Page 44 of The Legacy of Ophelia
Cypherion dipped his head once, grimly telling me he remembered. Then, he stepped forward and handed me a small black bottle. “We should be able to write, given none of us will be in Damenal.”
I secured the Mystique ink in my pack and slung it across my back.
“Have you heard from anyone you wrote last night?” I asked him and Meridat.
The Soulguider Chancellor answered, “Ezalia wrote back immediately and said she’ll make haste for the desert with a small legion of Seawatchers. She’s also going to raise her forces across both halves of her territory to keep a tighter guard on the coasts in case any creatures with godly connections surface.”
“We’re still waiting on Brigiet and Barrett,” Cypherion added.
“And we’ll be handling the Starsearchers,” Jezebel said, emerging from between two large palm trees. She was dressed head to toe in fitted flying leathers, a sword across her back.
Jezebel pointedly didn’t look toward Erista as she stopped beside Vale, Zanox and Dynaxtar flanking her. The Starsearcher was dressed exactly like Jezebel, switching out her usual skirts for the sleek black outfit.
“I didn’t realize you were going, too, Jezebel,” I said.
“Harlen and Cyren answered our letter,” Vale explained. Cypherion’s jaw ticked as she spoke. “They think they have exceptional means to help, but we don’t want to waste time. Jezebel and the khrysaor are going to fly me there, and I’ll use the seeing chambers to search the Fates for everything Valyrie hinted at.”
Vale was going back to the place she’d escaped to use the seeing chambers Titus tortured her in to enhance her magic. That explained why Cypherion was so tense.
“Santorina,” Tolek said, pushing to his feet. “Are you sure I can’t come with you?”
“I’m sure,” I answered urgently. “You’re needed here. With Cypherion.”
Tol locked his hands behind his back, leaning against a palm tree. “I’m not certain I am.” He sliced a murderous glare to Lancaster over my shoulder.
The male grunted in response. “You think I want to be doing this any more then you want me to?”
“Then don’t?” Tolek argued.
I stepped between them. “I will be fine. Bounty, remember?”
Cyph placed a hand on Tol’s shoulder, pulling him back a step. Tolek had been bubbling with pent up aggression since the mountains, but this wasn’t the time.
Tolek’s expression softened as he whispered to me, “You remember what I asked?”
I nodded. “Of course. I promise.”
“Thank you,” he said, shoulders falling. “Got the cypher blades?” He’d stayed up with me late last night hastily shaping a few deadly weapons out of branches of the cypher trees as Ophelia had done in the past. It had been nice to have the help, and to know he wasn’t flying to Damenal.
“I do,” I swore with a grin Tolek returned.
“You two should head out,” Cypherion said to me and Lancaster.
Lancaster, who would be my lone traveling companion for the foreseeable future.
Lancaster, who was a Hunter bred to kill me and I him.
Lancaster, with whom I’d been unable to have a single mature conversation in the weeks we’d been forced into each other’s company.
Because while my friends focused on rallying our warrior allies, I was departing for human training camps to recruit those that could fight in our army, and search for any Bounties who may have woken as I did when the Angels and Warrior God were freed.
And who better to seek them out than the very creature meant to destroy them?
What in the Goddesses’ names could go wrong?
It is okay, I assured myself when the panicked, second-guessing voice in my head tried to surface.Ritalia is gone. She cannot wake the Hunter, and I can kill Lancaster if he attacks.
I did not want to pry any of my friends from their necessary posts for this. Especially not Tolek, when Lancaster and I might have to pass near Damenal while crossing the mountains. I may only be a human, but I could handle this.
