Chapter 19 #2
Bemused, Wynter asked, “How can you not have more questions about this? I’d want to know everything. Like—” She gasped again and sat up even straighter. “The map. The talisman. If they’re handed down from generation to generation—”
“And now we’ve come to why we’re here,” Reeve interjected smoothly. He was still standing in front of Viri, his attention returning to her fully as he asked, “Why do you think I wanted you to remember that story?”
Viri groaned. “Reeve, I’m tired. I missed a whole night of sleep thanks to you, so instead of playing guessing games, just tell me. But if you’re going where I think you’re going with this, then don’t bother.”
He just looked at her, waiting for her to say it.
Viri groaned again. “No. No. Braedan isn’t looking for the Guardian of the Isle. It’s impossible. The legend is a myth, and even if it wasn’t, the Guardian would be long dead by now. The ancient mages were powerful, but they weren’t immortal.”
“The Elder mages were,” Wynter put in. “But regardless, ‘Guardian’ could be a title that gets passed along each generation to someone new.”
Through clenched teeth, Viri said, “Fine. If by some miracle a Guardian does exist, then Brae would still need—”
“The map and talisman that your parents had?” Reeve asked, cocking an eyebrow. “The ones they kept locked in a warded chest behind the hidden wall in their closet?”
All the air left Viri in a rush. “What?” she breathed.
“We found it by accident,” Reeve said. “Brae and me—we were messing around, looking for a place to hide the next time we played Seeker with you.” Ruefully, he added, “You were always so quick to find us. We needed all the help we could get.”
Viri pushed through a stab of pain, shoving the memories away.
“The ward was keyed to your bloodline, so I couldn’t open it, but all Brae had to do was touch the lock on the chest and it opened instantly,” Reeve went on.
“We didn’t know what we’d found at first—the map was obviously a map, but we didn’t realize it was special, not until we saw that it covered the whole island, going beyond the city into what should have been uncharted territory.
But what really clued us in was the dotted line leading through the Mistwood, because it moved.
From one blink to the next, the path changed, though the end point was always the same: a location at the northwest edge of the island called Nevarnost Tower. ”
“Nevarnost…” Wynter whispered. “It even sounds magical. Definitely somewhere an ancient mage would live.”
Viri still had her doubts. “So you claim you found the map—”
“We did find the map.”
“—but what about the talisman? What makes you so confident about that?”
Reeve met her smug tone with his own. “Because we tested it.”
“Nice try,” Viri scoffed. “That would mean—” She broke off, paling. “Tell me you didn’t.”
He offered a one-shouldered shrug. “We were young. Fearless.”
“You were stupid,” Viri corrected.
Jonas coughed to hide his snicker. Wynter didn’t bother to hide hers.
“We had to find out somehow,” Reeve defended.
“We’d heard the story from your parents so many times that we knew it by heart, and the map was clearly magical, so it wasn’t a huge leap to trust that the talisman would work.
Which it did, obviously, since we took it into the mist and we’re both still alive. ”
Viri didn’t know what to say. The risk they’d taken…her stomach turned just thinking about it.
A teasing smile touched the corner of Reeve’s mouth. “Is that concern I see in your eyes, Little Shadow?”
Viri wiped her face clear. “No. Just disappointment that it worked.”
Reeve huffed out a laugh. “And we’re back to lying.
” He shook his head, amused, but then returned to his story.
“Brae and I wanted to seek out the Guardian for our own magewishes, but your parents discovered we’d been snooping, and the next time we went looking for the chest, it was gone.
We searched everywhere but never found it again. ”
Relief slammed into Viri. “So Braedan doesn’t have the map and talisman?” Annoyance set in. “Why are we even talking about this, then? He can’t reach the Guardian without them.”
“The talisman was part of a set, remember?” Reeve said. “Brae mightn’t have the one belonging to your family, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t located another.”
“I doubt they’re growing on trees,” Viri countered sarcastically.
“Look around.” Reeve indicated the colorful alchemy lab. “You two aren’t the only ones in this city to possess rare magic.”
“He has a point,” Wynter said, shifting on the couch.
“Speaking from experience, people go to great lengths to hoard—and hide—enchanted artifacts. It’s not a huge stretch to think your brother might have been able to source one of these talismans from a discreet collector, especially when he already knew what he was looking for. ”
Viri didn’t want to agree, if only because she feared what it might mean. “For the sake of your argument, let’s assume Brae does have a talisman. He still doesn’t have the map.”
“No, but he’s seen it,” Reeve said. “It might have been years ago, but he’s always had near-perfect recollection, even after his Impartation. He could draw a replica in his sleep.”
“But it wouldn’t be magical.”
“It doesn’t need to be. The magical map shows the most direct route to Nevarnost Tower, one that changes as the forest moves.
But I told you before, the end point we saw always remained the same.
The trek would be a lot slower for someone who doesn’t know how to navigate the shifting Mistwood, but Brae would still be able to find his way there eventually. ”
Viri’s pulse picked up speed as dread began to set in. It was impossible—surely it was impossible—and yet…
“Let’s say I believe you, that Brae can get safely through the blackmist, and his childhood memory of a map he saw years ago is all he needs to find the tower,” Viri said, wishing she sounded cynical but instead swallowing against the dryness in her throat.
“Let’s say he’s making his way to the Guardian as we speak.
What happens when he gets there? He’ll get one magewish—how does he intend to use it? ”
“I already told you.” Reeve held her eyes. “I said earlier that if we don’t stop him in time, everyone on the island will die.”
