, hold on.” Calli waved her utensils in the air. “Back it up a step. You went to Kaelith’s lair? Found it? And the snake just...what...let you go? And you never told anyone?”
“I told the Ember Warden! Eventually. And it didn’t matter because he moved after I left, and Taren wasn’t there, anyway. There was no point in bringing it up.”
“But you told Elarasomething.”
Damn.
“Just that he wasn’t coming home anytime soon. That he was on his own path, and the best thing we could do was make sure there was a home for him when he returned.”
“We have to trust him.” Elara’s voice was heavy with resignation.
“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Calli took her hand, letting the subject drop.
The blonde girl took a deep breath, her sadness momentarily visible before her usual strength reasserted itself. “So, you’re staying back to question one of the most dangerous foes Ember Reach has ever seen, while we go to battle against an enemy we barely understand. Sounds like a walk in the park.”
The three of them exchanged glances, and then, as if on cue, burst into laughter.
“Just a casual stroll, huh?” Calli managed between giggles.
“Totally,” Rynna agreed, choking back her own laughter. “Piece of cake.”
Still smiling, she reached out and took each of their hands, forming a small circle between them. Their fingers intertwined, holding on tight in a quiet moment of connection.
“Just be careful, Rynna.” Calli gave Rynna’s hand a squeeze. “Our part is straightforward—fight, heal, survive. But Kaelith...he might be even more dangerous. My dad’s told me some stories from back in the day, from when he was an Awakened, and they are...dark.”
Rynna nodded, not surprised. She’d made Fenn tell her everything Ember Reach knew of his crimes since he defected, and it’d left her curled in a ball on the floor for days, nearly overwhelmed by guilt and anger.
“He might be the most cunning, manipulative Hollow-born Ember Reach has ever produced. Don’t let him get under your skin,” Calli added.
“I won’t,” Rynna whispered, her head dropping slightly, knowing that some part of him had already burrowed deep inside her.
She lifted her head again, then, and looked at her friends with a bittersweet smile. “Thank you, Calli. And Elara. For being such good friends.” Her voice wavered. “Keep looking out for each other. And please...don’t die.”
Chapter thirty-two
“Areyouready?”LadyTakara's voice pulled Rynna’s attention back to the present.
The office’s small window allowed a faint breeze to sweep through the room, carrying the scent of sweat and wood smoke from the camp outside. She could still see the tall columns of dust rising from the departing regiments. Including Fenn’s regiment.
Fuck. He was heading out to confront the enemy’s advancing army, a threat they still knew almost nothing about. Only that it seemed to grow stronger with every village it crushed, leaving behind nothing but death and devastation that made even Rynna’s hardened instincts shudder.
“He’ll be fine,” Takara spoke again, this time softer, placing a gentle hand on Rynna’s shoulder and following her gaze. The woman’s dark silk robes, embroidered with the crest of Ember Reach, rustled softly as she adjusted her stance, the fabric whispering against the wooden floor.
“You don’t know that.” Rynna turned to face her. “And we’ve both seen too much to rely on empty platitudes.”
“Fine.” Takara dropped her hand. She tugged lightly at the embroidered belt around her waist. “But if anyone can survive what's coming, it's Vessel Fenn.” She paused, studying Rynna carefully. “You’re not thinking of running off after him, are you?”
“I should be with him,” Rynna replied through gritted teeth. “Not stuck here babysitting the monster. I’m particularly well-suited to understand whatever’s happening out there, and you know it.”
