Bodies lay about the lower courtyard. A couple dozen at least. Maybe more. It was hard to tell in the dark and all the torches on this level had been extinguished.

Torches still flickered from the upper courtyard, and there were a few guards moving about. The rebellion had obviously failed, but no one had come to remove the bodies yet. Probably waiting till morning. Or no one had thought to order it yet.

“Stay here,” Zandrue told Corvinian. “I’ll be right back.”

She left Corvinian sitting in the guards’ cubby by the entrance and ventured into the courtyard. She moved from body to body, primarily to find out if any were her friends, but she took a moment at each to check if any were alive as well.

There were a mix of bodies. Several were palace guards, so the rebels hadn’t been totally slaughtered. But the majority were not guards, nor did they look much like warriors at all. Many had been trampled. Many of them—particularly those near the entrance—had also been looted.

She recognised a couple of them: people she’d seen at Resistance meetings. Nin-Chamer, Fra-Mecatl’s son, was one of them. A shame. She’d liked the guy.

She glanced up at the upper courtyard on numerous occasions. It was unlikely they could see her in the dark, starless night, but she didn’t want to take any chances.

Beside the stairs leading to the middle courtyard lay a body in yellow robes. Zandrue closed her eyes for a moment and sighed, then bent down to examine it.

The individual groaned as Zandrue turned her over. She was still alive.

Blood and dirt covered the right side of Tadstaime’s face and parts of her jaw bone were visible. Her right arm and shoulder were shattered as well. She must have fallen from above. Her left eye opened and the right eyelid twitched, but remained closed.

“Lacquaime?” she managed to say.

“Yes, it’s me, Tadstaime.”

“I am so glad you came.”

“Don’t try to speak. I’m going to get you some help.”

“There is no point. I will not live much longer. You should not have moved me.”

“Shit, I’m sorry. I thought you were dead. I didn’t—”

“Do not apologise. Death was inevitable. This way shortens the suffering. And I am glad to see you before I go. Promise me something.”

“Anything,” Zandrue said, wiping away her tears.

“Carry on my legacy. It will not be easy. Fra-Ichtaca will take total control now, and she will attempt to have you removed or killed. Save as much of what I accomplished as you can, and rebuild.” She coughed, bringing up blood and stirring up the festering wound on the side of her face.

“I promise,” Zandrue lied.

“You must also make sure you are present at the ceremony on New Year’s day. Prince Castroff’s men are under the Grand Temple. Go to them. Tell them who you are and that I want you present at the ceremony. Promise this to me.”

“I promise.”

Tadstaime reached out with her good arm and tried to grasp Zandrue’s. Zandrue took her hand.

“This last month since you arrived has been amongst the happiest of my life,” Tadstaime said, her voice getting hoarser and quieter with each word. “I know you will not let me down. Now please voice the last rites for me.” She coughed again.

Zandrue placed her hands on Tadstaime’s blood-soaked cheeks—what was left of them. “Go into the embrace of Nyx afraid and whimpering for mercy. But know that, if you are found worthy, you shall receive glory in the world that is to come. All hail the Lord of Darkness. All hail Nyx.”

“All hail...” Tadstaime coughed again. “Nyx. We will...be...free.” Her body went still.

“We will be free.” Zandrue closed Tadstaime’s eye and laid her out flat on the ground.

She hadn’t said words in praise of the Lord of Darkness for a very long time. They made her shudder now. But she also felt relieved that Tadstaime had never learned she betrayed her—that she had never been on the arcraime’s side in the first place.

She wiped the tears from her face and ascended the stairs to the middle courtyard. There were fewer bodies here, though most of them were Resistance members she recognised. There were still a few palace guards as well. Near the spot where Tadstaime must have fallen from, she saw a large body, bigger than everyone else here.

Oh gods, no.

She sighed with relief to find out it wasn’t Rudiger. It was Prince Garet. What the hell was he doing here?

He must have come with Felitïa. If she had Quilla with her, he wouldn’t have left her behind. Did Quilla know yet?

Satisfied none of the bodies were Rudiger’s or Felitïa’s, Zandrue headed back to Corvinian.

“What took you so long?” the boy asked.

“Sorry, there were a lot of bodies to check. Look, Rudiger was supposedly working in the stables at the Palace. I need to find out if he’s there. It’ll be easier for me to get in there by myself, so I want you to go back to the forest and wait there for me, okay?’

“But I want to come,” Corvinian said. “I want to see Rudiger too.”

Zandrue shook her head. “Don’t worry. If I find him, we’ll both come back to you, okay? You’ll get to see him then. But it really will be easier for me by myself. Okay?”

“Yeah, okay,” Corvinian groaned.

“Good, run along and stay hidden till I get back.”

Corvinian nodded and headed off. He wasn’t moving very fast—probably sulking because he couldn’t come with her—but he headed in the right direction.

The next trick was to find the stables without getting caught. She had no idea where they were, but they’d want an open area for the horses. Since there wasn’t such an area at the front, the back seemed the best place to start. There also had to be another way in and out of the Palace grounds than just these rising courtyards, a place more amenable for horses and wagons. The south side of the Palace was bordered by forest and the west by the Jaguar, so it had to be along the north side between the Palace and the Grand Temple.

She hurried out of the courtyard and around to the north side. There were several common homes along this stretch of the City, but they cleared away before the Grand Temple. There was a path between the Temple and the Palace and at the far end of the Temple, there was a portion of the Palace wall joining it, with a closed gate in the middle. She could just make out the outlines of warriors on top of the wall and a couple in front of the gate.

That was not going to be an easy way to get in. However, maybe there was a way that wasn’t so heavily guarded.

