Page 94 of A Realm of Fire and Ash

He regards Aggonid warily, and I raise a brow at the devil as if to say,well?

After he found listening devices in the castle, we don't want to risk our meeting being overheard by Ollin.

"Can you give us a few minutes of privacy, please?"

Aggonid grins. "That wasn't part of the agreement."

I grit my teeth. "Fine."

* * *

Aggonid

I observe Finn and Morte,careful to look for any sign they're on friendlier terms than she let on. Finn owed me a boon after he reclaimed the life of a vampire he calls Gideon. Thankfully, I only sense a platonic friendship from the two of them.

Finn places a silencing bubble around the three of us as I hand Morte the letter she wrote.

She passes it to Finn. "This is for inmate Wilder Nereus at Bedlam Penitentiary, can you make sure he gets it?"

He furrows his brow and takes it with a weary hand. "This won't get me into any trouble, will it?"

She shakes her head. "No, just a love letter."

"A love letter?" He tucks it into his pocket. "Do I even want to know?"

She grins. "Nope," emphasizing the 'p.'

My jaw clenches so hard, my teeth strain under the force of it.

"I'll make sure he gets it." He pats his pocket.

"Thank you," she whispers before she blurts, "Can you bring me back to Bedlam? I'm not supposed to be dead."

And there it is.I stiffen beside them, and she ignores this, too. Finn doesn't. Though it's what I need, it doesn't make me feel any less ill at the thought of her leaving me.

"Morte." the high king sighs. "I don't have that kind of magic, not when it's been so long. If I'd known within a few hours where you were, I might've been able to resurrect you, but not now."

She bites her lip. "You can't, but you know someone who can."

He sucks in a breath. "I haven't seen my mother in years, and it's not like I can just call her." He cups the back of his neck.

"I know." Morte toes a small stone with her foot. "You know I'd never ask you to make a promise you might not be able to keep. I'm just asking for you to try."

"You know I will."

"That's all I ask." She gives him a small smile. "Did they ever contain Noah Tackwater?"

Finn nods. "It took another two days after you disappeared. Your entire unit is on sabbatical right now, mourning your disappearance. My family and I had to go in and contain him."

Morte apologizes, her eyes filling with tears. Finn shakes his head, his voice soft and comforting, "Don't even think about it."

The portal rumbles like a thunderstorm, threatening to tear through the sky at any moment. "Time's up, Finian," I say, taking a step back uneasily.

He steps closer to the portal, his face bathed in its pulsing light. A look of determination flashes in his eyes as he wraps Morte in an embrace, whispering, "I'll do what I can." Then he turns away and leaps through the portal, vanishing just as it slams shut behind him.

"That should've lasted way longer than that, right?" Morte glances at me before we turn out attention back to where the portal was.

"Yeah," I grumble, unable to chase the unease settling in my chest. "We need to get out of here. C'mon."

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