Page 54

I hesitated, torn between Sky’s logic and my instinctive caution. There was truth in what he said. If Boromia gained whatever power waited at Ivros Hollow, it would only strengthen his already dangerous position. But the warning circled in red ink kept flashing through my mind.

“If the god is still sleeping, do not wake it.”

“We don’t even know what this entity is,” I said finally. “Waking an ancient power without understanding it could be catastrophic for everyone, not just the RSB.”

“Oliver’s right,” Kai interjected, his calm voice cutting through the tension. “We’re not seeking power, we’re preventing a disaster. Our goal should be to disrupt the ritual, not complete it.”

Rhia leaned forward, her muscular arms braced against the table. “These papers might give us enough to sabotage whatever Boromia’s planning, but we need to understand them first.”

“I might be able to help with that,” Mira offered, surprising us with her confidence. “Some of these symbols match what I studied today at the Mage’s Guild. They’re channeling formations, designed to direct magical energy.”

Kuro snorted. “Great. So, we know they’re going to channel magic through us like we’re pipes. How does that help?”

“Because,” Mira continued, her finger tracing one of the diagrams, “ channeling magic requires precise alignment. Disrupt even one point and the entire ritual fails.”

Sky’s ears perked up, his tail swishing with renewed interest. “So, we pretend to go along with it until the last moment, then throw everything into chaos.”

“It’s risky,” I warned, studying the papers more closely. “If they realize what we’re doing...”

“They’ll kill us,” Kai finished matter-of-factly. “But they’re planning to do that anyway. At least this way, we have a chance.”

I turned to Sky, finding his blue eyes already on me. The fierce determination in his gaze sent a flutter through my chest despite the gravity of our situation.

“We’ll need to memorize these,” I said, gesturing to the papers. “If we’re caught with them?—”

“We won’t be,” Kai interrupted. He jogged back to his room before returning with a small coin pouch that looked as if it could hold maybe one or two coins in total. “I’ve got the perfect way to hide them.”

He undid the drawstring, pulling the coin pouch wide. However, instead of stopping where I expected, it just kept going until it was not only large enough to fit the papers, but big enough to stuff our cooking kettle into.

“Where the hell did you get that?” Sky asked, his jaw hanging open.

“At the market today,” Kai smiled, stuffing the papers inside the pouch.

As he drew it closed again, the pouch shrunk down to its normal size.

“I found it at one of the magic item vendors. You can put almost anything in it, and it just disappears when you shrink it down again. And you can only get it back out if you know it’s in there. Pretty good find actually.”

Kuro let out a low whistle. “That must’ve cost a fortune…”

Kai nodded. “Ten gold coins. Not a small amount. But I figured it would useful should we come across things again that we want to keep or hide away from the captain. And I can hide our money in here too so thieves can’t get it.”

“That’s brilliant,” I said, watching in awe as the pouch containing all our secrets shrank back to a seemingly innocent coin purse. “Might be good for our mana crystals too once we need money again. That way we don’t have to go back all the time.”

“Exactly,” Kai replied, tucking the pouch into his shirt. “Now we all need to get some sleep. We can look over the diagrams on the road. The captain and his scouts won’t be right on top of us. We’ll have plenty of time while we travel to study them. ”

We all nodded in agreement, the weight of tomorrow’s journey settling over us like a shroud.

As we returned to our sleeping areas, I couldn’t help but notice how Mira’s hands trembled, how Rhia stayed closer to her than usual.

Even Kuro seemed subdued, his usual swagger replaced by a quiet intensity as he checked his sword’s edge one final time.

Sky settled beside me on our makeshift bed, his warmth a small comfort against the chill of fear that had taken root in my chest.

“Do you think we can really pull this off?” I whispered, my voice barely audible even in the quiet room.

Sky’s ears twitched, his blue eyes reflecting the faint moonlight streaming through our small window. “I don’t know,” he admitted, his voice equally soft. “But I know we have to try.”

I reached for his hand beneath our blanket, threading my fingers through his. His thumb traced gentle circles against my palm, a small gesture that somehow steadied my racing thoughts.

“If there really is a god sleeping in Ivros Hollow...” I began.

“Then we make sure it stays asleep,” Sky finished, his voice firm despite its softness. “Or we make sure Boromia doesn’t control it. Anything to keep him from becoming even more dangerous.”

We fell silent after that, each lost in our own thoughts.

Sleep seemed impossible with the knowledge of what awaited us, yet our bodies desperately needed rest for the challenges ahead.

I closed my eyes, focusing on Sky’s steady breathing beside me, letting it anchor me as my mind raced through possibilities and dangers.

Tomorrow the treacherous journey began.