She returned to the front of the Grand Temple. There was an unfamiliar scent in the air and a shadowy shape moved past the base of the stairs and paused. Four-legged, it stood about half her height and was easily as long as Rudiger was tall. Despite the near-pitch black night, its eyes glinted with what little light there was. And it was looking right at her.

Shit. She didn’t need this right now.

“Nice kitty,” she muttered. “Trust me, I don’t taste very good.” One day, she wanted to learn just what it was about her scent—and that of other Volgs—that spooked animals so much.

It crouched low, ready to pounce. A growl rumbled from its throat.

Zandrue placed her hand on the hilt of her sword. There was no way she could outrun the jaguar, and little chance she could fight it either. Of all the ways she’d imagined going out, this had never been one of them.

“Bahlam!”

The jaguar twitched, turning its head in the direction of the voice. As it moved, something long and dangling from its neck moved along with it, dragging on the ground. A lead?

“Down!”

The jaguar growled, but lay down on the ground. Two Queen’s Guards emerged from the darkness. One had her spear ready. The other cautiously approached the jaguar and picked up the lead. Once she had it securely wrapped around her wrist, she looked in Zandrue’s direction.

“Sorry. He got away.”

“Will that lead actually do any good?” Zandrue asked, removing her hand from her sword. She hoped they couldn’t tell she had a sword in the dark and that her bow tied to her back looked like nothing more than a staff.

“No,” the Queen’s Guard said. “If he decides to pounce, I can’t stop him. If you’re lucky, my friend here will kill him before he kills you, but they’re not good odds. Return to your home.”

“Right away,” Zandrue said. “Thank you.” She walked away, towards the homes of the City, but kept her pace slow, paying attention to what she could hear from the two Queen’s Guards.

“How the hell did he get here?” the second one asked.

“How should I know? Let’s get him back to the Palace and find Captain Ses-Zeltzin. After...”

Their voices faded out as Zandrue got farther away.

She wandered between the nearest buildings for several minutes while she gave the guards enough time to leave. Then she returned to the Temple. After confirming the coast was clear, she approached the steps and began to ascend.

Once she was up a couple tiers, she hopped off the steps onto the tier itself. She had to squeeze around statues and plants, sometimes even climbing up or down a level to get past tight spots. It took awhile, but eventually she made it to the back and past the Palace wall. Then she climbed down the pyramid tiers onto the Palace grounds. Thankful for the cloudy night to hide her, she darted across the open field towards the back of the Palace.

Finding the stables proved easy, and she got herself inside unseen.

“Hello?”

There was no Rudiger.

Of course, it was the middle of the night. He could be sleeping somewhere. Though if he’d had any involvement with the attack—and there was no reason why he wouldn’t have—he might not have been allowed back to wherever he’d been sleeping. So where would he be?

A horse snorted.

She looked over at the big roan snout that was sticking out of one of the stalls. “Hello, Borisin! Happy to see me?”

The horse snorted again.

“Rudiger around?”

Borisin just stared at her.

Zandrue sighed. “Look, I know you don’t like me very much, but we both like Rudiger, and I suspect we would both like to get back to him. So here’s what I propose. I’m going to get you out of these stables. I know how much you hate stables. And then, if you have any idea where Rudiger is, you’re going to take me to him. Okay?”

Borisin continued to stare.

She waited a moment, but he continued to do nothing else, so she set about tacking and saddling him. He didn’t protest, so that was a good sign, wasn’t it? Once he was ready, she opened his stall and went to the stable doors. She paused.

Even in the dark, the guards would spot Borisin. He was big enough. She needed a distraction.

“Wait, don’t go out right away.”

She went to the other stalls and opened them one after the other. There weren’t a lot of horses, but there were a few. She goaded them towards the stable doors. Borisin started to help her, nudging the horses in the right direction with his head.

“Think you can startle them into running out?”

Borisin snorted, which she decided to take as a yes.

Zandrue opened the stable doors and darted out of the way. Borisin squealed and kicked at the horse nearest him. He didn’t hit the horse, but it was enough to make the horse dart forward into the next horse. Then they were all squealing and running from the stables—in different directions, too.

With a smile, Zandrue mounted Borisin. They waited, listening to the sounds of yells from the guards, gave it enough time for the guards to be distracted enough rounding up the horses and spread out enough that they couldn’t easily go after Borisin as a group.

“Okay, big guy, take me to Rudiger.”

Borisin bounded out of the stables at a gallop.

“The Queen’s horse!” someone cried. “Someone’s stealing the Queen’s horse!”

Borisin rounded the north corner of the Palace and galloped down the path, knocking over a pair of guards. He rounded the east corner into the upper courtyard, barrelling past more startled guards.

He wasn’t going to...? No way.

He leapt down the stairs and Zandrue clutched onto his main as she bounced about. Going down these stairs could not be good for him—or easy. They were so narrow. He stumbled a couple times and Zandrue held on for dear life. Yet somehow he made it to the middle courtyard. He darted across it, leaping over bodies, and then down the next flight of stairs. Once again, it was a bumpy ride, but they made it to the bottom. Then he galloped out of the Palace and turned to the north.

Borisin slowed to a canter as he navigated around the houses, kitchens, and other structures. The whole while, though, he kept looking in the direction of the Grand Temple, and eventually he brought her round to the steps there.

“Here?” she said. Borisin snorted. “Gods fucking damn it, I was just here. I should have gone inside.” She dismounted. “Okay, they’re going to be coming after you, so get yourself out of sight. I’ll find Rudiger. Oh! Corvinian’s hiding in the woods south of the Palace. Go find him and wait with him. Rudiger and I will get there as soon as we can.” She patted the horse’s rump and he galloped off.

