Chapter Thirty Two

Sabotage

Inerys paced back and forth in her bedroom, her nerves slowly creeping in to run her rampant thoughts in tighter, more dangerous circles.

Give Mraize my best.

Spirits, he was the bloody Patriarch.

He was more god than man and yet, he wanted to speak with her in person. Or, as close to as in person as the distance between them would allow. Inerys hadn’t the faintest idea what to expect in the Dreamscape. Would they be able to see one another? Would she even remember what they discussed? Could the man harm her through whatever connection the stone forged between them? Better yet, would the stone somehow reveal her physical location to him?

Surely she couldn’t trust the word of a mysterious, face-changing vampire. Though, the woman had made her swear not to tell another soul about what she had revealed. The implications of breaking said soul-binding promise were as yet unclear, but Inerys had the suspicion it wasn’t pleasant. If this was all a ploy to lower her guard, it was an elaborate one.

With a shaky exhalation, she slid the stone from her pocket. It was warm against her palm, the smooth, iridescent surface catching the amber light of the stone lanterns above. Curiously, she sensed no power within. She had expected something, yet even when she focused her will and intent upon it, there was not so much as a whiff of energy or essence to be found. Either she wasn’t experienced enough to discern what was inside, or there was truly nothing within. From what she could tell, it was no more than a pretty stone.

She thought to ask Rhydian about such things, but she ultimately decided against doing so. Direct questions would draw suspicion and even indirect ones might draw undue attention and inadvertently infringe upon the bounds of Inerys’ promise. The realization made her grit her teeth. She should have had her visitor outline the ramifications of sharing information outside the swearing, but her thoughts had been wholly consumed by the Patriarch’s invitation. She had half a mind to ignore it outright out of spite, but doing so likely wouldn’t get her anywhere other than his ill graces at best.

She sat on the bed with a heavy sigh, then pitched onto her back to stare up at the stone ceiling. What a mess her life had become. Nothing was simple. Or painless. There was always another obstacle, another headache to be dealt with. Life among the Seven Cities felt so simple by comparison.

Almost.

It was still just as bloody.

She toyed with the stone, twirling it between her thumb and forefinger as she contemplated whether or not she could even achieve a meditative state. If she were to accept his offer and Rhydian were to return, would he suspect something? Or simply think she was cultivating? Her lips grew thin. Perhaps it was better to wait. He or Ayduin were bound to check in on her before bidding her good morning. There was also Ephaxus to consider.

It was probably best if she went to check on him. He wouldn’t be pleased if he thought he’d been left behind in favor of a warm bed. In truth, the thought of sleeping anywhere other than under his wing in her tent was strange. Comfortable as the comforter was at her back, it wasn’t the same. Perhaps she’d drag the covers outside and sleep beside him regardless.

Having made up her mind, Inerys pocketed the stone and rose, stretching her long limbs. All this fretting had left her utterly exhausted. She rubbed at her temple, grimacing. Would the Patriarch hold it against her if she took the opportunity to sleep before their meeting? She could always meditate tomorrow . . .

She shook her head.

No, that wouldn’t do.

Tired as she might be, her rest would be fitful at best. She’d had quite enough of being left awake wondering what might happen to her. Out in the Wilds, her fate had always been in her own hands, but here, she was all but powerless.

No more, she decided as she ascended the spiral stairs leading to the ground level.

She may not be able to question the Council on her own terms, but the Patriarch had given her a means to pursue him as she pleased. To a degree, she held the power whether she chose to meet with him or not, at least for a time. It was a curious realization, but one that gave her some small sense of control.

Ephaxus’ attention set on her before she even passed through the doors to the garden. His low rumble reverberated through the pallid pathways of white stone, chasing lunar moths from their roosts among the flowers and herbs. He raised his head, snorting in the night like a fresh horse. Inerys shook her head.

“I didn’t mean to keep you waiting,” she assured.

Mmm, and yet I’ve been here all night.

Inerys resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “You’ve been out here a few short hours at best. Don’t be so dramatic.”

Wyverns are not dramatic, he insisted.

She stopped just shy of his craned neck, arms crossed as she fixed him with an arched brow.

He blinked at her, then scowled and averted his gaze when she didn’t back down from his return stare.

“You can tell me you miss me,” she said, a light tease.

The creature sighed, sending moths spiraling in the wake of his breath.

Fine. I was lonely.

“I thought the apprentices were tending to you?”

They were dreadful company, he said, lowering his head so that his snout was mere inches away.

She reached a hand to his snout, his scales warm to the touch even through her glove.

“You could always return to the aviary with the others,” she offered.

He blinked deeply. Would you be returning with me?

“Not for a few days, I suspect.”

Then I will remain here. My place is with you, little one.

She leaned into him, her cheek pressed against his snout. “You wouldn’t be that far away though, right?”

He nudged her with utmost care. I would be far enough.

She smiled faintly, thumb idly caressing a patch of smooth scales.

“Do you think the Sages would be upset if I dragged my bed out here with you?” She wondered.

He chuckled deeply. They may not take kindly to you rearranging their furniture.

“Then I guess I have no choice but to unpack my tent and furs. What a shame,” she hummed.

A shame indeed, he chortled, drawing hjs head away in order to properly drop his shoulder for her.

