Page 59 of A War of Embers

“Then half a day,” Alyvia responds slowly. “But why are you looking at venturing to the Bone City?”

“I’m looking at a family that lives near there, but within the Wraithlands.” I hold up the book in my hand so she can read the name.

Alyvia frowns as she looks over the surname. Setting down one of the books in her hand back on the shelf, she snaps her fingers while muttering to herself.

“Is there an issue with this family?” I ask cautiously.

“Jared!” Alyvia announces. “Jared Draks is a witch in that family.”

I nod along because I remember seeing his name in the back as one of the sons currently alive. “Correct. Would he help us?”

Quietly she chews on her lip. “Help might be a bit of a stretch. He’s an ass on his best day. We dated briefly a very long time ago and it didn’t end well. He’s held a bit of a grudge against me for choosing to come here rather than stay with him.”

This is certainly news to me. “You lived in the Wraithlands?”

“No!” Alyvia immediately replies. “No, no. I worked as one of the suppliers for Lord Rowan when I first began, moving essentials into the Wraithlands for families in need. Jared was part of one of the receiving families. He came into the Bone City to do odd jobs back then. We were both very young and stupid.” She waves her hand in the air. “We can ask for his help and see what he says.” Her eyes track from the pile of books in front of me to the bookcases containing green spines. “If you want to go find jewels, I can take a break from the dragons and look through the witches. Then we can try tomorrow to formulate a plan on where to start. Hopefully we curate a decent list today.”

“Do you think Rowan left by now?”

“Probably. There’s a good chance they left immediately after announcing to the estate to be wary of you. I’m sure Nox has been going around telling everyone to be on their guard.”

Ah yes, Nox and his belligerent attitude regarding why I’m here. “It took a great amount of effort not to pelt him with rocks,” I tell her matter-of-factly. “He seems to think he’s a great guard, but yet he didn’t spot me at all.”

Alyvia smiles in amusement. “He’s used to being the top person around here in terms of knowing about stealth and fighting. You threaten that.”

Rolling my eyes, I stretch out my legs as I stand. “I hardly want his position. There’s no reason to be jealous that my training is far superior than his own.”

“Where were you that he couldn’t see?”

“The trees.”

Alyvia blanches. “The trees?” she repeats before pointing towards the ceiling. “You mean you were in the trees?”

“Branch hopping is a common form of transportation between Districts when one doesn’t want to be seen on the main pathways,” I shrug like it’s not that big of a deal. I don’t know why she seems so shocked. “The enemy can only be above you if they climb higher. The ground makes too much noise. Gliding from different trees is far easier as branches sway in the wind. You move when they move.”

“I never would have thought to use the trees.”

Many don’t. Only a few Districts even teach their Royal Guards how to move about that way. Very few are good at it. I was trained to do it so that I could monitor the border of the Kyanite District directly north of Cinnabar and ensure the Lord there didn't attempt to push in on Lady Gwenyth’s boundary.

Alyvia’s brow furrows. “But the forest stops before the Wraithlands. How did you avoid being seen?”

What am I, an amateur? Snickering, I tell her, “Darkness helps you travel and blend in. Keeping back far enough to ensure no one spots you, but you can spot them is essential. I don’t know what Rowan is teaching his army, but he could use a great deal of work. His people would easily be trampled if they were in Tellus.”

“The lack of fighting here might have something to do with their inadequate fighting abilities.”

True. Squabbles and fights are exceedingly common in Tellus. Between the Lords and Ladies constantly bickering about wanting more land to the Royal Guards believing they can one up another, to the common arguments within the cities themselves. People are always getting into tiffs that require interference. Then there are the massacres, killings, and outright baiting done by immortals between Districts to gain attention of the targeted Lord or Lady. No one is ever truly safe.

Aïdes seems to operate on a drastically different scale. Their army is solely meant to protect the border of the Wraithlands from creatures coming out. Some of the army polices the cities, but it doesn’t appear the main goal is to maintain peace. If anything, Rowan’s people are much better behaved than anywhere in Tellus.

“I still can’t believe you followed them out immediately,” Alyvia chuckles. “We figured it was coming, but that you would sneak away a few days later.”

“So everyone’s told me.”

“Do you feel better having this plan?” Alyvia asks. “I know you wanted an immediate result.”

“I wanted a result, period. Rowan has to place others above me, and that’s fine. It’s what Lord’s do. But,” I emphasize, “ignoring my wishes, prolonging his help simply because it doesn’t suit him, isn’t fair. He merely should have said he wasn’t agreeing instead of trapping me in this farce of a bargain. I would have found another way.”

She pauses for a moment. “I don’t believe he doesn’t want to help you. I think the timing of everything is chaotic. What you believe is an easy fix, may not look so easy from his perspective. But I agree, the bargain was a crude way of buying time on his end. He could have given anyone the directive to look into this for you without him needing to be here.”

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