56. Loveleena
LOVELEENA
The sun had set and darkness clung to the air, covering everything in shadows.
Sitting knees to chest, tucked away where she’d spotted Ren last time he snuck out, she replayed one of her last memories of Park.
He had come over to her house, stormed into her room, and tossed a stack of books down on her bed with a thud.
When she asked him why he had turned into a librarian, he ignored her joke, twisting himself into a knot over the lost city of Celestia: the closest lost city to Jarrah.
Park was a casual man, easy-going, threatened by little.
But when he took a special interest in something, he fell into it like a trap door, tumbling down into endless research.
That was only a few months before he disappeared.
She wondered how far Celestia was from here, and if that’s where Park had gone.
If there even was a Celestia to find.
A small movement caught her attention, snapping her out of her memories.
Ren was barely visible, but she had been watching him for weeks, noting how his shoulders shifted when he walked and his jaw clenched slightly as he analyzed his next move.
Since she had started paying attention in class, she learned how to track, study, and target opponents.
Turns out that humans and creatures weren’t that different after all.
Still, she had camped out every night for weeks, and this was the first time her watch had produced anything of value. Finally, she had caught him.
Ren crept across the courtyard and through the wall so silently, so lightly, he could be mistaken for a shadow of the mind, slipping easily through the night.
She moved as quickly as she could to keep up.
Following him along the outer edge of the wall, she did her best to push away negative thoughts.
After coming face to face with the Soul Snatcher, she didn’t particularly love being beyond the wall alone in the dark, following Ren of all people.
But fear had never stopped Loveleena before, and it wouldn’t now—not when she was this close to finding out what Ren was up to.
If she had something on Ren, maybe she could use it to blackmail him into helping her find Park.
At the very least, investigating him was a way to channel her energy.
Keeping her mind focused on a goal helped her control her magic, which she needed to do if she was going to survive without getting her head chopped off and tossed beyond the Great Wall.
It wasn’t long before Ren felt along the wall, pulling away the same stones he had the night they met.
She waited, following his lead, staying far enough behind to remain unseen.
They crept through the empty streets of Jarrah for so long she started to wonder if Ren had discovered her and was leading her on a chase around the city for fun.
She overcorrected, hanging back too far once or twice, almost losing him.
Then, finally, Ren entered a small wooden door that descended two flights of old, rotten stairs.
Dull torches lined the staircase, offering just enough light to see.
Loveleena had only made it down the first set of stairs when she crashed into a solid body.
Her dagger was out before she could see who it was.
Ren peered down at her with a smug look plastered on his face. He had been expecting her.
“You didn’t even try to hide.” His disappointment cut through the dim light. Beside him, a middle-aged man stood hunched over, gripping the wall for support.
Loveleena frowned. “How did you know it was me?”
“You basically tumbled down the stairs,” Ren said.
“What are you doing?” She changed the subject, eyes narrowed.
“You followed me here. Why?” He crossed his arms.
“It wasn’t hard. For the greatest Slayer of this decade…” Her eyes rolled, mocking the title given to him when they sparred. “You’re kind of sloppy.”
Ren scoffed. “I am never sloppy.”
“Who is this?” Loveleena waved her dagger at the man, who stepped back in response.
Ren looked back at the man, then to her, choosing his words carefully. “You really shouldn’t be here.”
Dragging his hand through his hair, his expression shifted as though he was having an internal debate. But if he was impressed at her ability to track him, he didn’t show it. “Stay close and quiet. We need to go. We’re running out of time.”
He pushed past her, the man beside him following at a brisk pace with Loveleena at the rear. Out on the street, they tucked themselves along the edge of Jarrah’s stone buildings as they made their way toward the Great Wall.
After another long trek—during which she seriously considered throwing her dagger at Ren just for fun—they finally stood before the wall’s ominous presence.
Ren removed the stones once again while her questions went unanswered.
He could have thrown her off his trail, she realized.
He knew she had been tracking him and he still led her here. Let her in on whatever this was.
“That’s right, mind your head,” Ren said, guiding the man through the opening, reassuring him that it wouldn’t be long. Leaving the man on the other side of the wall, he replaced the stones in seconds. Just like the night she met Ren, there was no way to distinguish the opening.
“That man was a sympathizer, wasn’t he?”
“Yes,” Ren said, wiping the grey dust from the Great Wall off his hands.
“You just let him free. Beyond the wall.” The words didn’t even seem real as they left her mouth.
But Ren didn’t acknowledge her accusation, instead offering her flattery. “You’ve gotten better. A lot better.”
So, he had noticed her improvement. Pride bloomed in her chest, but she couldn’t let his compliment change the topic at hand. “What does that have to do with you jailbreaking traitors?”
She had him. For the first time, she had leverage against him. Something she could use to strongarm him into giving her information about Park.
“Park was in support of it, you know.” The shock of his words startled her. Park supported freeing traitors beyond the wall? She opened her mouth to speak, closing it again when no words came. It was rare she was speechless.
“That man will be fine. There are others who are well trained assisting him to the next location,” Ren said as if anticipating her next question.
“Park did this?”