“You were talking about the sacrifice.”
“No, you just thought I was.”
Viri reeled backward, suddenly understanding.
“So this is a backup, then?” She quickly corrected herself.
“Or…if he’s already on his way to the Guardian, then the sacrifice is actually the backup, something he’s put in place in case he doesn’t reach the tower before Aurora arrives.
Either way, he’ll use the magewish or the comet to destroy the obelisks and doom us all. ”
Reeve said nothing, but Viri knew she must be right, her heart now pounding as she whispered, “We need to stop him.”
“I mentioned that before, too,” Reeve said dryly. “Numerous times.”
Viri had also mentioned it numerous times—hell, she’d been trying to stop her brother for years—but now more than ever, urgency thrummed within her. If Braedan found the Guardian…if he was granted a magewish…
She forced herself to take a breath. Right now, the obelisks were still in place, the city was still protected, and that was all that mattered. Worrying about the future wasn’t going to change it. She needed focus, not fear. That was the only way she would survive this.
“So what’s the plan, then?” Wynter asked, looking pale as she jumped up from the couch to join them, Jonas following behind her. She reluctantly handed Walnut back, and the bunny settled contentedly inside Jonas’s vest pocket once more.
“The plan is for Viri and me to go after Braedan,” Reeve said.
“He’s had a solid head start, but he’ll have trouble navigating a path to the tower.
If we get our hands on the map, we should be able to beat him to the Guardian.
” To Viri, he added, “The map belongs to your family line, so the magic only works for someone with Solace blood. Aside from Brae, you’re the only one who can use it. ”
“I know where he is, but you’re the only one who can find him.” Reeve’s earlier words returned to Viri, along with sudden clarity about why he’d sought her out in the first place. He needed her. She wasn’t sure if that made her feel powerful…or disappointed.
“And how do you propose we find the map?” Viri asked.
For the first time that night—now morning—Reeve looked uncomfortable. “I was hoping you could tell me.”
Viri started. “How would I know? I didn’t even know it existed until a few minutes ago.”
Reeve ran his fingers through his hair, the reason for his discomfort becoming clear as he answered, “It would have been left for you with your parents’ belongings. Just like your fillium.”
Viri’s stomach hollowed. She touched the golden cord around her wrist as she replied, “I wasn’t given this until I finished my hunter training. Nothing else came with it—definitely no map. And no talisman, either.” Which they would also need to survive the mist themselves.
“I didn’t say it was given to you—I said it was left for you,” Reeve said. “You were young when your parents died. Someone would have taken possession of their things on your behalf—most likely the same person who kept your fillium from you.”
Viri turned to Wynter, both of them realizing at the same time.
“Mom,” Wynter breathed.
A flicker in Reeve’s silver eyes made Viri suspect he’d already known the answer and had just been waiting for them to figure it out.
“Sarielle gave me my fillium when the time came,” Viri confirmed aloud. “But she only kept it from me because I didn’t need it before then. If she has anything else in storage from my parents, I can just ask her, and she’ll hand it over.”
“That easy, huh?” Reeve’s skepticism was clear.
Viri shrugged. “She wants to stop the Reaper Priest as much as anyone.”
An oddly dark chuckle left Reeve. “More, I’d say, given everything at stake.” His expression cleared as he went on, “Regardless, you’re currently on the run from the law.”
Viri’s lips pressed together. “Thanks to you.”
“And Sarielle Starling is the Magistratus,” he continued, ignoring the bite in her voice. “No matter how close you two are, she has a legal obligation to report you. If you approach her about this—or about anything—she’ll have no choice but to call for the Nox.”
“She’s the one who told me there was no cost too steep if it meant finding the Reaper Priest,” Viri argued. “She all but gave me permission to break you out of the Underlock.”
“That’s probably a stretch,” Wynter murmured. “You know how Mom is.”
Viri opened her mouth to object but then closed it just as quickly.
Sarielle loved Wynter and Viri more than anything, but her life and career were both rooted in her integrity.
If push came to shove, Viri wanted to believe her guardian would protect her, and she knew that was what Sarielle would want to do, but the truth was, Viri couldn’t be entirely confident.
Sighing, she asked, “What do we do, then? If Sarielle does have more of my parents’ things, she doesn’t keep them in our apartment.”
“Mom has an entire storeroom attached to her office,” Wynter said thoughtfully.
“That’s for files and legal reports and other council-related stuff,” Viri returned, having visited Sarielle during work hours plenty of times.
“I’m pretty sure it’s also where she kept your fillium,” Wynter shared, a pensive look on her face. “If she’s safeguarding anything else, that’s the first place I’d search.”
“I can’t exactly walk into the Summit at the moment, Wyn,” Viri said, frustration leaching into her tone—not at her friend, at the situation. “And before you offer to go for me, if the map only works at my touch, then I’ll need to be there in person to identify it.”
“And I’ll need to be there to identify the talisman,” Reeve said, fiddling with the onyx ring on his finger.
Viri laughed incredulously. “You definitely can’t walk into the Summit. You’ll be arrested on sight.”
He arched a challenging brow. “Then we’d better come up with a plan, hadn’t we? Because we can’t stop Brae without those two things, and in order to get them…” He trailed off, his brow arching higher as he waited for Viri to finish his thought.
She sighed again, louder this time, as she realized there was only one path forward. “We need to break into the Summit.”
“Great idea.” Reeve flashed a winning grin. “I’ve always loved a good heist. Now here’s what I’m thinking…”