Zandrue hurried up the stairs as fast as she could. There were probably guards coming, and she’d be an obvious target.

There were several dead bodies in front of the Temple’s entrance. Most were Queen’s Guards—Rudiger’s work?—but the body on the sacrificial stone took her by surprise. She had never seen Nin-Xoco, but the body matched descriptions she’d heard.

So the Queen was dead.

Zandrue approached the Temple doors.

* * * * *

Felitïa had been nodding off. Each time her head slumped over, she jerked back awake again. She tried laying her head on the table at one point, but discovered she wasn’t sure what to do with her hands in this state. That was going to cause a problem with sleeping. She usually liked to curl one hand up under her pillow as she slept. She would have to figure something else out while her fingers healed.

It was better that she stay awake now though. Anyone could arrive at any moment. Falling asleep could be deadly.

But no one had come yet in the hours since Nin-Akna and Rudiger had left. No one had come from below or above. There was still no sign of Fra-Ichtaca.

So she continued to wait. Perhaps she should have gone with Nin-Akna and Rudiger. It might have been more interesting. On several occasions, she considered heading deeper into the temple despite her promise. But they were right. In her current state, if she met opposition, she’d be in trouble.

A scraping noise came from upstairs—the Temple’s main doors opening. Felitïa sprang to her feet and moved through the archway into the corridor. She pressed herself against the wall and waited.

After a moment, a figure came down the stairs, and Felitïa let go of the sleeping spell she had been about to cast.

“Zandrue!” Felitïa stepped back through the arch.

“Felitïa? Oh gods, Felitïa!”

Zandrue rushed forward and hugged her. Felitïa hugged her back as best she could, although it was hard to apply any pressure to the hug without using her hands. Feelings of relief and joy—both hers and Zandrue’s—swam through her head

After a moment, Zandrue stepped back and wiped tears from her eyes. “Let me look at you.” She reached for Felitïa’s hands.

“Careful,” Felitïa said, pulling her hands back and holding them up.

Zandrue grimaced. “Shit, what happened?”

“One of the Queen’s Guards broke them all. Under Fra-Ichtaca’s orders.”

“Gods, that must have been horrible.”

Felitïa shrugged. “It was. Painful as hell. But I’m trying not to let it get me too down. Nin-Akna splinted them for me. They should heal in a month or so.”

“Nin-Akna?”

“One of the Youth Guard. There’s a lot to tell you.”

“Same here,” Zandrue said.

Felitïa indicated the table and chairs. “We seem to have some time.”

Zandrue shook her head. “There are Volgs beneath the Temple, Felitïa.”

“I know. They seem to be staying put for now.”

“Oh,” Zandrue said. “Is Rudiger here? Borisin seems to think he is. He brought me here anyway.”

Felitïa shook her head. “Sorry.” She sat at the table and motioned again for Zandrue to join her. “He and Nin-Akna went to Fra-Mecatl’s. Ses-Zeltzin was going there with soldiers to kill everyone. They were hoping to catch up. I stayed here to watch for Fra-Ichtaca, who’s disappeared below.”

Zandrue took a seat and Felitïa started filling her in on what had been happening. She started with the most recent events. There would be time later—she hoped—to go over earlier events.

“Oh gods!” Zandrue interrupted. “I almost forgot. I found Corvinian!”

“You did?”

Zandrue grinned. “Yeah. He’s waiting in the forest south of the City. Borisin should be with him by now.”

A huge weight lifted off Felitïa. Since getting to Ninifin, she hadn’t had a chance to even begin a search for the boy. She had been hoping learning the Ninifin secrets would help her, but that hadn’t gone well so far.

“We should go collect him,” Zandrue said, “and then head for Fra-Mecatl’s ranch. Rudiger and the others might need our help.”

“I need to get back down to the lower levels,” Felitïa said.

“And before we do that, we should regroup,” Zandrue said. “Go as a group. You’re in no condition to go on your own.”

“I know. That’s why I’m waiting for them to come back. We’ll regroup here.”

Zandrue nodded, but disappointment flooded Felitïa’s senses. “You’re right. I guess I’m just anxious to...”

“You’ll see Rudiger again,” Felitïa said.

“If he survives.”

Felitïa nodded. “Yes, if he survives, but he’s still alive right now.” She quickly checked the image of him in her head. “He’s injured, but not badly.”

A brief pang of guilt surged from Zandrue. “I forgot to say. I looked through the bodies of the dead from the attack on the Palace. Felitïa, I found Garet. He’s dead.”

It felt like a hole opened inside Felitïa’s stomach and everything fell in. The room seemed a little darker. She’d never liked Garet much, but she had developed a little respect for him recently. He was annoying as hell, but he wasn’t a terrible person. Her thoughts went more towards Quilla, though. Did Quilla know yet? Had she been there?

“I’m sorry,” Zandrue said.

Felitïa just nodded.

“I’ll go get Corvinian and bring him here.”

Felitïa shook her head. “No. Not yet. This isn’t the best place for him. We’d just be taking him straight back to the people you got him away from.”

“Fair point.”

They sat there awhile longer while Felitïa continued telling Zandrue the details of the situation. Then she asked what Zandrue had been up to.

Zandrue sighed and Felitïa could feel anxiety building up in her. And some fear. The same fear and anxiety of old.

“Rudiger said you took off,” Felitïa said. “You had quite the argument apparently. It reminded me a lot of the way you used to take off from Elderaan’s.”

“It was exactly like that,” Zandrue said. “And for the same reasons. Felitïa, I need to tell you something, but I need to tell Rudiger too, and it’s going to be hard enough to do it once. I’d rather wait to tell you both at the same time. Is that okay?”

