Page 56 of A Requiem of Fire and Ice

I rise from my seat and say, “I’m finished. Astin will escort you to the designated cells. They will confiscate everything from you.”

“We can’t leave?!”

“No,” I reply flatly. “I don’t want any of you contacting her.”

“You aren’t going to…” Sara trails off and places her hand over her mouth to prevent the bile from rising.

“Not yet,” I answer before leaving.

“Sir?” Astin says as he rises from the cellar doors across from the interrogation room. “Is everything okay?”

“She’s not a water elemny,” I announce. “We are dealing with a vengeful, pissed-off fucking ice elemny.”

Astin furrows his brow. “You seem excited.”

“My best hunts came from there. To think I can relive it again…” I shake my head at the memory of them begging to survive through the flames, but they were in my way and started the fight first without knowing who they were fucking with.

But now…I can entertain this hunt. I can taste it on the tip of my tongue.

It makes sense now. Nancy smuggled her out of there with a few others, but they couldn’t hide for long without King Ragan sniffing them out with his bloodlust. This means this unawakened brat has some knowledge and understanding of keeping herself hidden without being noticed. Someone trained her well enough for her to know how to defend herself.

But who would teach an unawakened elemny unless she had some importance? A status. The daughter of a respected guard? Even then, King Ragan trained me because he took an interest in me and my powers. It was a unique case, so she might also be special.

“Pandora, Pandora, Pandora,” I mutter under my breath. “It wouldn’t be fake, but still…”

“Sir?”

“We’re leaving,” I declare. “Get the ship ready. It will only be the two of us. Let Ri and Alek protect Walkyer, and Ziri can stay with Emmerton to keep him out of Walkyer’s hair.”

“What about Alad?”

I grimace. “Walkyer would want him, but I need him. He holds valuable information.”

“He can send it to us.”

“Would he?” I question. “Alad’s the best in the trade, yet he could only reveal two pages of information on Pandora. Either he couldn’t care less about who killed King Ragan, or he is withholding information. Bring him along. I want to keep an eye on him without raising suspicion.”

Astin eyes me. “You believe he knows who she is?”

“Yes,” I say. “Alad knows exactly who she is but wants to keep it to himself.”

“Why would he do that?”

“Astin, I may have to revoke your title as a Knight of Eraminia if you ask another ignorantly stupid question. The answer will come to you with a moment’s thought.”

“You would have to find someone better than me first,” Astin says, but, like always, he lacks any form of emotion.

I grunt my response.

Astin furrows his brows, and I wait until he finally uses his brain and says, “He’s a smuggler.”

I roll my eyes to the back of my head. “King Ragan would have killed him by now if he were. Perhaps I should bring Ri along on this journey instead. I thought air elemny were smart and calculating.”

“You’re rubbing off on me.”

“Or you’re trying to protect him,” I say as I eye Astin. He doesn’t respond. “It means Alad was affiliated with the Kingdom of Crystal and met Pandora at least once, and wants to protect her.”

“Are you going to hurt Alad?”