Page 32 of Aryn

Afraid to break the stillness, I keep my voice low. “Come on. Let’s make room for the others.”

He nods, breath puffing in clouds of steam as he steps forward with a visible shiver. “Hells, this feels like walking into one of Nelly’s deep freezers.”

I frown at the unfamiliar name, but there’s no time to ask as Ronan appears next, sword drawn and fire in his eyes. The thick layers of clothing make him look even larger, and his head is on a constant swivel, searching for danger in every direction before his shoulders ease.

“It’s quiet for now,” I say, whispering in an attempt to preserve the fragile peace.

Cameron steps through right after, his glasses catching the red moonlight on the snow. He huddles against Ronan’s back, seeking safety, and my chest aches at the easy way Ronan reaches behind him and offers comfort with nothing more than a touch.

I had that once.

Back when this place was home.

Lillith comes through next, eyes enormous as she tromps through the snow to stare at the plants nearby. Taryn follows last. Ever practical, she stops to pull on her gloves and hat before going any farther. Once she’s properly bundled, her eyes find Lillith and crinkle with a smile.

“You’re almost camouflaged out here,” she teases softly.

Lillith grins, head snapping up as she glances around at the red-hued night. “I’d be more camouflaged if I could be naked.”

Taryn hides a laugh behind her hand. “Let’s not risk hypothermia for the sake of experimentation right now, sweetheart.”

Magic pulls at my gut, and I twist to look at the opening we just stepped through. Faint earthly greens and cloudy blues shimmer through the air, but they’re more erratic now. Like the worlds have grown tired of us holding the veil aside, there’s a sharp snap I swear I can hear as the portal gives one last weak flicker and disappears entirely.

It’s darker without the daylight bleeding through from the other side, but the snow makes everything brighter. The breeze picks up and cuts across my skin, seeping all the way to my bones in a way I’ve never experienced before. Cato shivers again, almost violently this time.

I turn to him with a frown. “Put on your gloves and hat. If you need an extra scarf, you can have mine.”

“Y-you need it,” he insists, teeth chattering, but he obeys and digs in the side pocket of his pack.

I follow my own advice, pulling on the rest of my layers. My fingers ache even inside the fur-lined gloves, and my tail burrows under my coat, coiling around my waist for warmth. The faint rustling of leaves grows muffled as I tug my hat over my ears, the thick material stealing some of my ability to scout for danger.

“R-right, so h-here’s an idea,” Cameron manages as he bundles himself with his scarf. Only his glasses are visible now, and he scowls as they fog with his breath. “How about we just open a portal right next to our destination? That seems w-way more convenient.”

“Because we don’t know where that portal might be,” I answer, glancing at the blank space where we crossed.

Cameron’s voice is shaky as he says, “And l-let me guess, you don’t have a map handy, do you? One that shows the rifts, maybe? That would be extra useful.”

I chuckle, letting my eyes lift to the sky again. “As it so happens, I do. It doesn’t do us any good right now, though. We don’t know where they match up in Elyra.”

“Well, that sucks,” Cameron mutters.

“How about the maps we do have?” I ask Ronan. “Let’s see if we can get our bearings straight on those.”

He nods and pulls them from his pack, and I step closer at the same time as Cato. I’m surprised to find his usual aggression missing, replaced by sharp focus and obvious enthusiasm.

When he catches me watching him, his shoulders tense. “I can help,” he says, voice a touch defensive. “I’ve been planning missions for twenty years. Routes, contingencies, fallback points. This is what I do.”

“In the city you know by heart, yes,” I agree. “Things are different here.”

“Everything is different here,” he counters. “Doesn’t mean I can’t help. Sakane has spent his entire life creating maps, and I helped him with a lot of them. I’m good at this.”

His eagerness to dive in is almost endearing. I dip my chin, gesturing for him to take a look. “I didn’t think maps would interest you.”

Cato huffs a small cloud of breath as he steps forward, shoulders relaxing a fraction. “You’d be surprised at what interests me.”

Taryn steps forward to join us as Ronan pulls out the map. It’s hand-drawn but not crude, showing every landmark Sovran knows of this place. He’s made a record of the civilizations he could remember, along with a note about whether they were friendly or to be avoided.

“We need to head towards the capital”—Ronan points at a simple drawing of a city to the northeast labeled Lyravelle before dragging his finger to a spot in the center southern point of the map—“and we are here.”