Page 28 of When Storms Ruin

“Kenna lost family in the raid on the safe house. A brother, and cousins. She thinks Tyr is the one who leaked our location, but he isn’t aware of our locations.”

“Tyr? As in…my cousin, Tyr? How would he know any of the locations of the safe houses, anyway?” I asked, confused.

Isaac gave Liss a meaningful glance before his gaze met mine again, his blue eyes hardening.

“Tyr used to be a member of the resistance, sworn to the true queen of Istmere…before he betrayed you.”

“If I get my hands on that little weasel, I am going to wring his neck,” Tess said as we traveled through the cobblestone streets behind Liss, walking to our new and secluded safe house.

“I am going to do ahellof a lot more than that,” Nik threatened from behind me.

I turned to meet his gaze, which bordered on murderous. I desperately hoped we never ran into Tyr again, for his own sake. I had no idea Tyr had been a part of the resistance, whether his intentions were true or not, but he had given me up to Donika at the first opportunity.

I understood Kenna thinking it had to be Tyr who betrayed the safe house locations, but Isaac insisted that all the newer locations had been establishedafterTyr had led to my capture.

We traveled deeper and deeper into the heart of Prins, and I was unfamiliar with this part of the city. There were no widestreets, all the walkways were narrow and crisscrossed between the buildings as if they were street blocks. There were no Juliet balconies or vendors on these streets. They were all humble townhomes with small windows, one on top of the other.

We approached a townhome that had the bricks painted an unassuming tan color. The large wooden door had a window in it that was covered by thick iron grates. There were windows on each side of the door, and a set of stone steps leading up to it.

“This is it?” Puck asked from behind us, “I was hoping for a hidden door situation, like the last safe house.”

“Sometimes hiding in plain sight is the best thing,” Liss replied as she ascended the small set of steps and turned back to Puck with a glance that said she thought he was being awfully childish. “But just in case…this door is spelled, obviously.”

“I’ll take it,” Puck conceded with a laugh as we followed Liss inside.

Isaac wasn’t exaggerating when he said this safe house was smaller. The door opened directly into a small kitchen that barely had the necessary appliances to cook for ourselves. Beyond that, there was a living room with a small wooden table that sat four off to the left, a single leather couch and coffee table to the right. The back wall held a staircase with narrow, rickety steps that lead up to the bedrooms.

“She won’t come searching for you here,” Liss said as she crossed her arms, taking in the cottage-like townhome. “There are no neighbors. Those homes also belong to us.”

“Thank you, Liss.” I squeezed her shoulder gently as I passed.

Liss had done a lot for us, and without her, I might never have been able to escape the Stormvault.

“Zion should be on his way any day now. I will send word when he arrives. In the meantime, keep a low profile. Don’t leave the safe house unless it is to go to the training field. We have to be safe as we gather intelligence.”

“I understand.” I nodded, hoping the bedrooms would be comfortable if we were going to be cooped up here together. I dreaded the idea of being stuck in such close quarters with Nik, but I would try to avoid him at all costs.

“Speaking of training, when will we get started?” I asked, anxious to touch my magic again, but nervous at the same time.

“You’ll start with Isaac tomorrow, and Warrick, too.”

“Who is Warrick?” Tess asked, throwing herself down on the leather couch as a cloud of dust burst forth from it.

She sputtered and coughed, waving her hand in the air.

“It’s been a long time since anyone has been here,” Liss laughed as Tess continued to wave her hand to dispel it. “Warrick is the sword master. He will train you with the blade. I figured you wouldn’t want to train with Nik, seeing as you haven’t spoken more than two words to each other.”

I met Nik’s gaze across the room and his expression was unreadable. Was he hoping to have continued our training we had started back in the mortal realm? I didn’t trust him, and I didn’t want him to think that I did. I wanted to stay asfar away from him as possible, especially where blades were involved.

“Thank you,” I told Liss with a tight smile.

Liss went back to the hidden safe house to speak with Isaac, leaving the four of us alone. Tess and I went upstairs to claim bedrooms, desperately hoping there were more than two rooms. I loved Tess, but I was craving some space to myself.

To my surprise, the townhome was much cleaner and cozier on the top level, with four bedrooms, each with their own washrooms. The rooms might be small, but they had canopy beds, polished furniture, and warm fireplaces.

I took the bedroom at the end of the hall, farthest from the staircase. The linens on the canopy were black and moody, with walnut dressing furniture and a window that overlooked the cobblestone streets below.

I glanced around, thinking of the best possible place to hide the grimoire, and decided on behind the dresser. I pulled it away from the wall, realizing it was much heavier than it appeared. It squeaked against the floor, and I managed to wedge the grimoire behind it before pushing it back into place. I didn’t know any concealment spells, so this would have to do for now.

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