“You’d know,” Viri said under her breath.
Bemused, Wynter asked, “How can you not have more questions about this? I’d want to knoweverything. Like—” She gasped again and sat up even straighter. “The map. The talisman. If they’re handed down from generation to generation—”
“And now we’ve come to why we’re here,” Reeve interjected smoothly. He was still standing in front of Viri, his attention returning to her fully as he asked, “Why do you think I wanted you to remember that story?”
Viri groaned. “Reeve, I’m tired. I missed a whole night of sleep thanks to you, so instead of playing guessing games, just tell me. But if you’re going where I think you’re going with this, then don’t bother.”
He just looked at her, waiting for her to say it.
Viri groaned again. “No.No.Braedan isn’t looking for the Guardian of the Isle. It’s impossible. The legend is a myth, and even if itwasn’t, the Guardian would be long dead by now. The ancient mages were powerful, but they weren’t immortal.”
“The Elder mages were,” Wynter put in. “But regardless, ‘Guardian’ could be a title that gets passed along each generation to someone new.”
Through clenched teeth, Viri said, “Fine. If by some miracle a Guardian does exist, then Brae would still need—”
“The map and talisman that your parents had?” Reeve asked, cocking an eyebrow. “The ones they kept locked in a warded chest behind the hidden wall in their closet?”
All the air left Viri in a rush. “What?” she breathed.
“We found it by accident,” Reeve said. “Brae and me—we were messing around, looking for a place to hide the next time we played Seeker with you.” Ruefully, he added, “You were always so quick to find us. We needed all the help we could get.”
Viri pushed through a stab of pain, shoving the memories away.
“The ward was keyed to your bloodline, so I couldn’t open it, but all Brae had to do was touch the lock on the chest and it opened instantly,” Reeve went on. “We didn’t know what we’d found at first—the map was obviously a map, but we didn’t realize it was special, not until we saw that it covered the whole island, going beyond the city into what should have been uncharted territory. But what really clued us in was the dotted line leading through the Mistwood, because itmoved. From one blink to the next, the path changed, though the end point was always the same: a location at the northwest edge of the island called NevarnostTower.”
“Nevarnost…” Wynter whispered. “It evensoundsmagical. Definitely somewhere an ancient mage would live.”
Viri still had her doubts. “So you claim you found the map—”
“Wedidfind the map.”
“—but what about the talisman? What makes you so confident about that?”
Reeve met her smug tone with his own. “Because we tested it.”
“Nice try,” Viri scoffed. “That would mean—” She broke off, paling. “Tell me you didn’t.”
He offered a one-shouldered shrug. “We were young. Fearless.”
“You werestupid,” Viri corrected.
Jonas coughed to hide his snicker. Wynter didn’t bother to hide hers.
“We had to find out somehow,” Reeve defended. “We’d heard the story from your parents so many times that we knew it by heart, and the map was clearly magical, so it wasn’t a huge leap to trust that the talisman would work. Which it did, obviously, since we took it into the mist and we’re both still alive.”
Viri didn’t know what to say. The risk they’d taken…her stomach turned just thinking about it.
A teasing smile touched the corner of Reeve’s mouth. “Is that concern I see in your eyes, Little Shadow?”
Viri wiped her face clear. “No. Just disappointment that it worked.”
Reeve huffed out a laugh. “And we’re back to lying.” He shook his head, amused, but then returned to his story. “Brae and I wanted to seek out the Guardian for our own magewishes, but your parents discovered we’d been snooping, and the next time we went looking for the chest, it was gone. We searched everywhere but never found it again.”
Relief slammed into Viri. “So Braedandoesn’thave the map and talisman?” Annoyance set in. “Why are we even talking about this, then? He can’t reach the Guardian without them.”
“The talisman was part of a set, remember?” Reeve said. “Brae mightn’t have the one belonging to your family, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t located another.”
“I doubt they’re growing on trees,” Viri countered sarcastically.
