Page 129 of Skyshade
She turned to Oro. She opened her mouth, but he beat her to it. “No. Whatever you’re doing, I’m going with you.”
Grim’s shadows sharpened.
Oro only looked between them. “You can’t really expect us to trust you. Or that he won’t use this as a distraction to go through the portal in the vault.” The one in the Place of Mirrors, the one that would save her life forever.
The air seemed to shift as Grim began to stand. She gripped his wrist, and he stilled.
“Fine,” she said. “We’ll figure out how to injure Lark...together.”
Enya left with Calder, without another word. Grim left too—and was back in just minutes.
“It’s gone,” he said simply.
Isla sat back against her chair. “What do you mean, it’s gone?”
“The sword. The pile of relics. Even the damn dragon, it’s gone.” The pile of stolen enchantments had belonged to an infamous thief. They hadn’t met her in all the time they spent trying to get past the dragon.
“She must have moved everything.” Her nails dug into her palm as she regretted ever telling him to put it back. She had been trying to protect the world...now, this could put them in risk of losing it. The dreks were crucial to her plan.
Oro leaned back in his own chair, at the head of the table, and said, “I have an idea.”
Zed was sitting against the back wall of his cell. He looked both bored and unsurprised to see both her and Oro.
He gave her a feline grin. “Brought me a cellmate?”
Oro glared at him. “Not quite. She’s your ticket out.”
Zed’s smile didn’t falter. “Oh, we both know I could have been out of this place weeks ago, if I wanted.” To demonstrate his point, he slipped out of his binds, and kicked behind him. The stone wentsoaring, taking half the wall with it, revealing a hole he could easily fly out of. “You seemed upset, though, so I felt it best to stay put.”
“He’s perfect,” Isla said.
Zed narrowed his eyes at her. “Shameless of you to try to add yet another paramour to your messy situation, but you’re not my type.”
Oro sighed. “Have you ever heard of a thief better than you?”
That wiped the grin off Zed’s face. “Only one. Why?”
“Do you think you can find her?”
“I can find anybody.”
“Good,” Isla said. “Make it quick. None of us have much time.”
“I don’t need much time.” He reached his hand out, as if waiting to be portaled.
“Oh, no. I’m not going with you,” she said.
Grim stepped from where he had been leaning against the wall, cloaked in shadows. He looked Zed up and down, unimpressed. “Why is he in prison in the first place?”
Isla’s own grin spread across her face. “I’m sure he’ll be happy to tell you all about it during your time together.”
Grim glared at Zed, then reached down to brush his lips over hers. Heat spread behind her—anger she recognized as Oro’s—but still, she went on her toes and said, “Come back to me,” to Grim. Lark was out there somewhere. They were all in danger.
His hands were cold along the bottom of her spine. “You too, Hearteater.”
Then they disappeared.
She was left with Oro next to her, radiating his undeniable tinge of fury.