“Yes.”
“With you?”
“Sometimes.”
So, Park had been helping Ren, and possibly others, to free traitors and relocate them outside the wall. To where, she had no clue. And it had cost him. Because whatever he did, whoever he had gotten involved with, she was sure they were behind his disappearance.
“Come on,” he sighed. “I’ll tell you more on the way.”
She followed Ren to another small jail where they freed a young woman.
Once again, they snuck along the dark Jarrian streets until Ren guided her to the other side of the wall.
Loveleena waited patiently the entire time to question him about Park.
Once they were alone, she blurted out what had been gnawing at her: “Did someone find out that Park was freeing traitors? Did they do something to him?”
But the words were barely out of her mouth before Ren’s body had her pinned to the wall in the cover of shadow, his head ducked low close to her ear.
“Giggle or something.”
“What?” She turned to see a pair of Defenders that had rounded the corner. Ren had clocked them before they were even visible.
“Pretend we’re romantic.”
“Why?”
“For once in your life, Alva, just do as I say.”
Loveleena’s hands were braced against his ribs—the first place she’d caught herself when he so quickly and smoothly guided them against the wall. She slid her left hand down the muscles of his back, over the edge of his belt, and gripped his ass in her hand.
He dropped his forehead on her shoulder, exasperated. “Really?”
“No girl who is actually in love giggles, you idiot,” she whispered.
They certainly did, she just didn’t want to be told what to do.
Nor did she feel like giggling. Instead, she moved her other hand up over his shoulder and ran her fingers through his hair.
Cheek to cheek, she couldn’t see his face, but she could feel him soften slightly at her touch.
The Defenders talked behind Ren in hushed voices.
“Did something happen to Park because he was helping you?” she whispered, repeating her question, hand in his hair.
If Ren was the reason Park was gone…
“This is not the time to discuss this, Alva.”
“Tell me something. Give me something. Or I will make sure that every last Defender and Jarrian alike learns of your little traitor heist.” Her threat was soft, sultry even, as she ran her other hand up his back. She could play the part and still get the information she needed.
Ren laughed low and deep, and it reverberated in her chest, sending a surge of anger through her. She could feel her magic under her skin, itching to be set free.
“Having a little difficulty controlling it, are you?” Ren taunted and she froze.
He knew about her magic?
Something about the way he dismissed her broke something inside of her. She couldn’t have stopped it, even if she had wanted to. Because today wasn’t a regular day. Today was Park’s birthday. And instead of being celebrated with tully, gifts, and wine, Park was forgotten.
Just forgotten like he didn’t matter. Like his life meant nothing. And Ren was dangling his life in front of her like candy she could never reach.
She kissed the crook between his neck and jaw so slowly, she felt his breath hitch in his chest. And then, she whistled as loud as she could.
A whistle Defenders used to signal a traitor.
At the same time, her magic exploded. She couldn’t control its release, so she dedicated every ounce of strength to channel it into trying to visually shield herself from view, just as two Defenders picked up speed toward them.
Ren’s only sign of displeasure was a growl before he took off.
Cursing, she could hear the Defenders’ boots on the stone; they were only seconds behind her.
If her magic didn’t work—and there was a really strong chance it hadn’t—they would catch up to her and question her.
At the very least, she would be in trouble for venturing beyond the Academy.
Even with her strong performance, it could jeopardize her position and therefore her search for Park.
Frantic, she searched for her closest escape, settling on the heavy door to her right.
It was massive and she used all her leftover strength to drag it shut behind her.
Breathing hard, her back pressed to the door, she could hear the men on the other side, swearing about their disappearing targets. That meant Ren had escaped too.
Relieved at the sound of their fading voices, she looked around the library and found a woman crouched over a desk, peering up at her over crooked glasses.
“Are you in need of a book, child?” the woman asked.
“No I…” How could she even explain?
“Running from the law, then?” the woman said, a faint smile on her lips.
“Maybe.” Loveleena offered a soft smile, stepping forward.
The woman stood, her bones creaky and wobbly.
“Well, you better leave with a book, yes? A woman should always have a cover story.” She giggled like a little girl at her own joke, and Loveleena nodded, intrigued at how oddly cheerful the woman was.
“Here.” The woman passed her a book, and Loveleena turned over the worn cover in her hands.
“Thank you.”
“Tell me, child, how is my girl Ahmina doing?”
Loveleena blinked. “Ahmina?”
The woman nodded. Loveleena looked down at her clothes, the realization hitting her. Her uniform made it obvious she was a Defender.
“She’s training hard.” Ahmina hadn’t been doing very well, but she couldn’t outright lie. And telling the old woman the truth seemed… terribly sad. She said Ahmina’s name with such hope and pride.
“I can tell her you sent well wishes,” Loveleena said instead, her noblewoman diplomacy coming back to her automatically.
“Yes. Tell her Elder Muaka is thinking of her success.”
Loveleena nodded, her eyes glistening.
“Thank you again,” she said, gesturing to the book as she made her way back out onto the street. It wasn’t until she walked away that she took a good look at it, running her fingers over the title: The Ancient, Untold History of Magic.