Page 114 of Reaper's Quest

Winter sighed. “Kira told me she saw Chace. Although, she has not been forthcoming as to where the sighting took place.”

I pushed my weight into the table. “Let me talk to her. I bet I could get her to share the location.”

Winter shook his head and pointed to the paper. “Myla is sometimes able to see through the eyes of another. She’s the artist of this little masterpiece.” He tapped the drawing. “She told me this is where Chace was spotted.”

I snatched the picture and drew it close—studied the final creation that the many lines and squiggles made. The design depicted a tunnel. Or the catacombs. I’d seen Kira in the catacombs. She’d been there with the one going by the name Watcher?the rotten female trying to get rid of me.

Myla’s drawing, my sighting of Kira, the similarity between the locations portrayed in both. Chace had to be in the catacombs.

Are those bars? Is he in a cage?

My ears filled with an internal roar.

I lifted my gaze, my eyes narrowing on the storage room door set in the far wall. I imagined the space beyond and the secret doorway to the tunnels below.

“Aoes?” I swiveled to better face him. “Do the tunnelsbelow this place connect with the deeper catacombs beneath the citadel?”

His mouth popped open, but no sound came out.

I jolted to a stand. “I’m going to find out. Are you guys coming or staying?”

“Right now?” He balked. Glanced over the pub patrons. “I can’t go now. Earl is on an errand, and there’s no one to cover for me.”

I shrugged and turned my attention to Winter. Back at Camilla’s place, he’d had the nerve to ogle me in my barely there undergarments, yet he hadn’t spoken a devil’s damn word about Chace. I wanted to crack my scythe over his head.

I shuddered. Tried not to hate myself for having found comfort in Winter’s closeness.

His jaw clenched with obvious irritation. But he had no right to be irritated when he was the one holding back important information.

He rose, stepped close. So close a chill raced over me. An imagined, magically icy wind.

“This is a bad idea,” he said, his voice seething. “Far too risky. It has only been hours since you awoke from the healing sleep.”

Aoes jerked. “What healing sleep? What are you talking about?”

Neither of us answered.

I kept my stare tight on Winter, my retort firm. “I. Don’t. Care.”

And I didn’t. Not really. I would find the strength necessary to finish the task. Nothing he could say or do would change myreaping mind.

“I’m going anyway. Are you coming or not?”

A low growl vibrated in his throat. “What choice do you give me, when you insist on barreling into the unknown and possible danger?”

“You could stay here, help your buddy at the pub.” I smirked.

My attention fluttered to the storage room door—the room housing the secret passage that hopefully connected to the catacombs.

“I’m quite capable on my own.”

Winter followed my gaze and scoffed. “I will not allow you to race into danger alone. I’m going with you.”

29

Despite Aoes’s access to the underground labyrinth, he professed to have never bothered with drafting a map. A questionable story.

Nevertheless, he helped us on our quest by verbally passing along what he knew. His information would get us so far, then we would need to depend upon our own wits and instincts.