Page 51 of Unseen Eye
Izzy shrugs. “Cal took care of it. I didn’t see the point in bringing it up.”
“Would’ve been nice to know,” Theo mutters under his breath. Then, turning back to me, he explains, “Yes, the warden and any shadowfiends go back to the Abyss when they’re struck down. But with the gate open, they don’t stay there long before they stumble back into Catalpa.”
It takes me a moment to absorb what that means. “So… none of them actually die? They just keep coming back?”
“Exactly,” Theo replies, his voice grim. “That’s why we’re in this predicament. With the gate open, there’s no permanent way to get rid of them. And since the gods didn’t exactly leave behind a ‘Gates 101’ manual, we’ve got no idea how to close it—or keep another from opening.”
I study the map for a while longer. Catalpa is surrounded by water on three sides, with its only land border connecting to Coire. Curious, I ask, “Why didn’t Catalpa call for backup when they were attacked? Surely someone could have sounded the alarms.”
Theo turns as white as a sheet. “They did,” he whispers, barely audible. “But Drystan ordered us to stand down and not intervene.”
“But why?” I press, my voice rising. “Coire clearly has the armies for it. Surely, you could have made a difference, maybe even prevented all of this.”
“I’m not sure we could have stopped it,” Theo replies. “By thetime we would have been able to arrive with an army, I don’t think there would have been many survivors left.”
“But some are better than none!” I counter. “You left them to be slaughtered without a chance.”
“Enough,” Izzy interjects. “Eva, what’s done is done. Yes, it wasn’t ideal, and yes, we fought it. But when the King of Coire makes a decision, you learn not to press him on it.”
“Look at you, going all political on us,” Theo mutters.
“Great! Now you’re all caught up,” Izzy declares, clearly eager to change the subject. “Time for bed!”
She turns to leave, her braid whipping Theo in the face. Suddenly, I hear a low chuckle, and my stupid heart skips a beat, instantly recognizing the voice. I turn around to find Callon leaning casually against the wall, arms crossed. I never heard him come in, and judging by Izzy’s reaction, she didn’t either. He’s changed clothes, still dressed in all black, but with a more relaxed, comfortable aura than before.
“Thanks for the help, smartass,” Izzy says, a gust of wind flipping the papers on the table. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to bed. If either of you bothers me in the next twelve hours, I will personally cut off your balls.” She walks out, slamming the door behind her.
“She’s in a great mood,” Theo remarks dryly, picking up some of the papers that blew over.
“Is she always like that?” I ask, helping him gather the scattered sheets.
“Only when she’s cranky,” Callon answers from the back of the room, his tone lazy but amused.
Theo turns to him with a raised eyebrow. “Warden? Really, Cal? You just forgot to mention it?” He shakes his head in mock disbelief.
“Yeah, must’ve slipped my mind,” Callon says sarcastically, rolling his eyes.
Callon pushes off the wall and walks over to join us. “You weren’t exactly there to help, were you? Enjoy your peace and quiet?” He ignores the chairs and sits on the table instead, effortlessly placing one leg on it as if he’s done it a thousand times.
“It’s fine,” he adds casually. “I took care of it. Though it was definitely stronger than the last one.”
“Great,” Theo exaggerates with an eye roll. “And speaking of things slipping your mind, and no offense, Eva, you seem great, but what the hell are you doing here? Last I heard, you were in Astermiri.”
“Ask him,” I counter, gesturing to Callon.
Callon raises an eyebrow. “She’s a light wielder,” he says like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “Baron and his sorry excuse for a son weren’t helping or training her, so I took advantage of the situation. You’re going to train her,” he adds, looking at Theo like this is a done deal.
“Oh, I am?” Theo asks, his voice tinged with surprise.
“He is?” I ask at the same time, irritation and confusion mingling in my voice.
Callon picks up one of his daggers and flips it idly in his hand. “Of course you are. With Izzy’s help. She needs to figure out how to summon the light without being on the brink of death every time.”
“Are you sure this has nothing to do with the Fate?” I challenge, narrowing my eyes at him.
“Fate?” Theo exclaims, suddenly looking even more perplexed. “Gods, Cal, you really need to start explaining better. What the hell did I miss?”
“Quite a bit, it seems,” Callon replies dryly. Then he turns to me, his gaze softening. “Yes, but that wasn’t the main reason I asked.”
