Page 129 of The Eye of the Fifth
Suddenly the notes in her hand weren’t a jumble of useless words anymore. That passage, that one little passage that Kawai probably hadn’t thought twice about since copying it from the book, had changed everything.
And the faeries… the faeries in Gallena’s temple had known too. Somehow, through their connection to the divine, they’d known what it was that she was seeking. And they’d tried to help her.
Kyra didn’t know why the thought stung her eyes.
‘So… you think the Eye is in the tomb?’ Kawai asked quietly after she was finished. They were sitting in the sand now, and Kyra continued to scan the words, making sure she’d missed nothing else in the cryptic, ancient text.
‘It has to be,’ Kyra whispered. ‘This is the closest lead I’ve had so far… I have to follow it.’
‘It’s been a thousand years since the Age of Mothers began. Who’s to say it’s still there?’
The thought had already occurred to her. But it wasn’t enough to stop her from going. ‘I’m already running out of time. Oslan is running out of time.’ She peered round at the door of Eko’s shanty house. ‘We’re leaving tomorrow for Phaenon. Who knows when I’ll be back in Loros? I won’t get another chance like this.’
Eko had a boat. It was beaten up, but Kyra was sure she could still row it. Maybe she should wake Kano, get him to tell her exactly where the tomb had been?
What if doing so woke Naal too? The Air Warden would strongly advise against it, and may even stop her from going.
Kyra couldn’t let that happen.
Alone she had to be. She jumped to her feet. ‘If I’m not back by sunrise, tell Naal where I am. What I’ve gone to do. She’ll fucking hate me for it but-
‘Don’t be an idiot, you can’t go alone,’ Kawai said roughly. ‘We’re outside of Nevatis territory here. There could be anything lurking in these waters. Besides, how will you even find it?’
‘The power behind the tomb called to Kano. I felt it in his memory. I’ll be able to find it, Kawai. Naal’s always talking about magic leaving traces, specifically elemental magic-’
She was already making for the rowboat, but Kawai’s fingers wrapped tightly around her wrist. He gently yanked her wrist up, pulling her to him. They glared at each other for a moment, but then he kissed her hand, and that familiar gleam of affection she didn’t realise she’d missed so much sparked back in his golden eyes. ‘I’m coming with you.’
Her retort was instant. ‘No, you’re not.’
‘Yes, I am.’
‘Kawai, please! I don’t have time to argue-’
‘Then don’t fight me on this. I’m coming.’
Agitated, Kyra glanced at the fingers still wrapped around her wrist, then up to the slight smirk on his full lips. ‘Fine,’ she snapped. ‘But don’t blame me if you get eaten by a mer. They only like human flesh, remember?’
Now, he outright grinned. ‘I’ll bear it in mind.’
‘I’ll ward the boat, that way at least no mer outlaw will be able to attack. I think we’ll probably be able to-’
‘We don’t need the boat.’
She blinked. ‘Well, I’m not fucking swimming there.’
He laughed. ‘You’ve forgotten, haven’t you?’
‘What?’
Before her very eyes, his grinning face, along with the rest of him, disappeared into the night. A sly hand on her waist had her whirling around to see him behind her, still grinning as he said with a damned wink, ‘I can salir us there. It’s what I do best.’
‘You don’t know where it is.’
‘Then, show me.’ Uncertainty rose rapidly within her, and it must have shown on her face, for Kawai said, ‘You can do it, Kyra. I have no doubt about it.’ He took her hand, interlinking his fingers through hers. ‘Show me what you saw.’
After blinking up at him a few times, Kyra moved a little closer, cupping the back of his neck with her other hand and pressing her forehead against his, letting her eyes close to relish in the scent of him, his warmth, his strong body against hers.
It was easy to fall into his mind like this. Easy to fall…
