Page 19 of Sanctuary of the Shadow
His eyes had landed on the unfinished sign. Raith almost laughed.
“Sir?”
“‘Raith’? You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“Sir, I don’t—”
“There’s a W. Wraith. W-R-A-I-T-H.”
Loren spat a low curse.
Salizar briefly pinched the bridge of his nose. “Start a new sign first thing tomorrow. And by the Goddess, spell it correctly this time.”
Loren bowed out of the tent. Salizar shot a look at his prisoner and then followed him out without another word.
…
Harrow sat on the ground, her arms wrapped around herself, breathing hard. That had been way too close. If her boss had caught her snooping… Not good. But now that she had snooped, there was no way she could forget Raith was in there.
Because of Salizar. He was supposed to be a protector of Elementals, as Malaikah saw him. How could he treat an innocent man that way?
Okay, so maybe Raith wasn’t innocent. She wasn’t that naive. Who knew what sorts of things he’d done? If she wasn’t mistaken, he’d come up with his name on the spot, and he didn’t appear to have any more idea about what he was than she did.
He certainly wasn’t a wraith, however.
No one knew the true origin of wraiths, or if they existed at all. The rumors about them ranged from horrifying to downright ridiculous. Some thought they were evil spirits from the Shades that Queen Furie had found a way to summon. Some said they were actually mythical dragons that breathed fire, while others claimed they were nothing but Enchanter illusionists or Hybrid assassins. Others believed Furie had created them with Fire magic and the bottomless hatred that had consumed her since the death of her mate.
Whatever their origins, Furie had sent the wraiths on the most notorious killing spree in known history. A genocide that had wiped out an entire group of once-thriving people, whose worst offense against the Fire Queen was their connection to her enemy and sister, Queen Darya.
Despite the name he’d chosen, Raith was not a wraith. Harrow almost wished he’d picked a different name, but it suited him somehow, and when she thought of it now, it didn’t bring the same fear as the word spelled with aWdid.
Perhaps it was because of that unguarded surprise in his eyes when he’d opened his mouth and spoken it aloud. As if he hadn’t realized until that moment that he was worthy of a name.
Harrow had looked into those eyes and had not seen evil. She was a Seer. A Seer knew how to read people. A Seer trusted her instincts. Her other, baser, instincts had told her loud and clear that she was in the presence of something deadly, and she wasn’t fool enough to forget that. But the Water said otherwise.
Important. Connection.
Why? She didn’t know, but she had a feeling she was going to find out. Now that she knew Raith was in there, there was no way she was abandoning him to whatever cruel plan Salizar had to earn money off his misfortune.
Her eyes stung with regretful tears. How could she have been so oblivious to Salizar’s true nature? Sure, she had good reason to be grateful to him. As an orphaned Elemental female, she likely would’ve ended up somewhere far worse if not for him, but she still ought to have seen the cruelty he was capable of.
Harrow waited until she heard Salizar leave. She longed to go back inside and make sure Raith was okay but didn’t dare. Not tonight, at least.
Nothing could keep her away tomorrow.
The urging of the Water was never without reason, and she intended to find out exactly what the mysterious Elemental had to do with her.
Chapter Five
The following night, Harrow peeked around the last caravan in the row, stomach churning with nerves. Sure enough, a guard was sitting outside the tent. She squinted to see clearer.
She was pretty sure it was Oli. The fox Hybrid was slumped forward in his chair, chin to chest, and she could hear his snores from where she stood.
She smiled to herself. Sure, Salizar was scary, but nobody else in their circus was, and they certainly weren’t trained for enduring a grueling night watch.
She wasn’t complaining. In fact, this was exactly what she’d been hoping for.
Hefting the heavy bag higher on her shoulder, she double-checked the coast was clear and then ducked out from her hiding place and strode quickly toward the tent. Though it was difficult to fight the urge, she didn’t run—if someone did spot her, it would look far less suspicious if she was walking like she had every right to be there.