Felitïa nodded. “Of course. Whatever makes you comfortable.” She felt anxiety again, but this time it was her own. She had a strong suspicion of some of what Zandrue was going to say, but there was a lot she still didn’t know either—such as why she needed to keep taking off with so little notice. The thought that Zandrue might finally tell her was nerve-wracking.

Felitïa told a little more of her story, but realised if she got to the part about the locket, she’d give away that she already knew some of what Zandrue wanted to say. Would that make it easier or harder for her? Felitïa couldn’t be sure.

“Do you mind if I rest a little?” Felitïa asked.

Zandrue smiled at her. “Of course not.”

“It’s just I did a lot of spellcasting earlier. Some really tough casting and I’m exhausted.”

“It’s fine,” Zandrue said. “I’ll keep watch.”

Felitïa put her head down and closed her eyes, let her hands dangle at her side. Her own anxieties kept sleep at bay for a while, but it came eventually.

Felitïa.

That same voice-not-voice calling to her.

Felitïa.

She looked about the Room, trying to find its source. If there were a mental presence to go with it, she couldn’t find one. She brought up the line of figures and the two voices lined up perfectly. She moved along the line to Nin-Akna and then beyond. She tried to bring into focus the ones that were still blurred, but they wouldn’t change. Perhaps she could at least count how many more. But after the very next one, they all continued to blend together. She could tell there were more than one, but it was impossible to count the number.

Felitïa!

That one seemed more urgent.

Felitïa!

No, it was a different voice.

“Felitïa!”

She opened her eyes and lifted her head from the hard table.

A familiar child looked back at her. “Corvinian?” His hair had been dyed black and he was tanned, but it was him. She confirmed it by checking the Room and finding no presence of him there. She looked to Zandrue who was standing by the stairs.

“Don’t look at me,” Zandrue said. “I didn’t go get him. Borisin brought him. Damn horse. I told him to stay put, but he apparently didn’t listen.”

“We got tired of waiting,” Corvinian said. “So I convinced Borisin to bring me to you.”

Felitïa nodded. Her head was pounding, and her fingers, hands, and arms ached. “It’s all right. You’re here now.” She held out her arms to him and he hugged her.

“I knew you’d come for me,” he said.

She motioned for him to sit at the table. “I’m sorry it took so long. Tell me what you’ve been up to all this time.”

“After the Volgs took me away, they flew to a ship on the lake and kept me there in a cage overnight. There were humans there, too, helping the Volgs. The next day, they carried me back to land. Over the next few days, we kept going. South I think. They’d carry me while they flew for a few hours. Then we’d land for a while, then fly again. Finally, we arrived here in Ninifin and they gave me to Fra-Ichtaca. She was supposed to look after me until they came back for me. She said that I would be her son and she gave me a room with her daughter Nin-Xtab.

“It wasn’t too bad at first. I didn’t have to sleep in a cage anymore. I got my own bed. Not many Ninifins get their own bed. I went to school with Xtab and I had to start learning the language. Xtab and I became friends. She’s really nice.

“Fra-Ichtaca wasn’t so nice though. She wanted to know about my abilities. She tested me, had people attack me to see how my powers reacted. She tried to get me to control them, but I couldn’t figure out how. They just work on their own. You should have seen how they dealt with the guards when Zandrue rescued me. It was fucking awesome.”

Felitïa looked up at Zandrue, who looked away. “I will neither confirm nor deny where he got that language.”

“Uh huh.”

Zandrue came over to the table. “I will add one thing I noticed about that blue energy. It repelled the guards’ attacks, disintegrated their arrows and spearheads, threw dirt up in their faces, but never harmed any of them. Well, except maybe some bruises from being knocked over.”

“Yeah, it never hurts people,” Corvinian said. “Fra-Ichtaca tried to get it to a few times, but it never would.”

It had hurt her, Felitïa thought, remembering when she’d first met the boy and tried to find his mental presence. She wouldn’t easily forget losing her powers for several days. And it had practically thrown Ezmelda, though admittedly that hadn’t done serious damage.

“We’ve got company,” Zandrue said, indicating the archway.

Felitïa jumped to her feet and turned around. A pair of warriors had ascended the stairs in the hallway. One had already levelled his spear in her direction and was edging forward. The other raised his spear over the head of the first and followed.

“Get behind us, Corvinian,” Felitïa said. The boy was already crawling under the table while Zandrue came around it to stand beside her.

“Reverence!” the second warrior called as they entered the room and spread out side-by-side.

“Yes, what is it?” Fra-Ichtaca snapped. She had just reached the top of the stairs and when she turned towards the warriors, she stopped, even took a small step back. “What is this?” She darted behind the two warriors. She glared at Felitïa for a moment, but then her gaze fell on Zandrue and she leaned back, shaking. “I knew it! ”

Zandrue gave her a little wave.

“Kill that one and restrain—”

Felitïa didn’t bother listening to the entire command and put the nearest guard to sleep. The other lunged for Zandrue who threw herself backwards onto the table and rolled over. She landed on the other side.

Felitïa tilted her head in the opposite direction and put the second guard to sleep.

Fra-Ichtaca ran back to the stairs.

Both guards woke up again immediately after hitting the floor, but Felitïa kicked the first’s spear out of his reach and Corvinian reached out from under the table and pulled the second’s spear away. The first tried to draw a dagger, but Felitïa put him right back to sleep again. Zandrue took the spear from Corvinian, scrambled back over the table and drove the spear into the second’s neck. She then took off into the corridor.

“Zandrue, wait!” Felitïa called, but Zandrue was already running down the stairs and out of sight.

Felitïa ran to the edge of the stairs and looked down, but there was only darkness below. “Corvinian, grab a torch!”

