Kreya eyed the crowd outside of Zera’s palace.
Word had spread: the Five had returned.
Of course, the only people allowed on the fifth tier were the very rich and famous and their servants, but just because they were wealthy, it didn’t mean they weren’t voyeurs. In fact, the two things went nicely hand in hand, as they had plenty of time to loiter. Kreya and her friends had used their real names to access the fifth tier, and they’d paraded through the streets to Lorn’s palace looking every inch the parts they’d played. “I should have expected this,” Kreya said.
All the work they’d been doing with artists and theater groups had resulted in renewed interest in the Heroes of Vos, as well as hatred of Eklor. She hadn’t thought about this side effect.
Sitting on one of the sofas, Amurra said, “I think it’s nice. You still have the support of the people. You could go out and meet them.”
“I’d rather swallow glass.”
Amurra laughed. “Stran feels the same way about a fuss being made over him. He always said I rescued him. It’s part of why he loves the farm so much. The sheep are unimpressed with his fame.”
A cheer went up outside, loud enough to penetrate the walls of the palace. Marso strolled in to join them in the grand salon. “Jentt and Stran are back,” he said conversationally.
“At last!” Zera jumped to her feet.
Startled, Kreya twisted to look at Marso. She’d thought he wasn’t going to read the future anymore. “You saw it in the bones?”
“I saw it out the window. Didn’t you hear the cheering?”
Squeezing through the crowd were Jentt and Stran. They shook hands and were pulled into hugs. Quite a few touched Jentt as if he were a kind of lucky charm. Amurra laughed. “He’s a miracle. They probably think it’ll rub off on them.”
They watched for a few minutes more. The crowd pressed closer to the two heroes, cutting them off from the palace. Kreya waited for them to use talismans to push through, but they didn’t. Possibly they were trying to be polite.
Ugh, they were both entirely too nice. She wanted them herenow. While they’d been gone, Eklor had had another week to push forward with whatever his agenda was. Another week of access to Grand Master Lorn. Another week to worm himself into the heart of Cerre, to plan his traps and tricks, to spin his web. Plus, of course, the week he’d been here before they were even aware. He could have caused so much damage already, and every minute of glad-handing was a minute not plotting how to stop him.
“Someone might want to rescue them before people startcarving off chunks of our boys as souvenirs to take home,” Zera suggested.
“I’ll do it,” Kreya said with a sigh.
She stalked to the door and threw it open. With a gasp, the crowd turned to look at her. A few began shouting her name. Others rushed forward.
“Stop!” she commanded, hand out.
Not everyone could hear her over the roaring crowd, but those in front saw her motion and saw the look in her eyes. They skidded to a halt, and the crowd was forced to stop behind them. They quieted, watching her expectantly.
“Let them through!”
A little shuffling, and then the crowd parted. Jentt and Stran walked through. Kreya held the door open for them as the crowd watched her, rapt.
If she knew what to say, it would have been the perfect moment for a speech. She had the attention of the upper crust of the city. She could sway them however she wished. Tell them of Eklor’s presence, of Grand Master Lorn’s betrayal in allowing such a viper into the heart of Vos. With all the plays, songs, and revivals, the citizens were primed to listen to her.
I don’t know enough yet to act,she thought.
And so she said nothing, and when Jentt and Stran entered the palace, she shut the great doors behind them. If the crowd reacted, she didn’t hear it. “Give me good news,” she said. “You found his army? Please tell me we have proof.”
She knew the answer before he said it.
“We found burnt constructs within a collapsed tunnel,” Jentt said. “No way to tell if it’s all of them or not, but also no way to tell that it isn’t.”
“Searched the area thoroughly, too,” Stran added. “No evidence that any soldiers escaped the plains. The wall guards will undoubtedly report our findings to the guild, bolstering Eklor’s claims.”
Closing her eyes, Kreya tasted disappointment, bitter on her tongue. She’d been counting on this. With hard evidence, maybe they could have convinced the grand master to set aside his concerns for his son and see reason. But without evidence...
“I’m sorry, Kreya,” Jentt said, “but all we found is proof that Eklor is telling the truth. We failed.”
Chapter Twenty
