Soren’s face softened. He’d met Viri mere months after her parents had died, so he was acutely aware of everything she was feeling right now, and how much this arrest meant to her. But at the same time, there were so many things he didn’t know. Things he would never—could never—know.
Like the fact that she knew Reeve personally.
And just how much he had once meant to her.
“Viri…” Soren held her eyes, no doubt seeing the torment in them, then sighed loudly. “Fine, I’ll take you to him. But if we get caught, you’d better call in all your favors with the Magistratus to keep us both from getting thrown in the Underlock beside Ashton. Agreed?”
Viri nodded quickly, which only made Soren sigh again and mumble about exasperating best friends as he nudged her in the direction of the elevator once more. The workspace around them was still buzzing with chaotic energy, but she barely noticed this time, focused only on summoning the courage she would need to face a ghost she’d thought long buried in her past.
It had been seven years since Viri had seen Reeve Ashton.
Seven years since her parents had been murdered by the Reaper Priest.
And seven years since Reeve had pledged loyalty to their killer, the two of them vanishing without a trace.
Until now.
3
The elevator descended swiftly beneath Mount Verta, whizzing past multiple levels of secured Underlock cells, every second adding to Viri’s nerves.
“Just think of him like any other reaper,” Soren said, watching her fidget and misreading her anxiety. “Don’t let him intimidate you. There’s nothing special about Ashton other than how close he is to the Priest.”
Oh, if only that were true.
“I’m not intimidated,” Viri said. “I’m just eager to hear what he says.”
“Unless you’ve learned how to read minds, I wouldn’t get your hopes up,” Soren warned. But Viri wasn’t worried about Reeve not talking—her presence should be enough to loosen his lips. It was the least he owed her after…everything.
“You never know,” Viri said as they continued downward. “Maybe a few hours in the dark has made him rethink his silence.”
The Reeve she remembered was stubborn to a fault, but sheneeded Soren to see her confidence, especially with the favor she was about to beg of him.
Needing a distraction as the lift began to slow, she asked, “What’s with the sparkles?”
At Soren’s questioning look, she indicated his hands, which were covered in glittery dust.
He grimaced and tried unsuccessfully to wipe them on his clothes. “Jessy’s newest craft project.” In a grumble, he added, “Little sisters are the worst.”
A smile touched Viri’s lips as she thought of Jessalyn Archer, Soren’s only sibling. At thirteen years old, she was a menace, yet still managed to be adorable enough to have everyone wrapped around her pinky finger—her big brother most of all.
Before Viri could ask how, exactly, the glitter had ended up on Soren, the elevator came to a halt, but the doors didn’t open, something Viri had never experienced before.
“You so owe me for this,” Soren muttered, pressing his palm to the command panel and waiting for the complicated magic—set in place by the ancient mages—to recognize him and his clearance level.
A moment later, it did, with the elevator doors opening to reveal a long, dark tunnel. It looked like every other level of the Underlock, the black rocky walls near suffocating, and the dimmest of everbeacons offering just enough light to keep Viri from being completely blind.
“Ashton is the only inmate down this far, but I’m not sure where they put him,” Soren said as they stepped out of the lift into the moist underground air. The filtration wasn’t as strong this deep beneath the mountain, the earthy aroma so thick andmusty that Viri could almost taste it. “It might be a longish walk, depending on how isolated they want him to feel.”
Likely very isolated, Viri figured. But that was good, since it meant there would be no witnesses to her reunion. There was only one problem to deal with first.
With a fortifying inhale, she halted Soren by grabbing his sleeve and made her request. “I need you to wait here.”
He barked out an incredulous laugh. “You’re joking, right?”
“I’m not.” She planted her feet. “I want to talk to him alone. He might be more willing to share something if he doesn’t see me as a threat.”
“You’re a hunter, V.” Soren flicked her scarlet cloak. “You can’t get much more threatening to someone like him.”
