The map was still spread across the table when Killian spoke again.
"We leave at dawn." He said briskly.
No one questioned him. Not Arya or Belderwon, Lora, or even the soldiers seated around us. That alone told me everything I needed to know about the kind of man Killian was.
I swallowed the last piece of bread on my plate before I finally spoke. "Where exactly are we going?"
Killian tapped a spot on the map. "The Onyx Ridge."
Arya let out a low whistle. "Does that place still exist?"
Lora leaned back in her seat, her arms crossed over her chest. "Barely. I heard it collapsed after the war."
"It did," Killian confirmed calmly. "Which is exactly why no one goes there anymore."
Arya's eyes sparkled. "Meaning someone could hide there."
"Exactly."
I shifted in my seat. "So that means the Fantastic Child we're looking for lives there?"
Killian nodded.
"And we're just going to walk in and take them?" I asked, my brows raised in curiosity.
Killian rolled up the map. "If it were that simple, I wouldn't need all of you."
The meeting ended and everyone returned to their various quarters. Lora left with Arya while I followed Belderworn.
On our way to the cabin, I couldn't help but ask one of the questions plaguing my thoughts.
"How exactly do we find this FC? Do we convince them to join us?" I asked, almost quietly.
Belderwon's shoulders shook as he laughed. "Convince them? If that were the case then we'd just send Arya to sing some songs for them and they'll join us."
I rolled my eyes at the joke. "That's not what I mean."
Belderwon whipped around so fast that I became startled. My eyes locked on his blind ones and I blinked. I don't think I could ever get used to looking at him.
"Unlike you, most FC's we meet already have knowledge of their powers and how to use them. They'll do anything to survive, including murder so no, if they see us waltzing in to talk, they'll attack and we'll do the same."
"What if someone gets hurt?" I asked.
"Arya fixes them right up. She's the craftsman, isn't she?"
"She is." I smiled. I admired Arya's powers. She could literally do anything.
"Hey," Belderwon placed a hand on my shoulder. "Don't feel bad. You'll do good today. I know it."
"Thanks."
He gave me a light pat on the shoulder and left.
A lazy sigh escaped me and I looked around. I haven't been outside in a while so I might as well explore my surroundings.
I followed a path that led down a narrow hallway. The place was nicely decorated. Northern scripts painted the walls. Sharpened swords and weapons I didn't know their names were equally lined with them. The hall was dimly lit and the air smelled fresh and light. A luxury the old me would kill for.
Another sigh escaped me and I continued my journey.
I stopped when I heard voices coming from a door just ahead.
"You're making a mistake taking the newbie with us."
It was a female voice. I'd heard it before.
"Taking him with us will help him improve on his powers." Killian replied calmly but his partner wasn't having it.
She snapped.
"Taking him with us will only get him killed! He's as useless as a torch in a windstorm. How can he improve on his powers when he doesn't even know how to use them!"
I gasped as I got near. I know that voice.
It was Lora's.
"That's why you have to be the one to protect him." Killing started.
"No!"
I drew closer and peeked through the keyhole on the door.
Lora continued, her fists clenched. "I did not join the FC's to play babysitter."
When she turned to leave, I scrambled away from the door, my eyes darting left and right as I searched for a hiding spot. I found it and tucked myself between two pillars just outside the room.
Lora stepped out, fuming. "He'll die out there, Killian, and it'll be all your fault."
"Lora!" Killian barked.
When he got near, she whipped out a purple blade out of thin air and pointed it at him.
I watched her in awe. The blade looked like it was an extension of her arm. It glowed brightly and hummed softly. I could feel the murderous intent exhuming from it. Lora was angry.
"Don't make me cut you down, Killian." Lora hissed.
"You're a stubborn one, aren't you?" He smirked.
She pulled her arm down and just like that, the sword faded.
How did she do that? And how could she just threaten Killian and still live?
"The kid won't be my responsibility. Tell me that one more time and I'll kill him myself." Lora gave him one last look before she finally walked away.
My heart raced in my chest and it felt like I couldn't breathe. Lora hates me. The Northern soldiers hate me. Does everyone else hate me too? Should I just go back to the Crimson Nation and live my life as a slave again?
"I know you're in there." Killian's voice echoed in the halls.
I flinched. How could he tell?
As if reading my mind, he replied. "I can hear your breathing from way over there. You're not exactly a subtle spy."
I snorted as I stepped out of hiding. "Well, that's because I'm not a spy."
"Obviously, you're not." He smiled, then schooled his features. "You heard us, didn't you?"
Part of me wanted to lie but I didn't see the point. He'd already caught me.
"Yeah, I did." I sighed and looked down.
"Since you did, I don't want you to misinterpret anything." he said.
"There's nothing to misinterpret. Lora hates me."
"If Lora hates you, you'd be dead."
I flinched.
Killian continued. "Lora gave me a hard time when I found her. Unlike the others who willingly joined me, she actually fought me."
My eyes widened in shock. "She did?"
"Yup. Stabbed me in the back. Literally."
"Oh."
"She was a Hunter. Has been since she could learn how to walk," he explained. "She killed her Handler at 10 and became the leader of the group."
"What happened to this group of hers?" I couldn't help but ask.
Killian shook his head. "The usual. They found out she was an FC and sold her out to the Cerulean Nomad."
"The Nomads!" I gasped.
"Yes. One of the biggest slave-holding empires. Luckily for her, the king didn't kill her. He made her his personal bloodhound. A slave chained to the king to do his biddings of war."
"She fought wars at a young age."
"Yes. She escaped a few years ago. Burnt down the entire capital."
"She did that alone?"
"Yes. It took years of planning."
"How did you meet her?"
"I met her on a ship sailing West. The Royal Sentries were looking for her. I told her I could help and she chucked an axe at me."
"She can craft weapons?"
"Not just craft weapons. She is the Dreamer. She can bend reality to her own will. She has one of the greatest abilities of illusion that can make the average man lose his mind. Don't even think about fighting her."
"You don't have to tell me that." I said, then paused. "But… why doesn't she want me here?"
"She does but won't admit it. She's treating you the same way she treated the others. You'd have to earn her friendship and you won't do that being unproductive."
"So I have to learn how to use my powers for me to be worthy enough to talk to her?"
"Exactly."
I sighed. "This is so much worse than I thought."
Killian patted my shoulder. "Don't beat yourself up, kid. You'll learn how to use your powers eventually."
"But what if Lora is right? What if I join you guys today and get killed?" I asked, feeling scared.
"You won't. Not on my watch."
I felt assured but doubt still crept in my mind. I replayed that conversation before bed and hoped nothing bad will go on tomorrow.
I didn't notice when I drifted to sleep.
It was a dream.
I saw my mother again.
She was sitting beside her Harp, her slender fingers brushing against the strings. A smile graced my lips and I took a step forward.
"Mother."
She didn't turn around.
My brows furrowed. "Mother, it's me… Ivan."
She didn't answer.
"Mother…"
She rose to her feet, her fingers leaving the Harp. Before she could turn to face me, I awoke.
A heavy sack landed on my stomach with a loud oof and I winced.
"Get up!" It was Lora. "It's time."
I swallowed another wince and rolled out of bed.