City of Spells (Into the Crooked Place #2) - Alexandra Christo Page 0,35

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“If I do not go, Tavia will,” Karam said. “And she will get herself killed doing it. You know how reckless she has become. You have seen how much she has changed. It is as if she is trying to be Wesley because he cannot be here.”

Saxony couldn’t deny it, because they all had watched Tavia as she tried to wear shoes that never should have been hers to begin with. She wasn’t an underboss and she wasn’t even really a criminal. Tavia had wanted to save the world, and more and more each day, Karam could see her forgetting that.

“Where will you go?” Saxony asked.

“Tisvgen,” Karam said. “Nolan told Tavia he heard something about Wesley being there. And even if he is not, that city lies between us and Creije and the mountains will give me a good vantage point to see Ashwood’s hold in the capital.”

“You can’t go alone,” Saxony said. “It’s dangerous. Maybe I could—”

“You are needed here,” Karam said. “And I will not be alone. I plan to ask Arjun and a few of his Kin to come with me. I will be okay.”

“You can’t promise that,” Saxony said. “I don’t want you to leave me.”

Those words alone almost broke Karam.

She hadn’t told Saxony what she was thinking sooner because of that reason: She didn’t want to leave her and she was afraid something would happen to Saxony in her absence. All Karam wanted was to be with her and for them—and their friends and the world—to be safe.

“She is right to leave,” her grandma said. “We need the Creijen underboss safe and here with us, ready to do battle.”

“I need her,” Saxony said, turning back to Karam. “I need you here, by my side.”

Karam wanted very strongly to kiss her in that moment, but it seemed an odd thing to do with Saxony’s grandma watching them.

“I owe Wesley my life,” Karam said. “Just as you do. We cannot leave him with the Kingpin any longer. His guidance is what we need to win this war.”

Saxony still didn’t look convinced, and Karam thought that sometimes Saxony forgot that Karam had made her name in the underrealm fighting rings.

“Do not worry so much,” Karam said. “I will return and I will bring Wesley back. He might know how to stop the buskers from selling the Loj.”

“Tisvgen is dangerous,” Saxony said.

“I have lived in this realm for many years and I know what to expect. I can easily navigate across the Shores of the Dead and to the mountains,” Karam said.

Saxony sighed in resignation, though Karam could see the doubt still flicker in her eyes. Saxony reached out for Karam’s hands.

“You better come back in one piece,” she said.

“You know I will.”

“And try not to kill the underboss if he isn’t in a good mood when you save him,” Saxony’s grandma said. “He probably hasn’t slept much.”

They both turned to her, a little surprised.

“You really do want us to save Wesley, don’t you?” Saxony asked.

Her grandma nodded. “He is necessary,” she said. “And it’s time he came back to where he belongs.”

“Well, Karam can still punch him if he gets mouthy,” Saxony said.”Don’t kill him, but make sure to kick his ass if he doesn’t at least say thank you.”

Karam had no doubt that once Wesley was back, he and Saxony would settle into the same routine of rolling their eyes at anything the other said, while secretly valuing each other’s stance on things. They had a lot of forgiving to do, but Wesley had saved Saxony’s life and sacrificed himself so she could escape, and that should have earned him absolution.

WHEN THE sun rose the next morning, Karam, Arjun, and Asees had already been training for hours. Karam was glad to finally have a fighting session that didn’t end with Tavia trying to teach her all kinds of shifty magic tricks, with a busker’s gleam in her eyes as Karam failed to master any one of them.

This was familiar.

This she knew.

She would miss it when she left.

“Time for a break,” Asees said in Wrenyi. “I may faint if we continue.”

Karam nodded in agreement, wiping the sweat from her brow. She swallowed a gulp of breath that made her chest sting.

“Agreed,” she said. “There’s only so many times I can beat Arjun to a pulp before it gets boring.”

Arjun pointed at her with his sword. “Don’t get cocky. I’m only letting you win so you feel good about yourself. We can’t have your bruised ego costing us this