“I don’t know,” Tharion said. “Her body wasn’t there.”
“What?” Shadows rippled from Cormac again.
Tharion went on, “The lead blocks, the chains were there. But Sofie’s body was gone. And the shackles had all been unlocked.”
Cormac shot to his feet. “Sofie is alive?”
Such raw hope filled his voice. Was it from genuine love? Or hope that the intel she carried lived on?
“I don’t know,” Tharion answered. Then he admitted, “But that’s why I came to Bryce. She had a friend who knew Sofie years ago. I’m investigating any connections between them—I’m wondering if it might give us hints about Emile’s whereabouts.” Tharion shrugged. “I have good reason to believe that a safe meeting place was set up long ago for a scenario like this, and that Emile might be headed there—and Sofie, too, if she’s alive.”
Would Sofie have passed that vital intel to her brother? Bryce found Hunt giving her a Don’t even think about it look.
Cormac said, pacing, “Sofie made the Drop—at an illegal center where it wouldn’t be recorded. I thought that there was a chance she might have survived, but when she didn’t contact me …” His eyes narrowed at the mer. “What else do you know?”
“I’ve told you everything,” Tharion lied, crossing his legs.
Cormac gave a slashing, mocking grin. “And what of Danika Fendyr?”
Bryce stilled. “What about her?” Hunt gave her another look warning her to keep quiet.
Cormac said, “She and Sofie knew each other. She was the one who set up this safe place, wasn’t she?”
“You don’t know any of that for sure,” Hunt said.
“I do,” Cormac said, his gaze still on Bryce, on the star in her chest that had begun to glow dimly again. “It’s why I agreed to marry Bryce.”
Ruhn needed a moment to process everything. He watched his cousin warily.
But Bryce chuckled. “I thought you agreed to marry me because of my winning personality.”
Cormac didn’t smile. “I agreed to marry you because I needed access to you. And to you, cousin,” he said to Ruhn.
Athalar demanded, “You couldn’t just pay a friendly visit?”
“The Avallen Fae and the Valbaran Fae are not friendly. We are allies, but also rivals. I needed a reason to come here. I needed to come here to find Emile—it was a blessing from Urd that Ophion wanted me here for another mission, too.”
Bryce glowered. “Forcing me into marriage seems extreme.”
“It’s the only currency I have. My breeding potential.”
Ruhn snorted. He and his cousin had more in common than he’d realized. “Why do you need access to me?”
“Because you can mind-speak, can you not? It’s how you and your friends survived in the Cave of Princes during your Ordeal. You fought as if you were of one mind. You never told my father, but he suspected. I suspected. It’s a rare Starborn gift. A skill Ophion needs badly.”
Ruhn said, “What about your cousins—the twins? They can mind-speak.”
“They’re not trustworthy. You know that.”
Athalar cut in, “Don’t let him rope you into whatever this is, Danaan. Searching for Emile independently is one thing. If you let him deliver his pitch, you’re one step away from working with Ophion. The Asteri won’t care whether you agree or reject his ass.” He leveled a look at Cormac. “And let me remind you that Ophion is going up against legions that outrank them in power and size. If one of the Asteri walks onto a battlefield, you’re all done.”
The power of one Asteri, the holy star glowing within them, could level an entire army.
Hunt went on, “And if the Asteri catch wind that Agent Silverbow is trying to recruit Ruhn, we’ll all be taken in for questioning. If we’re lucky. If not, we’ll be executed.”
“You didn’t seem to have such concerns when you rebelled, Fallen Angel,” Cormac said.
“I learned the hard way,” Hunt said through his teeth. Bryce stepped closer to him, fingers brushing his. “I’d prefer to protect my friends from learning that lesson.”
It shouldn’t have meant something to Ruhn, for Athalar to consider him a friend. But it did.
Hunt continued, “You’re not only insane to tell us this—you’re reckless. We could sell you out in a heartbeat.”
Tharion added, “Or you’re an Asteri mole seeking to entrap us.”
Cormac drawled, “Trust me, I don’t bandy about this information to just anyone.” He sized up Athalar. “You might have made foolish mistakes in the past, Umbra Mortis, but I shall not.”
“Fuck you.” That one came from Bryce, her voice low and deadly.
Ruhn said to Cormac, hoping to take the temperature down a few degrees, “I’m not going to get involved with you or Ophion. I won’t risk it. So don’t even ask me to do whatever it is you want me to use my … mind-stuff for.” He hated that his cousin knew. That Tharion was now watching him with a mixture of surprise, awe, and wariness.
Cormac laughed bitterly. “You can’t risk your friends and family? What about the countless friends and family in Pangera who are tortured, enslaved, and murdered? I saw you entering this apartment earlier, and assumed you were assisting Captain Ketos in looking for Emile. I thought convincing you to help me might be that much easier. But it seems all of you wish to put your own lives before those of others.”
“Fuck off,” Hunt growled. “Did you see what happened here this spring?”
“Yes. It convinced me of your … compassion.” He said to Bryce, “I saw that you raced to Asphodel Meadows. To the humans.” He glanced at Ithan. “You too. I thought it meant you’d be sympathetic to their greater plight.” He again addressed Bryce. “That’s why I wanted to get near you. You and Danika saved this city. I realized you two were close. I wanted to see if you might have any insights—I’ve long suspected that Danika might have arranged a rendezvous spot for Sofie.” He faced Tharion. “Where do you believe the meet-up point would be?”
“Nowhere good,” Tharion muttered. Then he added, “You’ll get the details when we’re good and ready to tell you, princey.”
Cormac bristled, flames sparking in his hair again, but Bryce cut in, “How did Danika and Sofie meet?” Apparently, Ruhn realized, this trumped everything else for his sister.
Cormac shook his head. “I’m not sure. But from what Sofie told me, Danika suspected something about the Asteri, and needed someone to go in to confirm those suspicions. Sofie was that person.”
Bryce’s eyes were bright—churning. It didn’t bode well.
Bryce’s brows knit, though. “Danika died two years ago. Sofie had this intel for that long?”
“No. From what I’ve gathered, three years ago, Danika needed Sofie to go in to get it, but it took Sofie that long to gain access. Danika died before Sofie could ever pass the information to her. When she finally got it, she decided to use it to manipulate Ophion into upholding their bargain to go help rescue Emile.”
“So Danika worked for Ophion?” Ithan asked. The wolf’s face was a portrait of shock.