She continued to watch down the stairs, hoping to catch a glimpse of a shadow or hear something. She thought she heard a distant thud, but Corvinian cried out. The sleeping guard had awoken and grabbed Corvinian. A familiar glow shot up around the boy and the guard let go with a cry of his own. Felitïa put him back to sleep. Hopefully, he’d stay out for a while this time.

Corvinian’s glow vanished. He got back to his feet, grabbed one of the torches, and lit it. Then he came over to Felitïa.

“Stay behind me.” She was about to begin down the stairs when Zandrue appeared at the bottom, dragging Fra-Ichtaca with her.

“It’s okay,” Zandrue called up. “I got her.”

“That was risky,” Felitïa said. “There could have been more warriors down there. Or Volgs.”

Zandrue heaved and lifted Fra-Ichtaca’s unconscious form, then started up the stairs. “Yeah, that thought occurred to me a little too late. But I really didn’t want her to get away.” She paused to adjust her hold on the priest. “I wouldn’t mind a little help now though. She’s heavy.”

Felitïa held up her hands. “Fingers, remember? Corvinian, put the torch back and help Zandrue.”

Corvinian nodded, and a few minutes later, they had Fra-Ichtaca tied to a chair in the entry room. They also tied up the remaining guard and moved him to the next room at the end of the corridor, where Felitïa put him to sleep again.

A short while later, Fra-Ichtaca began to stir, groaning as she lifted her head. She had a cut surrounded by some bruising on the side of her forehead, presumably caused by whatever Zandrue had done to incapacitate her. She blinked her eyes several times before focusing them on Zandrue.

“I knew Ses-Xipil would make a move against me eventually,” Fra-Ichtaca said, her voice hoarse. Fear was flowing from her—fear of Zandrue, fear of events, and mostly fear of Felitïa, whom she had not looked at.

“But I guess you didn’t expect it so soon,” Zandrue said. She pulled up a seat in front of the priest. “Well?”

Fra-Ichtaca scowled. “What do you want of me?”

“Just information,” Zandrue answered.

“And then you kill me?”

Zandrue shrugged. “Or I let you go. Believe it or not, I don’t get a thrill out of killing people.”

“Then we have something in common,” Fra-Ichtaca said, “because neither do I, but I’ll do it if I need to, and so will you.”

“Know me that well, do you?”

“I know your kind. We’re a lot alike, you and I.”

“Oh?”

“Determined women who won’t let anything stand in our way.” Her voice shook and she looked up at Felitïa for the first time. “We’re not alone in that regard.”

“Oh that,” Zandrue said. “I suppose there’s a bit of that in all of us. Are you prepared to answer questions?”

Fra-Ichtaca looked up at Felitïa again and her fear got stronger. She nodded. “I’ll answer your questions.”

“She’s afraid if she doesn’t, I’ll force her,” Felitïa said.

Fra-Ichtaca nodded. “Yes, I am.”

Felitïa wanted to tell her that wouldn’t happen, but Zandrue jumped in first. “Best not put it to the test then.”

“May I have some water first?” the priest asked.

“Corvinian, bring some water,” Felitïa said.

Corvinian collected the water they had already prepared and brought it forward. When Fra-Ichtaca saw him, her fear blossomed into rage. “You took him!” she screamed at Zandrue. Corvinian backed away from her.

“Took him back, yes,” Zandrue said. “You stole him in the first place.”

The priest turned her head to look at Corvinian. “Cakulha, have they harmed you at all?”

Corvinian shook his head slowly.

“What about Xtab? Where is Xtab? If you’ve harmed her...”

“She’s fine,” Zandrue said. “Last I saw her, she was sleeping soundly in her bed in your villa completely unharmed.”

“Cakulha, bring me that water. Let me look on you.”

Corvinian edged forward again, brought the cup to her lips. “Here...Reverence.”

Her body slumped and some of her anger turned to despair. “To them, I am Reverence. To you...Will they not let you call me mother?” She glared at Zandrue. “How could you deny him that?”

“You’re not my mother!” Corvinian screamed and splashed the water in her face, then ran behind Felitïa. “You’re not Xtab’s either!”

“I am your mother!” Fra-Ichtaca cried. “I may not have birthed you, but I have cared for you like you were my own.”

“You did experiments on me!”

“Yes, because they’re necessary. Do you know what Sonna and Ses-Xipil plan to do to you? To access your powers, they plan to kill you. And they have the means to do it! I am trying to find a way to access your powers without killing you. I’m doing it for your own good. So you can grow up and remain at Xtab’s side, help her raise her children, be her bodyguard. You’ll have a good life. I love you, Cakulha. Both you and Xtab.”

“No you don’t,” Corvinian said. “You just love the power you’ll get from making Xtab queen.”

Tears ran down Fra-Ichtaca’s face. “No. It’s so much more than that. You must believe me.”

“You’re not my mother. My mother’s dead.”

Fra-Ichtaca closed her eyes and lowered her head. Her rage was gone now, replaced by a sea of emotions, the strongest of which were fear, sadness, affection, and even love. “Will-Breaker, I don’t know what deal you’ve made with Ses-Xipil and her pet assassin here, but I will do anything you want of me if you will only promise me to do all in your power to protect Xtab and Cakulha from harm.”

Felitïa sat down at the table. “I haven’t made any deals with Ses-Xipil, or her...” She glanced at Zandrue, who looked aside. “Assassin. I came here specifically to rescue Corvinian...err...” She looked at Zandrue again. “Nin?” Zandrue nodded. “Nin-Cakulha. I certainly don’t mean him any harm. Or your daughter.”

Fra-Ichtaca raised her head and peered at her through narrowed eyes. “That is all you came here for, and yet you march into the Palace, disrupt everything...”

