Chapter 24
Twenty-Four
Ivy
From our vantage point over the top of the low hill, the small stone-block building looks tiny amid the sprawling fields. It’s hard to believe that an operation producing hundreds of living clay prisons for daimon could be contained in there, but Rheave quickly provides the explanation.
His eerie eyes widen as he takes in the landscape. “They’re under the ground. There has to be—I can’t count them all, but I can feel them. Dozens.”
Under the ground. I wet my lips as I study the fields, apprehension creeping up my back beneath my scars.
I’ve spent plenty of time sneaking around in dark, deep passages, some of it fairly recently. The hard part is going to be getting into this underground structure with no cover at all overhead.
The scourge sorcerers couldn’t have picked a better position to watch for incoming threats. They placed the outer building with open land all around, giving anyone watching from there a clear view of at least a mile in every direction.
Stavros must be contemplating the same problem. He makes a disgruntled sound low in his throat. “They’ll have people keeping watch up top as well, I’m sure.”
Emor shifts on his elbows where he’s sprawled next to Stavros, peering over the hilltop. The other leader of the Pima resistors decided to join us for this mission, wanting to meet the prospective queen for himself and see how we’re using the people he and Voleska sent to help us.
He rubs his knobby chin. “We’ve got the magic advisor, don’t we? I thought he had ways of concealing people.”
Tinom is waiting farther down the hill behind us with Alek, Filip, and the seventeen others we’ve been able to bring together for this mission. The advisor’s presence makes my skin itch, remembering what Alek and Petra have told me about his attitude toward the riven.
“We have a few charms that can keep one person almost completely invisible,” I say.
“It’d be beyond his power to completely hide our entire force for an extended period of time from people specifically watching for intruders.
And I’m not even sure the charms will do much good…
The man who defected from the scourge sorcerers warned us that the Order is using magic to guard against us as well. ”
Emor glances my way with a slight twist of his mouth. I understand why when he speaks. “Couldn’t you handle all of that?”
My gut twists in turn. I realized I wasn’t going to be able to keep my magic a secret from the resistance group as soon as Emor and Voleska’s people started working with ours.
Someone who knew would gossip about it. But I’d hoped that the subtle signs of discomfort I noticed when Emor first arrived—his gaze getting a bit twitchy when he looked at me, never placing himself right next to me—were just my imagination or for some other reason.
I work to keep my voice even. “In theory, I could. But expending that much magic would have a significant impact on my mental state. I’m not sure how well I could control it even in the moment.
We don’t need to destroy this facility so urgently that it’s worth risking me harming our cause in the process. ”
Stavros’s tone is curter than I allowed mine to be. “Ivy has plenty of other talents that can help us without taking that kind of risk.”
He touches his shoulder to mine. “Why don’t you take one of the invisibility charms and scout around closer to the facility? You’ll be able to sense if they have any magical wards in place. Once we have more information, it’ll be easier to strategize.”
At least it’s a start.
Before I can agree, Rheave jumps in. “I should go with Ivy. When I’m closer, I’ll be able to get a better idea of where exactly the underground rooms are. The ones the daimon are in, anyway.”
At Stavros’s nod of agreement, Rheave scrambles down the hill to retrieve the charms from Tinom. I can’t say I’m disappointed that he’s spared me from having to speak to the magic advisor myself.
The moment I’ve fastened the chain around my neck, the daimon-man reaches for me and grips my hand so we stay fully visible to each other. “Should we start by going straight toward the building we can see?”
I square my shoulders. “That sounds like as good a plan as any.”
We head over the hill and down the far slope with steady but careful strides. I keep my senses alert to any tingle of magic beyond the faint tickling sensation emanating from the charms.
For the first few minutes, I don’t pick up on anything except the rustle of our feet through the yellowed grass. But when we’ve crossed about half of the distance between our hill and the stone structure, the slightest hum of magic passes over my skin.
I pause and ease forward even more slowly. With just a few steps, the hum thickens enough that I don’t dare move any closer.
My magic jitters, eager to shatter the spell in front of us. Always so happy to trade a little more of my sanity in its hurry.
