Archangel's Enigma (Guild Hunter)(54)

Part of that was because at one point, he’d cleared her to fly at night while he ran below. She’d never seen anyone move that gracefully, that dangerously on the ground. Like a silver tiger shadowed with darker stripes.

Their arrival at the border was almost anticlimactic after the stealth required for the rest of the trip. She’d expected guards bristling with weapons and air squadrons crisscrossing the skies, but Lijuan’s people were distracted, drawn to another part of the border. “Jason?”

“Or one of his people.”

“How did they know when to act?”

“They didn’t. I’m guessing there have been annoying incursions or manufactured dramas along this border for at least twenty-four hours.” He lifted a finger to his lips as a harried guard ran past them to join in the melee in the distance. “Now,” he said once the guard was clear, and held out his hand.

Taking it, she followed him to a battered barge which Naasir told her was run by vampires allied with Astaad. It appeared the Archangel of the Pacific Isles had chosen to fly his flag with Raphael’s.

“Naasir,” she said quietly after they were safely on board.

Her wings would’ve made her stand out, except that no one had seen her and Naasir board, and as soon as she was on deck, she moved so she was hidden from view of the bank. He didn’t have to tell her that she could only take to the air once they were past the last of the aerial scouts.

“What is it?” Naasir asked, his eyes scanning the shore as the barge pulled away mere seconds later.

“I think we should go to Amanat, get supplies, and head to the most probable location.”

“Did you tell Lijuan that location?”

She rolled her eyes. “Of course not. I lied.” Being forced to witness Heng’s torture at the teeth of the hounds had only strengthened her resolve. “Very convincingly, I might add. Xi is probably somewhere near Mount Kilimanjaro right now.”

“I knew you were sneaky.” Eyes glinting on that approving statement, Naasir wrapped an arm around her neck and hauled her close. This time, the snap of his teeth was playful. “You fly to Amanat once we’re out of range of the sentries. I’ll make it there on my own.”

Her instincts and her heart both rebelled. “I’m not going to leave you alone.”

“I’ll be able to travel faster on my own once I hit land.” He took something from his pocket. It was a heavy gold ring with the letter N engraved on it, the engraving embedded with diamonds. “This will get you into Amanat. Stay outside the shield until a sentry appears, then show this to him.”

Taking the ring, she ran her thumb over the jewels. She wouldn’t have thought this was his kind of jewelry—the identity bracelet he wore suited him much better. “Why are you carrying it instead of wearing it?”

He kept his arm around her and rubbed his jaw against her temple. “I like shiny things but not to wear. Caliane gave that to me as thanks for my help in protecting her city when it first woke.”

“I’ll keep it safe,” she said, just as he reached out and unhooked the simple gold chain she always wore around her neck and that had survived all their adventures. Sliding the ring onto it, he hooked it back around her neck, his fingertips brushing her nape.

Her nipples tightened, a shiver rippling over her skin.

She should’ve protested the familiar handling, but it didn’t feel wrong—as it hadn’t felt wrong to stroke her fingers through his hair. Andromeda couldn’t think too much about that or it started to hurt deep inside. “Is there someone I should ask for when I arrive in Amanat?” she asked instead, glancing away lest he see all she sought to hide.

“Isabel.” Naasir pulled her back against the heated muscle of his body. “She was my partner during my time there and she has chosen to remain in the city.”

Andromeda had no will to fight his hold. “I’ve seen her at the Refuge.” A tall, competent warrior who chose to walk the path of an ascetic.

Four hours later, she flared out her wings in readiness for flight. “I’ll wait for you.” Nothing would be right until he was with her again. “Stay safe.”

Naasir watched her soar into the sky, his silver hair bright in the light of the moon.





22


Having taken advantage of the renewed border aggression between Titus and Charisemnon to stealthily invade Titus’s territory, Xi and his squadron had spent multiple days in and around Kilimanjaro, searching the demanding and often harsh landscape for any sign of Alexander. He’d flown up and down all three of the volcanic cones that made up Kilimanjaro, studied the cold, deep crater that scored one, walked on the glaciers, and far below, in the caves.

He’d found nothing, though if Alexander had gone beneath the earth like Caliane, that would be expected. Still, even the closest villagers had heard no whispers, guarded no legends. He knew they spoke the truth because they were too afraid to lie. While he would’ve ordinarily ignored such weak mortals, he couldn’t permit these ones to live. If Titus discovered the intrusion, he might decide to launch a retaliatory attack and Lady Lijuan needed more time to return to her strength.

“Is it possible the scholar lied?” one of his lieutenants asked after another futile day’s searching.

“No.” He thought of how Andromeda had sat with Heng, how she’d stayed even after Xi told her it was a foolish thing she did. “Her courage is of the heart and the mind, not that of a warrior. And she accepts this is the right path.” The world was in chaos and needed Lijuan’s millennia-deep wisdom to steady it.