ravaged hearts

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO,

RAVAGED HEARTS | CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  IT ALMOST FELT like the days back in the war again. The dreaded anticipation, the weapons laid out on tables, the people murmuring to each other in low voices. Rhys went around greeting everyone and giving them encouragement. Io nodded to old friends who sent her confused smiles—seems like her return hadn't been made public news yet. The main dining hall of the inn was lively yet seemed filled with death.

  The taste of a battle to come singed the walls. Io felt like she could already smell the blood some of them would be returning with.

  Hopefully, everyone in this room of brilliant agents will survive. But Io couldn't make promises.

  She twirled a small pistol around in her hand, rubbing its mother-of-pearl inlay on the handle. A delicately crafted piece and one of her favourites. It had been someone else's before it was hers. Cassalyn Diao's. Once one of the greatest spies of her generations, now half-settled in quiet retirement, trying to start a family.

  When she held it she felt like she was part of something more. A legacy of spies and agents, one in a long line. As if she was involved in something bigger. She knew it was ridiculous, but she appreciated the feeling. She appreciated the feeling greatly. It gave her a purpose even in her darkest hours, darkest days.

  She'd kept this pistol with her for many years now. It was her lucky charm.

  Rhys walked over, saw it and grinned. "Cass would be overjoyed to know you still keep that with you."

  "Well, I always had a soft spot for old things."

  "Some of us are so washed away by the new we forget about the things that led us there in the first place. You don't."

  "I remember. Maybe a bit too much."

  Rhys offered a wry smile. "You finally realised?"

  "No, I knew long ago," Io shook her head. "It's just that I'm deciding to do something about it now."

  "That's growth."

  "Growth," Io mused. "Yes, I suppose that's it. Surprising, huh?" She had been a very stagnant person for the past few years. She'd changed and then just... stopped. Too scared to confront her past, too frightened to look into the future. Remaining still, trying to withstand the crushing wave of time had seemed like the best option.

  "It's about time."

  "This one mission is about to put a bung in two of my little unsolved past issues. Yi jian shaung diao, if this isn't a good thing I don't know what is."

  "I'm glad you're back, Io, truly. I missed you. A lot. Things just weren't the same without you around, you know."

  "I'm that special?" Io teased, shaking her head. "You're inflating my ego, Rhys, and you know what happens when that occurs."

"I can handle you."

  Io gave a little shrug. "If you say so, Jiang."

  "I can though. I could handle you when you were twelve and at your wildest."

  "That was also your wildest time. You, my friend, are starting to get old."

  "I'm four years older than you."

  "You're nearly thirty."

  "You're also closer to thirty than twenty now."

  "Not as close as you."