Page 55 of The Silent
“I’ll go with you,”Leosaid.
“You don’t know the roads and you’ll slow us down.” Niran was nearly out the door. “Stay with Sura and protect thetemple.”
Leo looked like he wanted to argue, but henodded.
Ginny asked, “Leo, do you know of any other Irin who are looking to cooperate withGrigori?”
“No,” he said. “Or not in this area. There are smaller-scale alliances being made in Europe. One that I know of in South America and two that already exist in sub-Saharan Africa. But in Asia, our meeting is the first I’ve heard of.” He pulled out his phone. “This warrants a call to Damien and Sari. If there are any other rumored alliances among the council,they’llknow.”
Kyra noticed Ginny staring at the map. “What are youthinking?”
“We knew.” Ginny looked up. “We’ve always known. There are Irin who work with Grigori. There has to be. It never made senseotherwise.”
Sura asked, “What didn’t makesense?”
Alyah walked back to the table. “How we were so thoroughly betrayed. How our retreats were compromised. How our hiding places were found. It wasn’t just the Rending, you know. It’s been happening for years.” Her face was bleak. “Anytime we found a safe place, it would be compromised. Who werewetelling? Not theGrigori.”
“But word got out to our brothers,” Ginny said. “To the scribe houses. To thecouncil.”
“And then word got to the Fallen and the Grigori eventually,” Alyah said. “And we’d be hunted andkilled.”
Ginny placed a hand on Alyah’sshoulder.
Sura said, “I am sorry that happened. No one should have to liveinfear.”
“One Irin, two Grigori,” Ginny muttered. “Arindam’schildren?”
“Most likely,” Sura said. “They are the only ones who would dare come this close to us. Most of the Grigori we find inChiangMai—”
“Are wanderers,” Ginny said. “I know. That’s what I’veobservedtoo.”
“We need to find out who tried to grab Prija the last time,” Alyah said. “If they’re not working with Grigori themselves, then they told someonewhois.”
Kyra said, “Can you call your watcher in Bangkok? Is there any way ofknowing?”
“Yeah, there is.” Ginny walked to the door. “Tell Leo I’m takinghiscar.”
“But he’ll have no way of getting back to the city,”Kyrasaid.
Ginny offered a droll look. “You really think he was going back to the city with you here?” She slipped out the door, leaving Alyah, Sura, and Kyra in the dining room, a giant map on the table and Sura’s quiet rage permeatingtheroom.
Kyra walked to him and put her hands on his shoulders. “Slemaa.”
At once, his shouldersrelaxed.
Alyah’s eyes went wide. “Where did youlearnthat?”
“I heard it in Leo’s mind when he carried me,” Kyra said. “He said it means peace. I was just trying tocomfortSura.”
Sura squeezed her hand. “It worked. Thank you,sister.”
Alyah fell quiet, and Kyra knew the Irina probably didn’t approve of Kyra using the Irin language. She hadn’t thought about it. It had been instinctual. She had felt Sura’s anger overwhelming the quiet man, and she’d wantedtohelp.
In a blink, a dark man appeared before her, leaning his elbows on the dining room table, staringatKyra.
“Such familiar energy I feel on the wind,” the dark one said. “Hello, Barak’sdaughter.”
The Fallen smiled, and Kyrascreamed.
