“So your mission does not require you to sneak into the two most important edifices of Ilma?” I asked carefully.
“Well, I went near. My mission is not there. There’s no one and nothing inside those buildings, just many guards on the outside of them. It’s as if the Naaris took whatever they needed, destroyed what was essential, and are just guarding their inanimate remnants. But I’ll tell you this, in fourteen months, I’ve seen change, slow, but still.”
“Yes, I noticed the regrowth amongst the scars of the fires.” I asked my next question thoughtfully. “So what you seek is animate, like people—a person, perhaps?”
“Well, someone’s finally talking. Have you been saving all of these questions?”
I ignored him and instead said, “I’ll take that as a yes.”
“Fine,” he huffed. “I was sent to look for someone. To retrieve someone.” His words reminded me of Aegir’s cousin, Galen. They had searched for him, for his body. “What about you? Why do youneedto go to the Falls?”
“I’m also looking for something.”
“Very informative. And are you certain that thissomethingis there?”
“Not really.”
“Wow.” Marshen’s lower lip covered his upper and he bobbed his head. “I’m sorry to say this but your answers are portraying you as some crazy lady. Unless…unless you have what is known as intel on whatever it is that you seek. You are traversing prohibited territory after all.”
“I was told that what I seek is beyond the Falls and beyond the Depths. I paid handsomely for that intel.” In fact, it felt as if I had paid body, mind, soul, and silver for it.
“All right. So I’m looking for something, you’re looking for something.”
“Something like that.”
I sat near the fire, looking for more depictions while Marshen sizzled our fish. My gaze settled on a polished map of Ramel and its fortified sandstone coast along the Brim Sea. My finger traced the coastline of my Land, stopping at the Unnar Caves. I read the legend beneath the map.
“Hey, did you know that a thousand years ago, two witches entered Lyrantheia through the Unnar Caves?”
“I obviously didn’t know that. I’ve heard of those caves, though, through fables. Aren’t they some myth?”
“Myth? They are very real.”
“You’ve been there yourself?”
“No, of course not. But a Sand Priestess taught me about them. Some maps include them, especially old ones, like this one,” I said, extending the book towards him. “I don’t know why the more recent ones seem to have forgotten about them.”
“I’m pretty sure that’s because they’re a myth.”
“Believe what you want,” I bit out.
We were silent for a few minutes, the faint breeze carrying the sound of the roaring sea from afar. I found the constant background noise somewhat soothing.
“I expect us to make it to the Falls by tomorrow afternoon. Do you know what you have to do once I escort you there?”
“Is there a bridge to Mistgeil Island?”
“A bridge?” Marshen laughed—a genuine laugh that had him holding his belly.
“Why did my question amuse you so much?”
“There’s no bridge to a wasteland. Avian shifters from Silch flew over Mistgeil Island. They said there’s nothing there but barren land surrounded by eerie mist.”
“Then no, I don’t know what I have to do, yet.” The wordyetdidn’t sound as convincing as I wished it to.
“You know, if you don’t find what you’re looking for, I can happily escort you back to Aegir. Perhaps we could settle our bargain then. He is in Ramel, right?”
“We’ll decide that tomorrow.”
