I tried to imagine Seth as a child, introverted and shy, hiding behind his mother’s skirt.
An impossible thing to picture.
“Had a couple assassins, though.” He sounded chipper. “One almost succeeded.”
“Did he inspire you?”
“A little bit.”
Seth smiled with the words. Every time he joked or laughed, he was lying. I’d felt his true feelings when Phaedrus had forced them upon me.
Deep inside, he was barely holding himself together. A bundle of thread, about to come unwound.
“There,” he said, looking down the meadow’s slope.
The abyss rose from the chasm to swirl around a canvas embedded in a wall of shadow.
“And this is safe?” I asked.
“I don’t know where we’ll end up if Cerys loses this spell. Through here, we’ll go where she intended.”
“And where’s that?”
“We’re about to find out.” Grabbing my waist, he pulled us through.
I expected a fall, like before. But we stepped out onto a street blanketed by a night sky. The canvas disintegrated behind us.
Glancing up, Seth studied the dark walls around us. “Naunet,” he muttered. Eyes widening, he grabbed my wrist. “We’re in Naunet.”
“Where’s that?” I asked as he dragged me down the street.
“Where I left Whisper,” he said, pressing himself against the wall and peering around the corner.
I leaned beside him, marveling at the city sprawling before us, the enormous buildings reaching for the sky, and the thick flowering vines clinging to their sides.
Checking for onlookers, Seth slipped around the corner, keeping to the shadows as he approached a small stable tucked between two buildings. He grabbed the padlock and felt around his pockets for a pick.
“Let me,” I said, pulling out my hairpin and fitting it into the lock.
“I thought you were a thief withclass.”
“It’s a useful skill foranyoneto have,” I protested, pulling the padlock off and slipping the pin back into my hair.
Two horses were stabled within—one with a warm yellow coat and a flowing white mane.
“Athena,” I called, grabbing her snout. She shook her head happily, recognizing me. A furry mound of gray hair rose from the hay beside her and darted to Seth, who grabbed his dog in a tight hug.
“Alright,” he said, rubbing Whisper’s ears. “Maybe I won’t kill Cerys after all.”
Maybe I’d forgive her, too.
I slumped against Athena’s side, grateful for her support. Rubbing my weary eyes, I turned to Seth. “How do we get to the city of Ma’at?”
“It’s to the northwest,” he said, standing. “But we’re not going anywhere tonight.”
“But—”
“One night won’t get us caught. There are thousands of people in this city.” He winced. “And I need you to stitch this up.”
