Shadow Slave

It seemed that the conversation was not going to happen until after the meal, which suited Sunny fine. Not only did he get to enjoy a simple, but delicious food provided by the White Feather clan, but he also received a bit more time to think about what he was going to say, and how.

Sunny focused his attention on the plate in front of him, and after a few moments, a delighted smile found its way onto his face.

'That's really good!'

Noticing it, Master Roan chuckled:

"You like it? Well… I am not going to say that I cooked it myself, because that would be a lie, but I did hunt the beast with my own two hands. I also watched and gave very wise advice when Tyris was planting the vegetables!"

Sunny choked.

'Tyris planted… what? Sky Tide grew these vegetables herself?!'

The image of the stern Saint doing gardening did not fit into his mind at all. He threw a furtive glance at the unnaturally beautiful woman, and swallowed.

'Yeah… can't imagine it.'

Saint Tyris was calmly eating, not a single emotion appearing on her face. At the mention of her name, she looked at her husband for a second, and then returned to her meal without reacting in any way. Sunny didn't know if she was simply like that around strangers, or always aloof… in any case, it was hard to picture Sky Tide doing mundane things like gardening.

Not knowing what to think of it, he lingered for a few moments, then said awkwardly:

"...Yes. Thank you, it's very tasty."

It was too good, in fact. The food was disappearing from his plate at a concerning speed, which meant that he had to sort out his thoughts fast.

Basically, there were three things about his recent adventure that were better kept secret.

The first one was the miraculous coins and their connection to the Sanctuary of Noctis.

The second was Mordret… despite the fact that Effie and Kai had easily believed him, telling total strangers that there were voices in his head was not the best of decisions. Besides that, Sunny got the feeling that the lost prince might have been in not so friendly relationship with the emissaries of the Valor clan that resided on the Chained Isle.

Sky Tide did not serve Valor directly, but her clan was still allied to the rulers of Bastion, to the point that one might have gone so far as to call them a vassal clan.

And lastly, there was the whole thing about the Ebony and Ivory Towers, the connection between them, and the Seed of Nightmare. If it threatened to create a Gate at any moment, he would have felt obligated to inform the White Feather clan, so that someone else could destroy it before that happened. But since the Seed was far from blooming, he wanted it all for himself.

However, Sunny suspected that he will have to sacrifice one of these secrets to keep the others intact.

The question was... which one?

Finally, the food was gone from their plates, and the young woman in white poured beautiful ember tea into their cups. Sunny blew on his, and glanced at Master Roan:

"So, uh… not to appear impolite, sir, but to what do I owe the pleasure?"

'Here it comes…'

He hesitated, then added:

"Is it about my friends making a ruckus after I have gone on an unusually long expedition? You weren't too inconvenienced by having to look for me, were you?"

He was expecting a confirmation, but instead, a surprised expression appeared on the strapping Master's face.

"Look for you? Uh… why would we look for you?"

Noticing that Sunny was confused, he remained silent for a moment, and then smiled.

"Ah! There must have been a misunderstanding. Nightingale and Raised by Wolves did, indeed, bring your disappearance to the attention of our clan. I was going to explore the places where you had been seen last to investigate, but luckily, Lady Cassia arrived at the Sanctuary just in time. She informed us that you would return in a few weeks, so we didn't have to worry."

A tense smile froze on Sunny's face.

"She did? Well… I'm glad your time wasn't wasted, then."

'Damn it! Damned Cassie and her damned visions! How much does she know?'

He took a sip of tea to hide his expression behind the cup for a second.

That changed things… on purpose or not, Cassie had helped him avoid the scrutiny of having to explain his absence to the White Feather clan. That, however, posed another problem.

And that problem was Song of the Fallen herself. The timing of her visit to the Sanctuary of Noctis and this strange action of hers were probably not a coincidence… what was she playing at?

Or was he being too paranoid, looking for a meaning where there was none? Cassie was not some machiavellian mastermind, after all... unlike Sunny and Nephis both. At least she had not been.

Putting down the cup, Sunny cleared his throat.

"But then… why did you invite me?"

Master Roan smiled and produced a folded piece of paper from his pocket.

"Oh, it was just to hand you this. Lady Cassia left you a message before leaving on an expedition with her cohort."

Sunny tried to seem calm and nonchalant as he took the piece of paper and unfolded it. Inside, two words were written in awkward handwriting:

"Desecrated Grove"

They were, without a doubt, left by Cassie. After becoming blind, writing was hard for her. That's why the penmanship seemed so crude.

'What the hell is that supposed to mean?'

Desecrated Grove… Sunny had heard of that place. It lay west of the Sanctuary, separated from it by a stretch of long chains. The Grove itself was not the most deadly of territories, but there were several Corrupted creatures nesting on islands in close vicinity to it.

Had Cassie known that he would want to speak to her, and left him a direction to where to find her?

Why would she lead her cohort to that remote place, which was situated as far from the Hollow Mountains as one could get on the Chained Isles?

'Strange…'

Sunny folded the note, put it under the vambrace of the Puppeteer's Shroud, and smiled:

"Thank you."

Things like that weren't too strange. Since he had gone on a long expedition and missed Cassie, who was planning to remain in the Dream Realm for a while herself, it was logical to communicate through messages. She could have just sent one to his communicator, though…

Although, if he was honest with himself, there was a big chance that he would ignore the message if she had.

Sunny finished his tea, and then asked cautiously:

"So… I can go?"

Master Roan shrugged.

"Sure. It was nice to see you again, Sunless. I hear your Emporium is doing well!"

Sunny couldn't believe his luck. Expressing his gratitude, he rose to leave.

Just as he did, though, Saint Tyris spoke for the first time. Piercing him with a penetrating gaze, she said evenly:

"...Have you been to the Reckoning Island?"

He froze.

Under the stare of Sky Tide, twisting the truth didn't seem that wise anymore.

Sunny hesitated, then said simply:

"Yes."

Saint Tyris looked at him for a few moments, then turned away.

"Next time someone asks, say no."

Taken aback, Sunny stared at the stunningly beautiful woman for a bit, gather his courage, and then quietly asked:

"May I know… why?"

Sky Tide kept her gaze at the breathtaking vista of the Chained Isles below them. Then, in a calm voice, she answered:

"You may not."