Alabaster Cities (Kings and Thieves Book #2)

Chapter 20

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Chapter 20

"Are you afflicted?" was the first thing that they asked.

Ari drew his chin back. "What..."

"Are you afflicted?"

"No. None of us are."

Aveline couldn't read Kai's mother; not in the dark, where her eyes glowed like a leopard's. "Are you with the royals?"

"No," Aveline replied after a pause. Not technically.

"They're alright, ma. They broke me out of prison." Aveline couldn't say she wasn't surprised that Kai vouched for them, but was grateful all the same.

Kai's mother, who refused to introduce herself, only saying; "names are important" — fussed over her son until he looked thoroughly embarrassed. She slapped his arm and scolded him for getting into prison, then tugged him in for a hug. That, more than anything else, was how Aveline decided to trust them, despite feeling the glares of the two other witches thwt stood beside Kai's mother.

Finally she pulled away and faced them. "I am obliged to you for rescuing my son," she said slowly, "but that does not mean that I trust you."

"Well, maybe we don't trust you," Eli shot back, speaking up for the first time in a while. Aveline wondered why he'd said anything, if this was the only retort he could come up with.

"We're not from the East," Ari volunteered, and Aveline nodded- guessing that Kai's mother would be more apt to trust them if they distanced themselves from the Verignes citizens who seemed to hate the witches so much. "We came to investigate the village illnesses."

"It's not an illness, first of all," she sniffed.

"Why?

"It's not transmittable, nor are there consistent symptoms. It's not an illness."

Aveline felt a flash of triumph at hearing her suspicions validated and smirked at Ari, who rolled his eyes.

"I'm Willow," she said finally, gesturing to her silent companions. "This is Sakura and Dahlia."

They both inclined their heads, and Ari subtly jerked his chin towards the woods.

"You can come out now, Inez."

"Are you quite sure, Captain?" Inez's whisper floated out from somewhere in the dark, and nearly everyone startled as a few crewmembers materialized in the trees.

Lyla's mouth dropped open. "You brought the crew?"

"Just in case there was trouble." Ari folded his arms, turning back to the witches. "You were saying?"

One of them, a short blonde, shook her head. "They can't come in here."

"Where we go, they go."

The witches shifted among themselves. Finally Willow nodded.
"Fine. The crew comes."

Aveline found herself following the women further into the forest, barely unable to see her feet in front of her. They barely made a sound as they wove expertly through the leaves; much stealthier and more soundless than Aveline's friends who seemed to be making as much noise as possible.

"Ouch!" Eli grumbled. "You elbowed me!"

"Oh, stop whining, you-"

"Shut up." Aveline's eyes widened; a small dirt path had seemed to appear in front of them, lit by small yellow lanterns like a fairy trail. Just up ahead of them lay a small grove of cabins; with colorful silks and beads hanging from the trees and tiny flames winking in dripping candles.