Page 16 of Four Ruined Realms (The Broken Blades #2)

Royo

The Northern Pass, Khitan

It’s real fucking awkward riding on a three-man sled with two lovers who aren’t talking to each other. I thought they were okay when I fell asleep, but I guess they had another fight. I dunno, I passed out.

I didn’t think I’d sleep when I laid down, but the next thing I knew, they were waking me. It’s still dark out, but it’s Euyn’s turn to rest. He got me up and went in the back. They haven’t said a word since.

Mikail sits next to me as I drive the sled. It’s not hard to steer, since the animals are tied together with a leather harness. But it is hard to see the road with all this snow.

“We just keep heading north ’til we get there?” I ask.

Mikail nods. “Yes, the lake is a little northwest of the old capital, but we can use this pass until we’re almost there.”

Easy enough, since a compass hangs next to the lantern on the sled.

Mikail gets quiet again, which is weird for him.

“You okay?” I ask.

He goes back to being casual. “Just running through possibilities.”

“Of?”

He sighs. “Success. What it means. Baejkin rule. And other mysteries.”

“What about Baejkin rule?” I ask.

The plan has been to put Euyn on the throne from the beginning. I don’t get what he’s confused about. The country can only be run by Baejkins, and he’s the last prince left.

Mikail motions his head in the direction of the back seat. I glance over my shoulder. It’s gotta be three bells in the morning. Euyn has been asleep for a bell. Or at least he’s pretending. I guess Mikail doesn’t want to risk it.

“Okay,” I say. “What mysteries?”

Mikail pulls a key out of his pocket. “I stole this from the ambassador.”

I keep one eye on the road but glance over at the key. I’ve never seen one like it. It looks like it’s made of pure jade and gold. It’s real fancy with a lot of nooks, which means it fits a complicated lock. Definitely not one Aeri could pick with hairpins.

Oh good. I’m thinking about her again.

I shake it off. I don’t need that right now. “What’s that go to?”

“That’s one mystery,” he says. “It’s no ordinary door—that’s for certain. I’ve seen thousands of keys, and none look like this.”

I think about what it could be for, but I’ve got nothing. I’m not the brains of this outfit anyhow.

“How are we going to get into an underwater temple, anyway?” I ask.

“That’s another mystery,” he says. “There has to be a way in, as there wouldn’t be enough air in a glass dome for anyone to survive the six months it’s buried. It’s a matter of finding access. Hopefully a door.”

“Maybe that’s the key to it,” I say.

Mikail raises his eyebrows but then slowly smiles. “You know, you might be right. I’ve never seen keys to a Temple of Knowledge. That, of course, would beg the question of why the ambassador, a man not particularly known for his intellect, has one. But that’s a mystery for another day. If he were somehow a priest, it would also explain why he knew about the murder. Although, the body was found in Trialga Square, so it’s not exactly a secret. It could all just be a scheme to send us to the temple. The key in his office was rather convenient—maybe too much so.” He pauses and stares into the distance. “Why keep it under a medal of valor if he wanted me to find it, though?”

His thoughts make my head hurt. They spin so fast in so many directions. I don’t know how he deals with it.

“It could be an ambush,” he finally says. “Zeolin knows we are not with the girls. He knows that I need to find an exception to the Rule of Distance and that I would go to the Temple of Knowledge to seek that information.”

My stomach sinks at the mention of Sora and Aeri.

“You mean Aeri is in danger, or we are?”

He shrugs. “Could be both. Euyn said we were being watched. I thought he was just being paranoid, but maybe he was correct.”

He’s so casual, it takes me a second to realize what he’s saying. Anger and worry fill me as heat flushes my cheeks. Did I leave Aeri when there was a threat?

“Are you fucking—”

Mikail’s head suddenly snaps to the right. He holds up a hand for quiet, but I’m about to turn this sled around. We need to go back for Aeri and Sora. Fuck this frozen-temple thing.

But he’s so alert, so still, that I scan around, too.

It’s all white snow, and then it’s pitch black where there’s woods. I’m not sure what is up with this guy. There’s nothing out there.

I grit my teeth. “But Aeri—”

“Shh!” he hisses.

My hand balls in a fist. No one tells me to shut up. Not ever. Tension fills my body like a crossbow being cocked. I don’t really like Mikail, and at the end of the day I don’t trust him. I still don’t get why he tried to destroy the crown. I still don’t think he’s telling us everything.

I’m ready to knock him out, and then I see them: eight eyes shining just past the tree line.

Zaybears.

I uncurl my fist and rake a hand down my face. Ten Hells. We’re fucked.