Gates of Thread and Stone(52)

The trees had gone from lush and green to brown and brittle. Bright light filtered through the branches. We hit a wall of dry heat as we broke through the forest, leaving the humid, leafy maze behind. We picked up speed, the Grays’ legs blurring across the earth. I pictured the prostitute’s map in my head and mentally tracked our progress. I would have offered the map, which was currently squashed at the bottom of my bag, to Mason; but he seemed to know where he was going.

I dug into my bag to find the large package of food that Rennard had left outside our doors this morning. It included everything from bread and cheese to leftover cake from last night. I wish I’d had time to thank him. With the steady meals and Mason’s training, I felt stronger physically than I ever had in Ninurta.

I picked up a roll of sweet bread stuffed with cream. I offered half of it to Avan.

His fingers brushed mine as he reached for it. “Thanks.”

The bread had hardened a bit, but it still tasted delicious. I downed it with a few gulps of water and then let Avan finish the canteen.

After putting away the empty water container, I pressed a tentative hand against his chest. My other hand skimmed over his ribs to rest on his stomach.

I curled my fingers against his shirt, his heartbeat strong against my palm. I closed my eyes, finding comfort in the way his breath grew shallow at my touch. By now, I had memorized the feel of his back: the shift of muscle, the slope of his shoulder blades, the curve of his spine.

I craned forward in the saddle, my arms tight around his torso, until my lips grazed his ear. “I’m sorry. For last night. I was wrong to assume anything.”

I wasn’t sure if he’d respond. But then he turned his head so that my lips skimmed his cheek.

“I don’t blame you for making assumptions,” he said. “Besides, I should apologize, too. I didn’t know what to think when you weren’t asleep in my room.”

“You thought I was with someone?” I couldn’t help feeling the slightest bit insulted. But also a little flattered.

“The thought did cross my mind, even though I knew better.”

I eased back so I could rest my cheek against the line of his shoulder. “I should have known better, too. I just figured I shouldn’t . . . get in your way.”

He surprised me by laughing. I felt the rumble against my chest and my hands, but it was so quiet that the wind stole the sound.

“Your consideration is a little misplaced,” he said. “You should get some rest. I’ll make sure you don’t fall.”

I bit my lip. “I’m not tired.”

He glanced at me. Then he covered my hand on his chest, thumb smoothing over my wrist before he laced his fingers with mine.





CHAPTER 25




DAYLIGHT WAS FADING fast by the time Ninurta’s walls came into view. Mason stopped us behind an outcropping to wait until complete darkness before we approached. Seeing the wall twisted my insides into anxious knots. I had thought, maybe, coming back would feel like coming home, if for no other reason than because Reev was there. But instead, all that greeted me was a prison.

A few gargoyles had spotted us along the way, but they had merely glanced in our direction before carrying on. Was Ninu aware of how intelligent the creatures he’d released into the Outlands were? Even without hollows, Irra could build a formidable army out of the gargoyles. Maybe there weren’t enough of them to do that.

We shut off our Grays, and Mason dismounted. He consulted a map that he drew from beneath the knife sheath strapped around his thigh. Hina went about replacing the energy stones on both the Grays.

“Since you won’t need it once you get into the tunnels,” Hina said, peering into our Gray’s chest, “you’ll have to leave this one out here. Mason will ride it to Etu Gahl when he returns.”

“You’re not coming with us?” I asked her.

“I only came this far to make sure the gargoyles didn’t get bold. They leave hollows alone, but you two probably wouldn’t scare them. Mason will guide you the rest of the way.”

After she finished replacing our energy stone, she switched it back on so we’d have the light to see by. The Gray provided the only light source aside from the distant glow of torches along Ninurta’s walls.

Before leaving, she pulled me into a hug. I found myself hugging back. We hadn’t spent much time together outside of meals and sparring, but aside from Avan, she and Mason were the closest thing I’d had to friends in a long time.

“Thanks,” I said, “for your protection. And for making the Void feel . . . not so lonely.”

She playfully punched my shoulder. “Stop trying to tell me good-bye. I’ll see you when this is over.”

I smiled gratefully. “Yeah.”

With a final wave, she jumped onto the other Gray and rode off. Her red light faded into the darkness.

Mason, who hadn’t bothered saying good-bye to Hina, studied the map, turning his head left and right as he oriented himself.

Avan sat nearby, eating a handful of dried fruit, as I watched over Mason’s shoulder. Unlike the prostitute’s map, Mason’s was in good condition, but it didn’t show much beyond the familiar boundaries of Ninurta. Mason pointed to a spot on the map outside the walls, above a series of zigzagging lines. “This is where we’ll enter.”