Felitïa sighed. “That was a mistake. I didn’t know where Corvinian was, and Nin-Chicahua had promised me access to the secret writings. I was hoping reading them might give me some clue about who I am and somehow that might help me find Corvinian.”

“And in doing so, you’ve brought calamity to us.”

“Perhaps.”

“Careful, Felitïa,” Zandrue said. “Don’t let her get to you. She’s a Darker.”

Fra-Ichtaca groaned. “Darker. Servant of Sunset. Call me what you will, but I am Ninifin first and foremost. I just happen to have pledged my allegiance to the Dark Lady.”

“But why?” Felitïa asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Why pledge yourself to the Dark Lady?”

She took several moments to answer, and Felitïa could sense uncertainty from her. “Because I believe in her teachings.”

“What are those teachings?”

“Felitïa,” Zandrue said, “I think we’re getting a little off track.”

Felitïa nodded. “Yes, you’re right. Sorry.”

“How many Volgs are there beneath the Temple?” Zandrue asked.

“Two to three dozen,” Fra-Ichtaca said. “It varies. They come and go.”

“How?” Zandrue asked.

Felitïa answered, “There’s an underground passage that goes to the confluence of the rivers, apparently. That must be what they’re using.”

Fra-Ichtaca nodded.

“Why do the Volgs call Corvinian...Nin-Cakulha...the Child of the Volgs?” Felitïa asked.

“They believe they can use his power to give them the strength to force the other nations of the world to allow them to live away from their island prison,” Fra-Ichtaca said. “They consider him their saviour. Thus, their child. Or something like that.”

Felitïa felt a twinge of mixed emotions from Zandrue as Fra-Ichtaca spoke. Anxiety was the strongest of them, though they all came and went quickly.

“How do they intend to achieve this?” Felitïa asked.

“He is the vessel of incredible power, but they have developed a way to neutralise and contain his power. They believe that if he dies, that power will be released as raw energy they can collect.”

“Have you read the secret writings?”

Fra-Ichtaca laughed. “Some of them. I’m not supposed to have, but they’re not difficult to gain access to. I haven’t had time to read all of them though.”

“What about me? Have you read the parts about me?”

Fra-Ichtaca smiled and nodded. There was a perverse glee coming from her. “I have read those parts, yes. Would you like to know what they say?”

“Don’t trust her, Felitïa,” Zandrue said. “Read them for yourself.”

Felitïa nodded. “Yes, I’ll need to read them anyway.”

“You trust this assassin?” Fra-Ichtaca said. “Ses-Xipil’s protégé? She wants to kill the boy you came to rescue. My son.”

Felitïa looked to Zandrue. “Yes, I do trust her, despite her secrets.”

“She and Ses-Xipil belong to an organisation of assassins who infiltrate governments and other places of power around the world.”

“I don’t care.” That was a bit of a lie, but she didn’t want to hear it from this person. She wanted to give Zandrue the chance to tell her herself.

“You promised me you would not let harm come to Cakulha!”

“And I’ll keep that promise. Zandrue won’t harm him. She’s not who you think she is.”

“What do you mean?” Fra-Ichtaca’s eyes turned to Zandrue.

“I’m not with Ses-Xipil,” Zandrue said. “I used her to infiltrate your organisation and rescue Corvinian. Ses-Xipil didn’t betray you. I betrayed you both. I’ve been with Felitïa from the start.”

“Then when she finds out...”

Felitïa felt hope rising in the priest, which dropped when Zandrue spoke again.

“She’s dead. She died in the attack on the Palace tonight. She never knew about my betrayal and never will.”

Fra-Ichtaca’s head whipped round to look at Felitïa again. “You planned this all along. Your arrival in the Palace wasn’t a mistake. It was a distraction.”

Again, Felitïa considered correcting Fra-Ichtaca on this, but she hesitated too long and Zandrue jumped in. “Exactly. And you fell for it.”

A scraping and scuffling sound came from up the stairs. Felitïa looked to Zandrue, who jumped to her feet.

Fra-Ichtaca smiled, and hope flowed from her again. “Guards come to look for me. Down here! The Will-Breaker is here!”

Zandrue raised her hand as if to slap the priest, but drew back and hurried over to the bottom of the stairs.

“Thanks,” a familiar voice said. “We’ll be sure to be on our guard.”

Felitïa felt a surge of excitement and anxiety from Zandrue, who was smiling.

Rudiger came down the stairs. He paused just before the bottom, staring at Zandrue. Behind him was Nin-Akna and behind her, Meleng.

“Hey,” Zandrue said.

Rudiger didn’t reply. Nin-Akna nudged him in the back.

Zandrue’s smile flattened and she backed away, allowing Rudiger and the others to pass her. Rudiger edged around her, watching her the whole time, but avoiding physical contact.

“Meleng!” Corvinian said and ran forward, throwing his arms around the surprised Eloorin.

“Corvinian?” Meleng said.

“Hey kid,” Rudiger said. “Good you see you! Where have you—?”

Nin-Akna had marched straight to Fra-Ichtaca. Now she was beside her, she slammed her fist right into the side of the priest’s face. Fra-Ichtaca fell over sideways, pulling her chair with her. She landed on her side on the floor with a clatter.

Felitïa jumped to her feet. “Nin-Akna, we were—” She instinctively put her hands down as she rose, putting pressure on her broken fingers. Pain shot through her and she cried out.

“She may not have thrust the spear, but she is responsible for the Queen’s death!” Nin-Akna said. “She deserves far worse than what I just gave her. Almost everyone I’ve ever known and loved is dead because of her!”

“We’ve been questioning her,” Felitïa said through gritted teeth. The pain was not subsiding.

