Belen rubbed his hand over his scar. “Could be. Guess we can check. But with which map?” He tossed a couple more on the table. “There’s a ton of them.”

Hopefully, Private Beau would know. Rolling up the area maps Ryne had left, I cleared a space. “Let’s open them all and see if there’s a pattern.”

While Belen opened them, I studied each one.

Belen tapped a finger on a map. “You do know the odds of one of these going straight to the Healer’s Guild are low, right?”

“Yes, but maybe we can get close. It’s worth checking.”

“Oh, yes. No doubt. Just didn’t want you to get your hopes up.”

The sudden desire to hug him filled me, so I did.

He hugged me back. “What’s this for?”

“Because you’re here and I can.”

“I missed you, too.”

“Don’t disappear again.”

“I won’t if you don’t,” he said.

I pulled away and gazed up at him. “You’d think that would be an easy promise to make.”

His deep rumbling laugh rolled through me like a cup of hot tea.

“How about no misleading the other over one’s death?”

“I’m sorry about that, Belen. I should have trusted you.”

“I’ve a lousy poker face. Besides, you were worried about Tohon. With good reason.”

I tapped my chest. “He still has a hold on me.”

Belen wrapped me in one of his bear hugs. “Not for long.”

We returned to deciphering the maps, but no pattern emerged. The monkeys arrived a few hours later.

“We checked everywhere and couldn’t find a legend for those maps,” Loren said. “It makes sense not to have a key lying around if you’re going to use a code. That would defeat the purpose.”

Plopping in a chair, I rubbed my stiff neck. Quain picked up a map and studied it. I didn’t have the energy to tell him it was a lost cause. Unless Private Beau knew the codes.

“Have you seen a young private?” I asked the monkeys.

“They’re all young,” Loren quipped.

“One with bright red hair?”

“Yeah, she was looking for someone,” Quain said, sounding distracted.

“I need that someone—Private Beau. Can you see what’s taking her so long?”

“Sure.” Loren glanced at Quain. He put the map down and followed Loren.

Now what? If we couldn’t sneak up on Tohon, maybe we could attack him. I sorted through the rolls of maps and found the one of northeastern Pomyt. Unrolling it, I weighed down the edges with the rocks that littered the entire building.