Chapter Sixteen #2
They shook hands, said their goodbyes, and then the male departed. Walking out of the alley after making sure the coast was clear, he breezed right past Matea and me.
Before Matea could try to stop me, I shot forward towards the female, making my form smaller to not be as noticeable as I moved. I tried my best to catch a glimpse of what the contents of the papers held, but I couldn’t seem to get a good look.
Something deep inside told me I needed to know. I didn’t know if it was my unending curiosity, or a small push from the Stars, but I knew in that moment that I needed to find out.
After all, each life was like a string of silk, and together, the people of Inphis made up a giant web—paths overlapping, intertwining, and all of it for a reason.
Maybe that was my string overlapping with the string of the female’s before me.
That was what I told myself, anyway, as I stepped out of the shadows and stood directly behind the female, Matea seething at me from within the safety of my shadow.
“Hello there,” I said calmly, trying not to startle her.
It didn’t work.
She nearly jumped out of her skin, spinning on her heel and immediately throwing a punch straight at my face.
I ducked and shifted over a step swiftly, holding my hands up in surrender. “I just want to talk.”
She looked shocked that I had evaded her attack, taking a step back as she clutched the papers close to her chest.
“I heard everything,” I started, speaking quietly. “And I want to help, if I can. But I have questions first.”
“Who are you to help me?” the female questioned.
“A powerful ally, if you’d have me.” I conjured a small ball of fire to my palm and watched as her eyes grew at the sight. I knew she had seen my wings and had assumed me a Northerner. Now, I met her gaze, letting her see with my abilities and my eyes that I was not just Northern.
“You’re—you’re like him,” she stammered. “The king, I mean. There have been rumors of his abilities. And considering your complexion… you’re our lost princess.”
“Queen of the South of Inphis, now. But yes, I was once Princess of the North,” I clarified, trying not to let the mention of my old life sting. “Now, can I ask those questions or not?”
She nodded slightly, seemingly unable to speak.
“Great. Who are you so concerned about?”
“My nephew. He’s the only family I have left and… I didn’t do a good enough job in taking care of him.” She hung her head.
“I’m sorry,” I offered genuinely. “What are the camps you mentioned before?”
At that, her head snapped up. “You don’t know?”
I shook my head and motioned for her to continue.
“More rumors, I suppose, but I swear there’s more to it than that.
They say that’s where they send people that are too much trouble to deal with, or that they need to simply get rid of.
People just… vanish nowadays. No trace left behind—and trust me, I’ve checked.
The thing is, we don’t know exactly where it is.
Or the people who do either aren’t alive to talk about it, or are so loyal to the crown that they’d die before they spill the crown’s secrets. ”
My mind whirled with the possibilities.
That had to have been Father’s doing—if not generations before him, even. Especially considering how far back our records went when it came to missing fae.
But why would Dimitri still be letting this go on if he knew about it?
Because he isn’t the same brother you knew, a small voice whispered in my mind.
Shaking my head to clear the voice, I asked, “Are these papers a lead? Or a clue? I’m… looking for these camps, too. It’s why I’m here, even though I shouldn’t be.”
The female clutched the papers tighter, gazing into my eyes as though she could peer right into my soul—and I let her. I wanted her to help us willingly. I wanted her trust. Besides, there was a kid at risk here, too. One that was not much older than Margo.
Slowly, she released her grip on the papers and held them out to me.
“They’re makeshift maps, I think. And one is, I believe, a rough sketch of part of the place.
I was hoping to be able to pinpoint the location from it, and put the map together enough to be able to use it to guide me in and out.
But… I’m sure you heard I took on a new job recently.
It requires me to be in Hollis, and I can’t spend all of my time investigating anymore. ”
She paused as she watched me flip through the papers. She was right—there was a sketch along with seven other papers with vague markings, but just enough detail to try to piece them together to make one big picture, maybe.
“The Stars led you to me today,” she said suddenly, and looking into her face, I could tell she believed it with her whole being.
Like she needed to believe it.
Like she needed to believe in something.
Anything.
My heart ached for her.
“Please, if you’re looking for the camps anyway…
please. Find my nephew. Take him back to the South with you, anything.
Just find him and keep him safe until I can make it to him.
” Her eyes were welling with tears. She’d drawn closer, and her expression was so incredibly open, it almost hurt to look at her.
Her anxiety, concern, self-doubt, disappointment, and guilt.
She looked as though it was so much to bear, it would make her sick at any moment.
She’d lost her nephew.
And I’d lost my brother.
Despite our differing circumstances, I understood her.
I shifted to face her fully and pulled the female into a tight embrace.
She stalled, as though not accustomed to being touched.
But within seconds, she gripped me back, just as ferociously.
Her chest shook with a single sob before she seemed to hold it all in again—another female forced to remain strong when facing extreme difficulty.
“I’ll find him. I promise he’ll be well taken care of,” I said softly.
We pulled back, putting distance between us, before her mouth opened, seeming to remember something.
She produced a tiny, well-loved portrait on soft paper of who I could only assume was her nephew.
The small boy had black wings—differing from her medium gray ones—and black hair, but bright eyes.
I couldn’t help but notice that one of his wings hung lower than the other.
At the bottom, the name Kaison was written.
“This is him?” I asked. “Kaison?”
“My Kai.” She nodded, then held it out toward me. “Take it. It’s the only way he’ll know I sent you, and to trust you.”
“I couldn’t—”
The female grabbed my hand, swiftly placing the now folded portrait in my palm and curling my hand into a fist.
“Please,” she nearly begged.
I met her eyes again and could see the determination and hope that shone there now.
I nodded.
“Thank you,” she breathed, her relief palpable. “I have to go. I must get back to Hollis as soon as possible.”
I watched as she headed toward the mouth of the alleyway.
“Wait!” I called out, causing her to pause. “What is your name?”
She poked her head around the corner of the rundown building to her right, checking to make sure the coast was clear for her to slip away.
But before she did, she looked back at me one more time to answer my question.
“Valenia.”