On the floor, Fra-Ichtaca was trying to squirm away. Her chair was buckling and there was a crack in one of the legs. Rudiger came over, picked her and the chair up, and set them upright on the floor. A bruise was forming on the side of her face and blood dripped from the corner of her mouth.

“I don’t think this chair will hold much longer,” Rudiger said.

Zandrue slid another chair over. “Move her to this one.”

Rudiger looked at Zandrue for a moment, then nodded. Zandrue began untying Fra-Ichtaca’s bonds, while Rudiger gripped the priest’s shoulders to hold her in place.

Nin-Akna turned away and came over beside Felitïa. There was rage coming from her, but it was diminishing. “I’m sorry, but Inhuan is dead now, too, because of her.”

Felitïa closed her eyes a moment and sighed. She deserved the pain in her hands right now. So many deaths. Nin-Akna had a right to be upset. “I’m sorry, too. And I’m very sorry about Ses-Inhuan.”

Nin-Akna nodded, then returned to Fra-Ichtaca, who was now bound in the new chair. “Can you still talk?”

Fra-Ichtaca spat blood at her. Nin-Akna didn’t flinch.

“I’m pretty sure she can,” Zandrue said. “But even if she can’t, we’d pretty much finished the questioning, anyway.”

Nin-Akna glared at Zandrue. “Who are you?”

“Oh, of course,” Zandrue said, holding out her hand. “Zandrue. You must be Nin-Akna. I’ve heard a little about you.”

Nin-Akna didn’t take the offered hand, but looked back at Felitïa. “Is she trustworthy?”

“Yes,” Felitïa said.

Nin-Akna looked to Meleng, who was still standing at the bottom of the stairs, for confirmation.

Meleng hesitated a moment. “Yes, I guess. Mostly.”

“Mostly?” Nin-Akna said.

“Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence, Meleng,” Zandrue said.

Nin-Akna turned back to Zandrue. “You’re the one who ran away, aren’t you? The one who abandoned Rudiger.”

Zandrue retracted her hand. “I wouldn’t exactly call it running away.”

Nin-Akna crossed her arms. “Oh really. What do you call it, then?”

“Look, there’s been a lot going on, and that’s something Rudiger and I have to talk about—assuming he’s willing to talk to me about it—but frankly, it’s none of your business.”

“She rescued me!” Corvinian said. “She’s a good person. Really.”

Nin-Akna looked to Meleng. “This is the boy you’ve been trying to find?”

Meleng nodded. “This is Corvinian.”

Felitïa sighed. “You can trust Zandrue, Nin-Akna. Believe me.”

“If you say so.” Nin-Akna turned away from Zandrue and glanced at Rudiger. “Ses-Izel is a better match for you.” She stood beside Meleng.

“Ses-Izel?” Zandrue said.

“Yes, they’re lovers,” Fra-Ichtaca said. “Does this surprise you? Were you two lovers as well?” She looked at Rudiger. “Didn’t you tell Nin-Xoco she was your sister?”

Felitïa resisted the urge to slam her hands down again. “Enough! We have things to do.”

Fra-Ichtaca laughed. “Having difficulty holding your cult together, Will-Breaker?”

Zandrue leaned over the priest’s shoulders and spoke in her ears. “If you’re trying to sow dissent and jealousy, it isn’t going to work. I don’t care about him and Ses-Izel. I’m actually happy for him, glad he found comfort after I screwed him over.” She glanced up at Rudiger, then looked back at the priest. “Nothing you say is going to change anything.”

This reunion was not going the way Felitïa had hoped. “Where are the others?”

“Quilla’s looking after Fra-Tepeu,” Rudiger said, turning away from Zandrue and Fra-Ichtaca. He went over beside Meleng and Nin-Akna. “They’re outside. The steps were too steep for Fra-Tepeu. Borisin’s with them. He was waiting there when we arrived. Fra-Mecatl didn’t make it, I’m afraid.”

“What about Jorvan?” Felitïa asked.

“No idea,” Rudiger said. “He was with the Resistance in the attack on the Palace. We haven’t seen anyone who was in the battle. Not Jorvan, not Izel. The attack clearly didn’t succeed, so it doesn’t look good. Quilla’s anxious about Garet.”

Felitïa lowered her head. How was she going to tell Quilla about Garet?

“I had a chance to look through the battlefield,” Zandrue said. “There was no sign of Jorvan or Ses-Izel, so I’d guess they got away.”

Meleng breathed a soft sigh.

“Good to hear, I guess,” Rudiger said. “Noticed you didn’t mention Garet there.”

“Yeah, I didn’t,” Zandrue said, looking at the floor. “Garet’s dead. Looks like he went down fighting though. He...well, it wasn’t a pretty sight.”

“Shit,” Rudiger said. “Quilla’s going to be devastated.”

Corvinian looked up at Meleng. “Who’s Garet? Who’s Quilla?”

“Uh, Quilla’s your...uh...your mother,” Meleng stammered. “Your real mother, that is. And Garet was her fiancé. He was also a prince of Arnor.”

Corvinian backed away from Meleng. “My mother is dead. Why does everybody keep claiming to be my mother?”

Fra-Ichtaca laughed. “Such a functional family you have, Will-Breaker.”

“Can I gag her?” Zandrue said.

“How about I just shove my spear through her chest?” Nin-Akna said.

Felitïa sat down at the table. She wanted to bury her face in her hands, but the pain from them was a stark reminder she couldn’t do that. “No shoving spears through her chest, please.”

“I’ll remind you, I’m supposed to be in charge here,” Nin-Akna grumbled.

Felitïa sighed. “Yes, I know. And...you are. But we might still need her.”

