40

Philia sits in the rocking chair, sipping tea. Veril has patched her wounds, and the medicine has revived her well enough. The map of Vallendor is spread across the worktable.

I set a satchel I packed with some supplies for our trip on the other side of the door from Jadon’s larger bag.

“I was telling”—Veril nods at Jadon—“about our proposed itinerary.”

Jadon holds out both Little Lava and Fury to me. “You dropped these.”

“Did I?” I don’t reach for the dagger or the longsword. We may have agreed on a limited alliance until we find Olivia and my amulet, but it doesn’t mean I’ve forgiven him.

“You’ll need them.” He sets both weapons atop the map like a peace offering.

I push them to the side.

For a few tense moments, Jadon and I exchange glares as Veril shifts foot-to-foot. Jadon breaks first, sighs, and turns his attention to the map. “You need to reach Mount Devour…here.” Jadon jabs his finger on the jagged lines protruding from the Sea of Devour. “And according to Philia, Olivia’s being taken…” He slides his finger south. “Here. Fucking Weeton.”

Philia creeps over to join us at the worktable.

“You have no regard for the town of Weeton?” I ask.

Jadon grimaces. “Weeton is known for its marvelous views of the wasteland and for its citizens who are more outlaws than anything else. Mostly ex-soldiers who kidnap royals.”

“Fine,” I say, “but why did they take Olivia?”

Silence from Jadon.

Silence from Philia until: “Because she’s…she’s engaged.” Her face crumples like paper, and she bursts into tears.

“To you, yes?” I ask, confused.

That causes Philia to slump onto a stool and cry harder.

“Not to Philia,” Jadon says. “Olivia is engaged to someone else.”

Too astonished to gasp, I let my mind dart, searching for clues in Olivia’s words.

“Sh-sh-she…” Philia can’t catch her breath.

Veril and I exchange looks— what new nonsense now? —as he hands her a handkerchief. We all wait as she composes herself. But then, just as composure raises its lovely head, the gasps and sobs, huffs and snorts return.

Jadon comes from around the table to hug her. “Livvy will be okay.”

Which makes Philia cry harder.

We wait for composure again. I understand—it’s been a stress-filled journey. She’s tired. She’s anxious. She loves a thief who is also a cheater.

Finally, Philia lifts her head and levels her shoulders. “She was promised to him on her tenth birthday. She turned fifteen and—” Her throat catches, and she balls her hands against her lips. “And when it came time to marry… She just… She couldn’t. Her parents told her that she’d learn to love him. But they cared only about themselves. By Livvy marrying him, their station in society would improve. If she at least had one child, an heir…”

My stomach roils. Oh dear.

“She was miserable.” Philia twists the hankie. “She dreamed of running away, and every day, she planned her escape. Any time her parents gave her money, she saved some of it. She’d take geld from their chests and coat pockets. And then she’d go into town and sell her clothes, her jewels, food, just to save enough geld to survive. But it wasn’t enough. She needed something big to sell. Something impressive. Something… valuable .”

Philia meets my eyes for a second before staring down at her trembling hands. “She knew what to take. She knew where it was. No one visited that library except for Livvy, and so she went down with a sewing bag, and she took it from the shelf.”

The redhead slowly releases a breath through clenched teeth. “She stole the book with the jeweled cover. Those aren’t pieces of cut glass. Those are real rubies. Real emeralds and diamonds.” She swallows, but something remains caught in her throat. “When she returned to her room, he was there, waiting. He saw the book in Livvy’s sewing bag, and she turned around and ran before he could take it. And she’s never stopped running.”

The sitting room slides into silence with only the hearth’s fire crackling. The air in the cottage has also turned humid—Philia has shed a sea of tears.

I look at Jadon. “Is she your sister?”

Jadon shakes his head. “Olivia and I met the night she escaped. She was distressed and scared, and I… I understood. I couldn’t just leave her there, so I helped her escape. It took us months, but we finally found a town far away enough to settle down and live like normal people for a moment.”

“Maford,” I whisper, a sinking feeling in my stomach.

“We told everyone that we were brother and sister,” Jadon says. “Funnily enough, I started to believe it. I always watched over her. We’d bicker but knew we’d make up because we had only each other. Maford became a paradise for me. A new life. A new trade. Anonymity.”

“And I finally met my true love,” Philia whispers. “We wanted to be together even though we couldn’t marry. People in Maford were starting to suspect that…that Livvy and I loved each other that way. And so we came up with a plan. Relocate to Vinevridth. Jadon promised to take us there.”

