smelling like roses. Besides, I wasn’t sure what their
water treatment facilities could handle. What did they use for
water treatment?
As
I made my way back to our rooms, I caught Hazel’s pitched voice from a
previously unexplored hall. Curiosity warred with apprehension, and
curiosity won a resounding victory. I crept closer to eavesdrop, and peeked
through a sliver between two green glass pipes.
They
stood in the narrow hall, Riven’s back to me, Hazel emphasizing her points with
her hands. Riven spoke so quietly I couldn’t pick out his words, but
Hazel shook her head vehemently. “I know, but he saw fire. If you
weren’t sworn to protect them, I would assume it was you.” She was speaking
quickly in Anowir, and although some of the grammar was slightly unfamiliar, I
could follow the gist. “You’re the only atsili I know that’s
strong enough. The priest said that he was pulled into the vision as soon as he
started to try to align our energies. He thought all of us combined caused
it, but when he recovered enough just to try to align my energy, he still got
an echo. It really is all of us. Riven, don’t you think we
should change our plans somehow? The priest’s reading was so strong.”
Riven
raised his voice. “He can’t prove the humans are the victims here.
The humans might have skewed the flow of magic enough to change his
perception.”
“That’s
why I asked him to tell me exactly what he saw.” Hazel sounded like she
was repeating herself. “Fire, death, blood, two gates, and two
Exiles. Even he couldn’t make heads or tails out of it.”
This
vision intrigued me. Two gates? Regular gates or
transdimensional gates? Did the fey plan on creating another
portal? If they made one in a densely populated area like DC, it might
trigger violence. Again.
“Relax,”
Riven soothed her. “I swore to do my utmost to get the humans back
through the portal safely, and I intend to uphold that vow, as foolish as it
was.”
“If
there is some type of attack being planned, they’re probably thinking to do it
before meeting your cousin, Riven. If we don’t change -“
Hazel was passionate, almost afraid.
Riven
suddenly gestured her to be silent and spun on his heel, eyes searching the
glass where I eavesdropped. No way could he see me through the thin space
between the pipes. He strode toward me, and I desperately looked for
somewhere to hide. The hallway was barren. Riven turned the corner
of the hallway, face dark with anger, Hazel only a step behind him. For a
moment his hands glowed. For a terrifying second, I was convinced he was
going to kill me. But once he realized it was me, he growled, and the
dangerous edge of his expression vanished.
“I’m
incredibly, truly sorry.” I apologized in elaborate Anowir. “How
did you know I was here?”
“I’m
obviously atsili .” Riven switched to English. “I could sense
your heat.” Unsure if that translated the way he intended it to, I felt
my cheeks warm.
Riven’s
indigo eyes were cold as he assessed me. “You listened in when you should
not have. Knowledge for knowledge. Fair exchange of
information. Otherwise you will be in our debt.”
Being
in debt to a fairy was a bad, bad thing. I couldn’t ask them what they
wanted to know, otherwise they’d have me searching out military secrets or some
such. I tried to think of something they’d consider of equal value to me
snooping around.
This
wasn’t going to be pleasant.
“Um,
you probably won’t be very happy about this. My friend thought it was a
good idea.” I reached to my back and carefully revealed Jack’s
knife. Silence fell. Riven squinted. “What is it?”
“It’s
a knife. You open it like this.” I carefully pointed it away us and
pulled the lever. Both fey jerked, startled, as the blade jumped out with
a snick. I offered it to them, hilt first, and Riven accepted
water treatment facilities could handle. What did they use for
water treatment?
As
I made my way back to our rooms, I caught Hazel’s pitched voice from a
previously unexplored hall. Curiosity warred with apprehension, and
curiosity won a resounding victory. I crept closer to eavesdrop, and peeked
through a sliver between two green glass pipes.
They
stood in the narrow hall, Riven’s back to me, Hazel emphasizing her points with
her hands. Riven spoke so quietly I couldn’t pick out his words, but
Hazel shook her head vehemently. “I know, but he saw fire. If you
weren’t sworn to protect them, I would assume it was you.” She was speaking
quickly in Anowir, and although some of the grammar was slightly unfamiliar, I
could follow the gist. “You’re the only atsili I know that’s
strong enough. The priest said that he was pulled into the vision as soon as he
started to try to align our energies. He thought all of us combined caused
it, but when he recovered enough just to try to align my energy, he still got
an echo. It really is all of us. Riven, don’t you think we
should change our plans somehow? The priest’s reading was so strong.”
Riven
raised his voice. “He can’t prove the humans are the victims here.
The humans might have skewed the flow of magic enough to change his
perception.”
“That’s
why I asked him to tell me exactly what he saw.” Hazel sounded like she
was repeating herself. “Fire, death, blood, two gates, and two
Exiles. Even he couldn’t make heads or tails out of it.”
This
vision intrigued me. Two gates? Regular gates or
transdimensional gates? Did the fey plan on creating another
portal? If they made one in a densely populated area like DC, it might
trigger violence. Again.
“Relax,”
Riven soothed her. “I swore to do my utmost to get the humans back
through the portal safely, and I intend to uphold that vow, as foolish as it
was.”
“If
there is some type of attack being planned, they’re probably thinking to do it
before meeting your cousin, Riven. If we don’t change -“
Hazel was passionate, almost afraid.
Riven
suddenly gestured her to be silent and spun on his heel, eyes searching the
glass where I eavesdropped. No way could he see me through the thin space
between the pipes. He strode toward me, and I desperately looked for
somewhere to hide. The hallway was barren. Riven turned the corner
of the hallway, face dark with anger, Hazel only a step behind him. For a
moment his hands glowed. For a terrifying second, I was convinced he was
going to kill me. But once he realized it was me, he growled, and the
dangerous edge of his expression vanished.
“I’m
incredibly, truly sorry.” I apologized in elaborate Anowir. “How
did you know I was here?”
“I’m
obviously atsili .” Riven switched to English. “I could sense
your heat.” Unsure if that translated the way he intended it to, I felt
my cheeks warm.
Riven’s
indigo eyes were cold as he assessed me. “You listened in when you should
not have. Knowledge for knowledge. Fair exchange of
information. Otherwise you will be in our debt.”
Being
in debt to a fairy was a bad, bad thing. I couldn’t ask them what they
wanted to know, otherwise they’d have me searching out military secrets or some
such. I tried to think of something they’d consider of equal value to me
snooping around.
This
wasn’t going to be pleasant.
“Um,
you probably won’t be very happy about this. My friend thought it was a
good idea.” I reached to my back and carefully revealed Jack’s
knife. Silence fell. Riven squinted. “What is it?”
“It’s
a knife. You open it like this.” I carefully pointed it away us and
pulled the lever. Both fey jerked, startled, as the blade jumped out with
a snick. I offered it to them, hilt first, and Riven accepted
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