Another group of hunters had almost caught up to us near the magical section of the Danu River. Whether those men belonged to the King or this rogue group would remain unanswered. We hadn’t stuck around to ask who they worked for.
“Did I kill some friends of yours?” I asked. I really hoped not. Hunters usually formed tight bonds.
“Not particularly.” he said. “We come from all over, so we’re thrown in rather random groups. Some get along better than others.”
“Let me guess, your team is one of the best?” Ace asked, tone dry.
“We’re the best.” He lifted his chin. “That’s why we ended up getting tasked with bringing you in. And you definitely led us on a merry chase.”
“The trip to Phaantasia was unexpected,” Grog said.
Darius grunted “Definitely unexpected. What were you hoping to find with those people, any way?”
Those people?
I glanced over at Ace. He wore a severe frown, and his gaze shifted side to side. Had he caught the same tidbit of information or was he dissecting something else?
“You’re awfully unsurprised about discovering the existence of Phaantasia and the survival of phaanons,” I said, instead of answering his question.
Darius shrugged. “I’m from Vitor. We haven’t destroyed everything about the phaanons like Wast.”
What? “Really?”
Darius’ gaze sparked as if I’d given him something. He leaned forward. “Careful, love. You sound interested.”
I was, but not in him. I wanted to discover more about phaanons. When I escaped this place, I needed to get a hold of a Vitorian textbook somehow.
“You were about to tell me why you were in Phaantasia,” Darius prompted.
I wasn’t, but telling the truth wasn’t going to make our situation any worse than it already was. There was no point in keeping this information secret. “My familiar is sick. We’d hoped to find a cure.”
Darius’ gaze softened. “I’m sorry.”
I shrugged. “It is what it is. If I’m walking toward my execution, a cure won’t matter anyway.”
“You’re not going to die here,” Darius said.
I raised my eyebrows.
He sighed and rolled his shoulders back. “Unless you do something stupid, that is.”
“Why?” I asked.
He frowned, but the deep angle of his eyebrows was no match for the severity of Ace’s-grumpy expressions.
“I’m not complaining, but I still don’t understand why we’re being spared,” I said. “A number of your brethren tried to kill me.”
“Mouse,” Ace growled in warning.
“No, I’m serious. I’ve taken out hunting parties and caused enough of an inconvenience that your leader sent his best hunting team after me. Why spare my life? Why not take care of this nuisance?”
Teo pinched the bridge of his nose. “She talks a lot.”
Darius grinned. “You’ll get your answers.”
“When?”
“Soon enough.” He nodded toward the main building as we approached the front steps. “The heir will explain everything.”
