Page 55 of In The Dark
Ren clears his throat—almost in warning—about what Luke is willingly offering me, and I throw him a glare at the interruption. Ren stands and I follow as he tosses the remnants of his food away, striding toward the arena.
“Ren, wait!” I call out, meeting him within a few seconds. “Are there any new missions for me?”
“I’m not sure what you mean,” he says.
“You know exactly what I mean. You seem to give Ezra and whoever else missions except for me. I haven’t had one in almost two weeks. What’s going on?”
His face remains forward, our pace even as we stride down the corridor, boots echoing off the stone. “That’s none of your concern.”
“King Elion has been absent since we came back. No new missions, and apparently new weapons are being forged…”
He halts his steps just outside the doors, facing me. “Keep your voice down and stop asking those questions beforesomeone overhears you. What the king does in private is none of your concern. There haven’t been any new missions open to our brethren either, so it’s not just you. Just keep up with your training and do… whatever. I don’t care,” he clips, crossing his arms to stare at me.
“Fine.” I narrow my eyes, then smirk. “How were your tarts?” I ask right before Ezra walks up. Ren’s eyes narrow into menacing slits.
“Are you ready?” Ezra asks, glancing between the two of us.
“Yes, right behind you.” I tilt my head up.
Ezra walks between us and taps my elbow, breaking my stare with Ren, forcing me to follow him as he pushes the door open. I throw Ren a quick glance over my shoulder as he stands there, watching me before the door shuts.
Grabbing my favorite staff, I approach the arena and twirl it in my hands a few times to warm up. But after a couple of hours training, we finish, leaving us sweaty regardless of the chilly air filling the arena.
“I’ll be gone for a few days,” Ezra says as we stride to the weapons rack.
“Again? How long?”
“I don’t know. Four days—five? I can’t be sure.” He shakes his head. “King Elion has me tracking someone in Sylvanor again.”
“Have you heard anything about what’s going on with our missions? Ren refuses to discuss anything.” I frown.
He runs a hand through his hair, exhaling. “Not really. Just what he’s willing to offer, which isn’t much. From what I know he’s stalled the majority of our missions,” he states, glancing at me with a soft smile.
“Except for you and a couple others,” I point out. “Malrik has also gotten a few missions.”
His brows furrow before he meets my gaze, knowing that over the last few years, I’ve received all high priority targets. But now, all of a sudden, those have stopped.
He winces. “I know. I’m sorry. I’ll be leaving tomorrow morning. I won’t be able to train with you this week,” he adds softly, then changes the subject. “I haven’t seen you wielding your orbs recently. Are you practicing?” he asks—a question that’s not unusual since we frequently have conversations about it.
Regardless, my stomach drops. I know I have to lie. I nod. “Some. I still can’t do anything more than my small orbs. I don’t think I’ll be able to do more than that.” I shrug, the lie rolling off my tongue with ease.
Quickly grabbing my items by the door, I bid him goodbye with a small wave, walking down the corridor toward the exit. Pushing the doors open, I step into the cold courtyard.
My breath forms a cloud in front of me as a smile forms on my face. I knew Ren would unwillingly offer me information if I pestered him long enough. Ezra would feel bad enough to share tiny bits of information about his missions.
Ezra will be gone for a few more days, and Ren won’t be giving me any new missions, giving me the opportunity to head to the Painted Bird without disturbing anyone. Or having anyone come looking for me. They won’t need me, and it gives me time to sneak out and head to the city to talk with Bess. Perhaps I can rent a room from the brothel if Rydian is around. I’ll have to figure out a way to find him.
The stable doors creak open, and I greet Bjorn with a wide smile, giving him the apple I snuck into my cloak, giving him a gentle pat. “Are you ready for a quick journey?”
“Anything for you,”Bjorn says.
“You can talk to me?” I gasp.
“I always talk to you. You just can’t hear me.”He chuffs, practically repeating what Ire said about Rydian, and I chuckle.“Where are we going?”
“To Alvonia. We need to go to the Painted Bird,” I say.
I waste no time and quickly mount Bjorn, leaving me to pullmy scarf over my nose as the cold wind hits my face. Shivering from the ride, I arrive just outside the Painted Bird, leaving Bjorn to rest just off the street.