The inexorable passage of time was a heavy, unwavering presence that reminded her she had no time to waste. The proximity to the city she had hoped would give her the answers she sought brought Alissa an estate of untamed anxiety. She wished she could get it all done and run back to Dhalia, but the truth was, they didn’t even know where to start from there. They had yet to come up with a plan to enter the library without being recognized by the hundreds of guards that surveilled the town or its people.
The number of people crossing their paths had already increased considerably in the last few days, as had the level of caution to avoid being recognized. Most people only bowed to them, a greeting of respect to the Guardians of Faith, butthey couldn’t let their guard down for a second from this point forward.
“Is the capital as lovely a city as Nyfrel is?” Freyah asked when they decided to set up camp to rest until dawn.
“No. In fact, the closer we get to the capital, the less like villages the cities will look. The cottages will become bigger constructions, and the kind people will be replaced by arrogant bastards who will take any chance they get to take advantage of others,” Eldric snarled bitterly.
Everyone stared at him, taken aback by his sudden burst.
“Please make sure we don’t cross paths with whoever made you hate that place so much,” Alissa said.
“It’s not a specific person. It’s everyone.” He shrugged. “I don’t know how to explain it. You’ll see when we get there.”
Desi couldn’t disagree more with Eldric’s opinion. Golheim was her home, the place she grew up in and built a family. It was the place she never should have left to begin with.
“Have you girls never been to the capital?” Desi asked curiously.
There were several small villages and towns spread throughout Heldraine, but she had never met anyone who hadn’t been to the capital before.
Alissa and Freyah shook their heads.
“Where are you two from?”
Before Alissa could answer, Eldric stepped in. “They’re from Pravin.”
Alissa and Freyah stared at him, surprised at how easy the lie came out of his lips. Still, the silence hanging in the air worked as a mutual agreement not to correct the man.
Desi frowned. “I have never heard of that place before.”
“It’s a very small island.”
“Oh, that’s why you two have such a distinguished accent,” Desi noted.
“No one ever comes to Pravin. It’s not odd not to have heard of it before.” An awkward laughter escaped Alissa’s lips. She couldn’t be sure if Eldric had made that name up or if the place actually existed.
“Right. Maybe someday I’ll get to visit your hometown.”
“Yes, and you are welcome to stay with us when you’re in Pravin, Desi,” Freyah gently offered, a weird attempt to make their lie seem more believable.
The only thing she got instead was scolding, disbelieving glances from Eldric and Alissa. She shrugged back.
“Why are you heading to the capital?”
“We want to visit the library,” Alissa explained.
“Oh, I know that place like the back of my hand. My mother is a curator there. I’m sure you will love it!”
“What did you just say?” Eldric’s eyes widened.
A line appeared between Desi’s brows. “My mother. She restores the books that need work in the Library of All Things. I used to spend whole afternoons there reading.”
The trio exchanged glances and smiled in unison. They had been struggling to come up with a plan that could get them inside the most visited attraction in Heldraine without being spotted. They might have found the breakthrough they were looking for.
While conversation flowed among the others, Ronin was the only one who hadn’t spoken since being held captive in their carriage three days before. All he did on the way was grunt. He grunted when Freyah recited weird poetry and when Eldric counted their provisions. He grunted as Desi and Alissa shared fun stories about their children, their voices carryingraw maternal emotion. Still, every now and then, Ronin’s eyes remained on Desi, the expression in his face more revealing of what went through his mind than the power of reading minds would be.
He made no effort to hide that there was something bothering him. It was not even the fact that he was being held hostage by an unconventional group of people, who also happened to be criminals. What really bothered him was that Desi had joined them willingly. Ronin couldn’t grasp how the woman he came to know and admire over the years would risk everything—including her life—to join them on this journey toward the place they would be most targeted and most at risk of being caught.
Hours later, when the night met its darkest hour, Alissa and Freyah were sound asleep, lying on their sleeping mats. Desi lay across from them, her eyes staring blankly at the dim sky. Ronin rested his head against the trunk of the tree Eldric had tied him up to, while Eldric stood guard a few feet ahead.