Climbing up to the saddle, Inerys perched herself upon the sturdy ledge of one of his spikes and leaned her weight into him in order to undo the ties of one of her saddle bags. As she did, she noticed the foremost anchor strap of the saddle had been cut. Her brows furrowed and she brushed a hand along the separation. She had inspected all six prior to them leaving camp and none of them had been in this condition. The slice was along the inner loop, closest to Ephaxus’ scales as to hopefully go unnoticed by whomever had sabotaged the strap. It had not been sheared clean through, but the right strain would surely snap it in two.

The leather had not warped or stretched, as one might expect from a tear caused by ordinary wear. Not that she would ever have allowed the leather to dry to such a degree. Rhydian had stressed the importance of the anchor straps time and time again, having had her oil them several times on her own to ensure their proper maintenance.

She glanced over the two neighboring straps along Ephaxus’ left side before climbing over the saddle to check the remaining three on his right. Sure enough, she found two of the three had been compromised. Both in similarly concealed places. A pit formed in the bottom of her stomach as she ran a thorough inspection over the rest of her saddle, hands beginning to shake. Who would have done this? And more importantly, why?

Ephaxus stirred, neck arching as he angled his head to look at her.

What is it? He asked.

“Were any of the apprentices on your back?”

A number of them, yes. Is something wrong?

“Half of these anchor straps have been tampered with,” she said.

Mercifully, she found the rest of her saddle still intact.

He tensed, nostrils flaring. What?

She nodded gravely. “They look like they’ve been cut, but I’m not sure an ordinary blade could have carved through so much leather without you noticing. Could they have been slashed by some sort of technique?”

It must have been. There were at least three apprentices working along my spine. Any one of them could have been responsible. They were under the supervision of one of the Sages, who had also been near the saddle. They had my trust, so I did not question them. A low growl rippled through his body. I will not make that mistake again.

Inerys forced down the bile in her throat.

“You couldn’t have known. After all, we’re supposed to be safe here.”

He bared his black teeth. The circumstances have changed.

The sudden outrage coursing through him sent a shiver down her spine. Their sympathetic link had only grown in recent weeks and on occasion, their emotional states would bleed into one another. In that moment, his desire to level the tower was palpable. She reached to sooth him with a hand, however the gesture was as much for her benefit as it was his.

We are leaving, he snarled.

Her eyes grew wide. “Wait, what about the saddle?”

Had he heard nothing she’d said?

We do not need to fly to take our leave, he said, prowling toward the nearest archway.

The sudden motion earned a squeak on Inerys’ part and she flopped belly-first across the saddle. She grunted, casting a withering glare at the back of his horned head. Before she righted herself, she gave the straps a second look. If they remained on the ground, the damage wouldn’t cause too much issue. It was during flight that the sabotage would be most dangerous. The damage was likely not enough to tear the saddle free entirely, but since the front straps had been targeted, there was every possibility the right movement of his neck or a strong current would pitch the saddle back hard enough to knock her free.

Slipping her leg over the seat, she brought her body flush with the saddle as Ephaxus squeezed himself through the entry arch. Thankfully, he was able to escape with relative ease, given the arch’s size. However, he had to tuck his massive wings in close.

At this hour, there were few on the street, but those unlucky few who were, were met by the pitched hissing of an agitated wyvern. He was mindful of any carts, stepping over them when needed on his determined trek back to the Talhavar base. With his wings, he took up a majority of the paved street, after all. Most were smart enough to keep to the neat stone walkways flaking either side. Some even veered their carts and carriages onto what was otherwise a designated pedestrian path in an effort to avoid Ephaxus’ ire. However, most of the horses were less than cooperative.

Inerys didn’t blame them. She’d once been on the receiving end of his temper and knew how frightening it was. A flicker of embarrassment rose in her cheeks, but it was hard to truly feel any sort of shame while on the back of a wyvern. So long as he wasn’t taking his anger out on those innocent to the crime, she would not intervene. His current emotional state told her that arguing against returning to the aviary would have been in vain. Not that she wanted to stay on the tower grounds after all that had transpired that night.

As they neared the grounds, Ephaxus nickered. The sound echoed throughout the stone buildings. Inerys flinched, pitying anyone who had been startled awake by the pitched vocalization. Tanuzet answered not a heartbeat later, her head appearing over the edge of the aviary high above. Then, she angled her wings and glided down to land beside them outside the walls to the base. Inerys heard a few startled shouts from those within, but didn’t pay much mind to them.

Tanuzet immediately lowered her head in suspicion, checking both Inerys and Ephaxus for wounds.

Is something wrong? You two were to remain at the tower, she said.

“We’re fine, but someone sabotaged my saddle. We thought it best to return to the aviary before anything else happened.”

Flying with Inerys in the saddle was not an option, Ephaxus added.

The wyvern flashed her fangs, her own fury rising at the news. Who?

“We’re not sure,” she admitted. “It had to have been one of the apprentices who were tending Ephaxus while Rhydian and I were with Sorisana. Maybe even the Sage who was overseeing them.”

Will you permit her to ride your saddle up to the aviary proper? Ephaxus asked.

She may, she replied, far quicker than Inerys had expected.

Wyverns weren’t the sort to offer flights freely.

Inerys bowed. “Thank you, Tanuzet. I appreciate it.”

Rhydian will want to hear of this, she said, lowering her wing so that the vampire could clamber on after sliding down Ephaxus’.