The Night's Curse #3 (Waverly Stump and The 7 Realms)

Chapter 12

The room fell into utter silence, prompting Waverly to lower her voice as much as possible. Dermot had taken more than just a minute, but she had waited patiently nonetheless. With every second that passed, she contemplated on what to tell him and what to hold back, and when she finally began to tell her story, she found that she only revealed her encounter with Levi.

Diarmaid joined them halfway into the explanation and looked even more shocked than his brother, who had listened to it from the start.

When Waverly was done, Diarmaid cursed aloud in the Alp tongue.

"The nerve of those, those. . . those walking torches!" He spat angrily. "I never trusted them. I told you, Dermot. It was too strange when Lameth decided to come here."

Dermot's fingers were placed around his lips as he watched Waverly. His gaze was careful and made her edgy, but she kept still. When he finally spoke, his first question unsteadied her.

"What were you doing by the waterfall at midnight?"

She swallowed. "I-I was just taking a stroll."

His gaze raked around her face and she felt it leave tingling traces on her skin, but he did not prod any further. He simply sighed and sat upright.

"Who did you say his mother was?"

"Hekate."

Diarmaid growled angrily. "You know if it weren't that Brijjet made all the difference, I'd say all those godly bastards be thrown into a pit full of gneats. I despise their bloody lot with every fiber in my being."

Waverly winced at how sharp his tone was. It was clear that he too hated Zanaans. She felt her heart spike up to an uncontrollable beat. Her palms became sweaty and her stomach threatened to take a hike up her throat.

"You say that he's been here since The Floom?" Dermot asked, taking her attention.

She nodded. "He told me so. He's been spying on the Tyros, and he probably already knows every battle strategy the King's army has drawn up."

Diarmaid stood up swiftly. "We have to do something quickly, maybe make a report to the army, or the King. This boy sounds very dangerous. What if he's not alone? What if there's more Zanaan spies scattered all around the realm and we don't know it? It's possible, you know."

"I know it's possible," Dermot interceded. "But we can't and should not make rash decisions, knowing fully well that there's nothing we can do about this spy. Think about it! Lameth has never associated with any other realm in ages. The one time he's actually made a move to help – we come out and accuse one of his soldiers of being not only Zanaan, but a spy as well. How well do you think that would turn out?"

Diarmaid paused then fidgeted nervously. "Okay, that makes sense, but we at least have to do something."

"The least we can do is keep an eye on him. It won't be easy. For someone who is nimble enough to sneak up on a thousand soldiers for nearly four months without getting noticed, it's going to be difficult to pin him."

"But you are not in the army. How will you watch him?" Waverly inquired.

The siblings exchanged one of their many looks that suggested they were having a silent conversation. Diarmaid appeared more hesitant, but Dermot wore an encouraging expression.

After a few moments, Diarmaid sighed in defeat. "Alright, fine!"

"It's time we joined the army." Dermot announced. "Besides, the battle is all-out, and it's even much more our business than it is yours."

"This Levi kid," Diarmaid said. "He's in your camp axis, right?"

Waverly nodded. "Yes, he is."

"So, you can watch him sometimes. He doesn't have to know."