Clamping down on the impulse, I back up a bit so we don’t risk triggering the wards. “I think the edge of their magical protection starts just beyond here.”
Rheave hums and eyes the ground at his feet. “We haven’t come over any daimon yet. The underground rooms don’t extend this far, at least not in this direction.”
I give his hand a gentle tug. “Let’s see if we can chart the entire boundary. Why don’t you burn the grass here as a marker—just a little, so no one who’s watching from the building will be able to see it?”
Rheave brightens at being given a chance to be of use. He crouches and draws his hand over the ground. His daimon energy sizzles over the grass, leaving a thin black line in front of him.
We walk on, circumnavigating the building, weaving back and forth so I can judge where the magic’s effect ends. Every ten paces or so, Rheave leaves another mark.
He’s lapsed into silence. There’s nothing ominous about it today, but I can’t help thinking back to the times recently when he’s seemed momentarily awkward in my presence.
My throat tightens, but I force myself to speak. “You know, you don’t always have to stick with me in everything I do. I’d understand if you wanted some time to yourself or to help out in other ways, with other people.”
Rheave’s head snaps around, his expression so startled that I’m struck by a pang of guilt. “Why would you say that?”
I open my mouth and close it again before I pull my words together. “It’s seemed like maybe you’ve been wanting a little more space, but you felt like you couldn’t say so. Like you’re not always totally comfortable around me.”
A strained sound spills over Rheave’s lips. He stops and turns me toward him so he can set his other hand against the side of my face.
As he gazes down at me, his brilliant sea-green eyes shine with emotion. “I’m sorry, Little Vine. It’s my fault. I wasn’t dealing with everything that comes with being human very well. But I talked to Casimir, and he helped me sort it all out. I’m okay now.”
I frown. “What were you having trouble with? You know you can always talk to me if something’s upsetting you.”
“I don’t think in this case that would have worked.
” He glances down and then meets my eyes again.
“I love you, Ivy. It’s the most powerful emotion I’ve ever felt…
and it scared me a little. How much it hurt when you were in danger and I couldn’t save you.
I didn’t understand how something so good could also feel so bad.
But I want it all the same. I want as much of the good parts as we can have, as much time as I can be here with you. I’m sorry that I made you worry.”
I feel even more choked up now, but the sensation is more sweet than bitter. “You don’t need to apologize. You’ve had to adapt to a lot of new things. And… I love you too.”
I didn’t realize until I said the words how intensely the truth of that confession had been building in my chest. The words tumble out of me like a creature I’ve set free. Joy blooms in their place.
Rheave beams at me and leans in to claim a kiss. As his mouth melds with mine, I pull him into a tighter embrace.
How could I explain to him that for me accepting love has been the exact opposite? Everything I’ve loved before the past few months has brought me far more pain than happiness.
It’s this joyful part that’s new to me—that I could hardly bring myself to trust when I first started falling for the men who’ve won my heart.
I guess you could say Rheave and I have met each other halfway.
There isn’t time to do much celebrating of that fact. We do have a military mission to carry out. But as we walk on around the scourge sorcerers’ facility, Rheave twines his fingers with mine and swings my arm lightly back and forth, as if we’re engaged in a dance as well.
“Have you been all right?” he asks. “What Alek found out about the origins of riven sorcerers is good, isn’t it? But sometimes you’ve seemed more… sad, or tired maybe.”
I’d hoped I was hiding my emotions better than that.
A sigh slips out of me. “It’s nothing new.
I just keep getting reminded that no matter what the truth is, most people are going to be scared of me.
Maybe even think I shouldn’t exist. Even once Petra’s on the throne, I’ll probably have to keep hiding what I am. ”
Rheave growls defiantly. “Not with me. Not with Stavros or Alek or Casimir either.”
The glow of affection he stirred up earlier lightens my melancholy thoughts. “I know. You have no idea how grateful I am to at least have the four of you.”
It’ll be enough. I can hardly complain when I’ve gotten so lucky already.
By the time we complete the full circuit, it’s clear that the scourge sorcerers have wards monitoring about half a mile all around the outer building.
I stop to squint across that distance. Maybe a hundred paces away, a small metal grate shows through the grass.