Page 39 of Guardian of Exile

“She is not going without me.” Evra took a step forward, into Valerie’s space.

Impressively, Valerie didn’t back down even when faced with a glowering Evra al’Daemon. “Then she isn’t going.” Valerie looked at Nyx. “I’ll be over there.” She pointed to the foot of the bridge on the Ramble side. “You meet me alone in the next five minutes, or this is off.”

“I do not trust this,” Evra said, as soon as Valerie walked away.

“You don’t trust anything,” Nyx pointed out, starting the stopwatch on her watch and herding them all to the opposite end of the bridge, away from Valerie.

“I am aware. It has kept me alive. There is no reason for him to lure you to such an odd location. In a city such as this, a building would be the much more obvious choice. There would be no need for misdirection spells.”

Nyx had been thinking about the location choice ever since Valerie had given it to her, and had eventually come to the opposite conclusion as Evra. “Buildings can be traced back to the people who own or rent them, and there are cameras everywhere in the city. Plus, if you have to disappear quickly, buildings are full of annoying obstacles like doors and stairs and other people. This is a much easier place to slip away from unnoticed.”

Given what he was, Tristen wouldn’t be worried about ordinary Dead Earth dangers. He would be worried about being captured. “You know the odds are good he was kidnapped as a child and brought here. It would make anyone paranoid.”

“Your argument is valid,” Evra acknowledged, “but it does not negate the fact that he has killed with his power before. His break from the Congregation means he might not even be sane, which means you have no idea what you are about to be walking into.”

“He’s sane enough that at least two people tonight have met him and walked away. What do you think is going to go over better? One person announcing they know who he really is, or four of us? Especially when the three of you look like exactly what you are?”

Evra crossed her arms. “And what are we?”

“Trained soldiers.”

“I have never been employed by an official military division,” Evra objected.

Nyx rolled her eyes. “You might as well have been. I look the most harmless out of everyone, and I am the one he’s ultimately going to have to work with. I’m going alone.”

“It is too dangerous.” Evra had a mulish set to her jaw, but in her eyes was a hint of something that looked a lot like fear. In that fear, Nyx saw the shadows cast by Seth’s death.

It was easy for her to forget that she wasn’t the only one who had lost him. To forget that she wasn’t the only one who might now be worried, more than usual, about losing someone else she cared about.

“I’m going to be fine,” she said softly. “Death magic, remember? My likelihood of dying from Shamanic attack is thiiis big.” She held her thumb and forefinger a millimeter apart. “Your is this big.” She held her hands three feet apart.

Evra swallowed. She looked like she knew she ought to be convinced, but couldn’t quite bring herself to be.

“She has a point,” Morgen said.

Looking betrayed, Evra turned a harsh gaze on Kaden. “And what do you think?” There was a challenge in her words, and Nyx wasn’t sure if Evra expected Kaden to back her or if she was simply daring him not to.

Kaden arched an eyebrow. “Am I allowed to have opinions now?”

Evra’s jaw clenched. Nyx and Morgen shared a look.

“Okay, when this is all over, you two”—Nyx pointed at Evra and Kaden—“are going to have to explain what the fuck is going on between you. For now, do you have a problem working together?” For stars’ sake, Evra had been the one giving Nyx and Kaden this speech in Calista a few weeks ago.

They both shook their heads.

“Good. Are you going to keep arguing about me going? Because we only have”—she looked at her watch—“one minute and twenty-two seconds left to sort this out.”

Evra blew out a breath. “You are certain you can handle it?”

She crossed her arms. “I reached A-Queltr in the middle of being overrun by a horde of reanimated dead. I can handle one Shaman in Central Park.”

“Fine,” Evra said. “But if you are not back in twenty minutes, we are destroying the anchors and chasing Veld through the city.”

“If I am not back, or have not texted, in twenty minutes, you may destroy the anchors and chase him through the city,” Nyx amended. “Agreed?”

“Yes.” Evra looked pained, the reason becoming clear a moment later when she said, “I would like a hug.”

Nyx hugged her, feeling a tight spot in her spine pop as the Amazon squeezed her back. “I’ll be okay,” Nyx said again. Then she stepped back. It was good she’d made the descent into A-Queltr before Valerie had shown up, because she wouldn’t have had time to stand there and find it before crossing the bridge. She really needed to master the ability to make that descent while walking.