“What stopped that move from happening?” My heart hurts for this couple.

“You,” Philia says. “ You stopped that move from happening.”

Jadon shakes his head. “We had to figure things out once circumstances changed. Yes, we thought we had more time. But then Olivia met you—”

“Met?” I say, eyebrows high. “You say that like we bumped into each other at the market.”

“She stole from the wrong person.” Jadon glares at Philia before turning back to me. “Still, though, we didn’t expect they’d find us. But I was wrong: they found us, and now…” He spreads his arms. “Here we are.”

A realization uncoils in my mind. “ They. You mean the soldiers who invaded Maford? They weren’t there to conquer Maford? They were looking for Olivia ? That’s why they were kicking down doors…?” I lean against the table, dumbfounded. “Why would Wake send—?”

“Kai,” Jadon says, bracing himself for what I can tell is the final and worst bit of it. “Olivia’s fiancé is Gileon Wake, the emperor’s son. And they won’t stop hunting for her until she’s back in Brithellum, either married to Gileon or placed in the dungeons for stealing from the emperor. And the emperor probably knows by now that we killed the men he sent, and he will send out more men to find us—better trackers, better fighters, others—and maybe they will find us soon, and if they do, they’ll kill us on the spot for treason.” He swallows, then adds, “That includes you, too.”

“What?” My head swims—I don’t even know these people. All I wanted to do that day was protect the village from violent men with swords, figure out who I was and why Elyn was searching for me, but now I’m running from her and the emperor ? I’m the one who’s aided and abetted a fugitive and a thief, and… Treason? I cover my head with my arms. “So.” I straighten, inhale and exhale. “We head for Weeton, and we find Olivia before she tries to trade my amulet for freedom. If only she’d been honest—”

Jadon starts to noisily roll up the map. “Don’t start.”

The power burns in my hands, and I slam my fist against the table. “And who are you to tell me what to do? I haven’t told a lie yet, nor have I maligned her already twisted character.” A ticking warmth spreads up my arms. “If you wanna grapple with me today, Ealdrehrt, I’ll gladly introduce you to the ground.”

“Enough of this,” Veril interrupts. “We’ll rescue Olivia, and Kai can reclaim her pendant from that silly thief—they can’t be too far away. And then, Kai, you and I can continue to Caburh and then Mount Devour.”

I take calming breaths, and the heat in my palms cools. Fine. But I won’t be duped again.

Veril wraps his vials in cotton and cloth and fills his satchel with food, including dried lentils, cured meats, those cocoa-apricot cookies, and of course, honeycakes. He grabs Warruin from the corner and says, “Ready?”

“I can carry some of that,” I say, reaching for his bag. Once he dismisses my offer, I slip my satchel onto my shoulder and gaze at the warm room that helped me heal. Will we ever return to this place?

Jadon plants himself in the middle of the sitting room, Fury and Little Lava in hand. “Take your weapons, at least? I’m not being entirely altruistic.”

I throw up my hands. “What do you want from me? Is it because your odds of surviving this improve when I have a sword in my hand?”

He cocks his head. “Yes, my odds improve when you’re armed.”

I grab the weapons and stow each in their sheaths.

“Great.” Jadon grabs his bag and heads out the front door.

I glare at Philia. “What are you waiting for?”

The young woman startles, blushes, and hugs herself. “You’ll let me join you?”

I say nothing and continue glaring at her, the muscles above my eyes twitching.

Near tears, Philia hurries over to the door. She looks back over her shoulder and says, “You look lovely, Kai, wearing all your stuff. You really do.”

The twitching muscles above my eyes are now joined by the strained cords in my neck.

Veril says, “Miss Philia, I’d advise you to quickly gather those items you’ll need before they join the others in that campfire.”

Philia darts out of the cottage.

Stopping destructive forces had been a monumental task when I thought Jadon cared about me, when I thought Olivia and Philia were on my side. But now, there’s only one person I’m willing to save: Veril Bairnell the Sapient. He’s been my friend, my healer, a stand-in father. I’ll save the realm for him.

Together, the old man and I leave the cottage, still gauzy in its enchantment from the battaby attack. Jadon stands at the head of the path, his back to me. Philia is shoving who-knows-what into one of the now-emptied satchels.

I adjust the cuffs on my boots. “How long will this journey take?”

Veril slips Warruin into his free hand. “What is time, dearest?”

I snicker. “That long, then.”

“We’ll get there,” Jadon says over his shoulder.

Or we’ll all die trying.