Healer

Chapter 32

     Lucien and Elain agreed to host them for a short time. Enough to seem leisurely, but not enough to seem suspicious. Talia had trouble grasping what the story would be when they left but didn't return to night court. All Rhysand could tell her was that they would need to keep magic, like winnowing, to a minimum so as not to call extra attention to themselves and to watch out for groups of Hybern soldiers. Lucien reported that a few had been seen. Tamlin, however, didn't seem too concerned and Rhysand was becoming increasingly suspicious that he and Beron were hand in hand. And finding the book? It was questionable. 

What Helion had so graciously found for them gave them a general idea, but beyond that they were in the dark. Literally. The Ledger was underground somewhere. There was no map, no coordinates, but Amren believed that since the last Descendant, the one who made it so only a Descendant could touch the book, would have also made it so a Descendant could locate it. Talia had tried not to laugh as she left to pack her things. They would dress casually, they would pass through the hidden tunnels leading from court to court, and then they would fly. No magic. She felt strangely calm. Nerves hadn't hit her yet, or maybe they weren't coming since in the back of her mind she wasn't sure she believed this mission could succeed. What had hit her though, was the familiar warmth and fluttering excitement at the thought of traveling with Azriel. Time alone. Uncomfortable, on edge, but together. 

 Azriel wasn't nervous either, he never really was, but it was a heavy weight to carry. The knowledge that he had to get her there safely, not because she was his mate and he loved her, but because success could usher in a new age and failure could mean the end. Of Prythian, of peace, of everything. No one had said it, not outright, but she could just as easily be their downfall as much as their savior. He knew she knew it, that's why she hoped she would die in Hybern the last time. He set his jaw. That wouldn't be an option. They were leaving soon and traveling light. If all went well, it would be a quick trip. He went looking for her and found her in the armory, a room she had visited only a couple of times since she arrived.

"Thank the gods. I have no idea what I'm doing." She said, looking over her shoulder as he walked in.

He grinned. "Who sent you down here alone?"

She placed a hand on her hip and frowned. "I thought I would take it upon myself." She was staring down a bow and arrow that hung on the far wall.

Azriel stepped up next to her and pointed at it. "Did you want to take that one?"

"Are you going to hold my hand if I have to shoot it?"

He chuckled, pulling it from the wall. "I think you can do it." It looked small in his hands. "This one is lighter than the one you used in training." She took it from him. She should be carrying as much protection as she could. She would take it and hopefully it would be unneeded. She slung it over her shoulder. She already had a dagger strapped to her thigh.

He stepped back and looked her over. "You look hot." He raised his eyebrows and she rolled her eyes.

"Are you sure I don't look crazy?" She looked down at herself. "I feel crazy."

"I've seen worse." He reached for her braid and pulled it over her shoulder. "Why do you feel crazy?"

"Because what are we doing?" She laughed. "I don't even feel nervous because I can't imagine how this will play out."

He ran his hand down the length of her plaited hair again. "Maybe that's a blessing."

She looked up at him. "Thank you for going with me. Thank you for everything."

He studied her. If the weight of all this felt heavy to him, then it must be crushing her. "I would go anywhere with you." He turned and ran his hand absentmindedly over the weapons hanging next to them. "You know that." The smile he gave her over his shoulder was a warning not to argue.