Page 95 of The Eye of the Fifth
Naal gave a soft smile. ‘Then you are braver and more selfless than most, Kyraena Daeiros.’
‘Or more stupid,’ Kyra mumbled with a shrug. Rosary had said just that when she told her she was going back to see Oslan. But Rosary didn’t know about the blood-bargain. Kyra had never gotten the chance to tell her.
The pink scar on her palm tingled.
‘I suppose you’re right,’ Naal mused thoughtfully. ‘The line between bravery and stupidity is daringly thin.’
Agreeing to find the Eye of the Fifth… Kyra was sure that Naal would have thought it incredibly stupid.
For the first time, she wanted to tell her.
The words bubbled up inside, but just on the verge of coming out, they caught in her throat.
Naal was visibly exhausted. There was a darkness under her eyes that hadn’t been there when they’d first met.
Kyra could not add to that turmoil.
Before dawn could break, Naal and Kyra departed the Astaveron house. Naal left behind a note on the dining room table, thanking Maressa and Selwyn for their hospitality and apologising for their abrupt departure. Kyra felt somewhat guilty; she had the feeling Maressa had enjoyed having her house full again.
The night was still very much alive as they snuck out of the townhouse, though the streets were dead and empty. The rainwater on the cobbled stone reflected the yellow fading light of the moon, and had it not been for the unrelenting racket of the city’s machinery, it might have been a rather peaceful setting.
Following Naal was like pursuing a cloud with no edges, as quiet and lithe as air itself. Kyra was a fucking bull in comparison, and for the first time she was actually grateful for the city’s invasive noise for it proficiently covered the sound of her heavy footfalls.
Naal knew her way around Blythtrie like Kyra knew her way around the back alleys of Avaldale. She knew precisely where to turn to avoid the late-working humans, knew exactly what alleyway would lead to where, and it wasn’t until they’d gotten to the seafront where the tide crashed against the jagged rocks at the edge of the bay, that Kyra realised they hadn’t set foot on a main road once. Kyra didn’t knowhow she’d done it. Perhaps the correct path was being whispered in her ear by the wind.
Surprisingly, even Kyra recognised the place from when they’d disembarked theThilenejust a couple of days ago. The tide had been far out then, leaving them a clear, sandy beach from ship to shore. Now, it was almost completely in, and though the water wasn’t deep, the waves crashed against the rocks as though they had a personal vendetta against them.
‘Mind your step,’ Naal warned as she hopped from rock to rock, landing with ease. Kyra followed her exact footsteps carefully, clumsily clambering rather than hopping gracefully as Naal was.
They must have been halfway across when Kyra spotted the longboat. One of the men waved an oar enthusiastically in the air, and she was sure it was the same, young raider who had kindly given her the blanket the first time they’d voyaged on theThilene.Jak, his name was, if she remembered correctly.
‘Damar again?’ Kyra said, surprised that the captain had not completely tired of them.
‘They have been waiting for us to return,’ Naal replied.
‘You must have paid him a fair amount for that.’
‘Mmm,’ Naal said, somewhat distracted, then paused in her rock-leaping and turned around. ‘Did you happen to notice that Kawai was not present when we last sailed with Damar and his crew?’
Of course she’d noticed. It had been a particularly dull voyage without him. She nodded casually.
‘I believe there is a reason for that,’ Naal said. ‘When Kano was born and his Warden powers realised, I travelled to Blythtrie to meet with Maressa and Selwyn. Kawai would have been just a boy then, ten or eleven. I remember meeting him, and when you and I first sailed under Damar, I recognised him right away, despite the man he has grown into now. Though… he did not reflect that same recognition. Either he truly did not remember me, or he feigned ignorance.’
‘Okay…?’
‘Maressa said King Therion suspected Kawai was responsible for Kano’s disappearance. I would imagine the kingsguard are on high alert for any sign of either of them, which is why Kawai would notrisk coming this close to the capital. By staying away, he protects his brother’s whereabouts.’
‘So… you think he can tell us where Kano is?’
‘I believe he is the only one who knows. And whilst it will not be easy to attain the information… it is certainly doable.’ She paused as the waves crashed against the rocks they stood on. ‘Did you like him?’
Kyra narrowed her eyes. ‘Why?’
‘Gaining his trust will be imperative in finding Kano,’ Naal said. ‘Men can be… easily persuaded. If you get my-’
‘You want me to whore myself for information?’ Kyra interrupted. ‘That doesn’t seem very Warden-like.’
Naal was affronted. ‘I would never ask that of you, Kyra. He seems to be a good man. And his attraction to you was obvious, only a fool would have missed the signs. We can use that to our advantage.’