Fra-Ichtaca laughed. “You’re not in charge, Nin-Akna. No matter what the Will-Breaker may claim, she—”

“Just shut the fuck up!” Felitïa snapped. She tilted her head and half closed her eyes, and Fra-Ichtaca fell asleep. “Now, let’s the rest of us stop snapping at each other, and figure out what we’re going to do.”

“You’re right,” Nin-Akna said. “I’m sorry again.”

“We’ve all been through a trying night,” Felitïa said. “We’re injured. People have died. People we loved. We’ve seen a lot of death recently. It’s natural we’re all...jumpy. Frankly, it’s amazing we’ve held things together as well as we have. But we have to hold things together a little longer if we want to survive till morning. So we need to plan our next move.”

“We need to regroup,” Nin-Akna said. “Find Ses-Izel and any other survivors from the attack. Once we have our forces back together, we can start planning how to retake the Palace and avenge Queen Nin-Xoco’s death.”

Zandrue sat in the last remaining chair at the table. “I doubt there were enough survivors of that battle to have any hope of attacking the Palace again. I’ve seen the results.”

“And you won’t have the people on your side either,” Felitïa said. “Fra-Ichtaca’s followers will blame the Queen’s death on me and they’ll link me to the Resistance. Nin-Chicahua told me I was supposed to herald terrible destruction, and as much as I’ve tried to avoid that, it seems death and destruction have followed me anyway.”

“We still need to find the survivors,” Nin-Akna said. “We may not be able to attack again right away, but we need to start making plans for the future. Plans to rebuild.”

“That may be what you need to do, Nin-Akna,” Rudiger said, “but the rest of us need to get out Ninifin. We’ve found what we came here for—which I’d like to know how that happened, by the way—but we really need to get out of here. We don’t belong. Izel’s been telling me that for months, and I’ve only just started to understand.”

“There are answers here,” Felitïa said. “Answers to what’s going on. Answers to, frankly, who I am. I need those answers.” Rudiger looked about to say something, but she pushed on, not giving him a chance to interrupt. “And there’s more. Fra-Atl tried to show us something. Nin-Akna, Rudiger, you were both there. She said it was amazing. And there’s some sort of presence here. I’ve felt it. It’s calling to me. I need to find it.”

“Felitïa, there are dozens of Volgs down there,” Zandrue said. “Maybe more. It would be suicide to walk into that. Especially with your hands in their current state.”

Felitïa slouched over and nodded.

Felitïa.

She should just walk away. Recuperate. Maybe answers could be found somewhere else. If not, maybe she could come back after her hands had healed.

Felitïa.

“What do you think, Meleng?” she asked.

“Well, we have found Corvinian,” Meleng said. “We should get him away from the Volgs. I mean, I’m really interested in these prophecies, and it would be great to know what they say, but at the same time, if it’s too dangerous...”

Felitïa.

“Let’s just take the writings,” Felitïa said. “At the very least. We know where they are. Let’s just grab them and go.”

“You’d steal sacred texts from the Temple?” Nin-Akna said.

Felitïa grimaced, though she sensed a hint of amusement from Nin-Akna. “If that’s okay.”

“Yeah, sure. Chica did promise you could read them. Just let me know what they say, too.”

Felitïa smiled. “Of course.”

“All right,” Rudiger said. “We go downstairs, grab the book, and get out. Shouldn’t be too hard. Should we let Quilla know what we’re doing? Come to think of it, do we tell her about Garet?”

Felitïa shook her head. “Not yet. I want to tell her myself. It shouldn’t take long to grab the secrets. If we’re quick, we’ll be back up before she starts wondering what’s happening.”

Rudiger nodded.

Felitïa stood up. “Let’s get moving then.”

“All of us?” Zandrue asked.

“Just in case we meet opposition,” Felitïa said. “Corvinian, you stay up here though.”

“But I want to come too,” the boy replied. “You keep making me stay behind.”

“It’s too dangerous.”

“But my powers might help you.”

“The Volgs have a way to negate your powers, remember?”

Corvinian scowled and sat on the bottom step of the stairs. “Fine. I’ll stay right here.”

“Maybe you should go to Quilla and Fra-Tepeu,” Meleng suggested.

“No,” Corvinian said. “I’m staying right here.”

“What about her?” Nin-Akna said, pointing to Fra-Ichtaca.

“We’ll tie her to something more secure than the chair,” Zandrue said. “She’ll wake up when we move her, but Felitïa can put her back to sleep again. One of the extra statues in the room upstairs should work. They’re heavy enough that she won’t be able to knock them over if she wakes up again before we come back.”

Nin-Akna took a moment before responding. “I suppose, but what if someone comes?”

“That’s a risk we have to take,” Felitïa said.

“We could take her down to Quilla and Fra-Tepeu,” Zandrue said, “but that would take time. We want to do this fast.”

“And what do I do if someone comes?” Corvinian said.

“Hide,” Zandrue said.

“And if they find me?”

“Fine, come with us then,” Felitïa said. “There isn’t much other choice. You can carry a torch.”

Corvinian jumped to his feet. “Yes!”

It took only a few minutes to move Fra-Ichtaca upstairs, retie her to one of the statues, and put her back to sleep. They also checked on the guard in the other room and made certain he was still securely tied and asleep. Then they collected a couple torches—Meleng held the second—and started down the stairs. Rudiger took the lead, Nin-Akna right behind him. Felitïa and Zandrue took the rear.

When they reached the level with the secrets room, Zandrue said, “Gods, this place is deep. Is this the end?”

“There’s a hidden passage right there that goes deeper,” Felitïa said. “But that’ll take us down to the Volgs. The secrets are this way.”

The others had already entered the room, so Felitïa and Zandrue followed them in. It was a tight squeeze with all of them in there, but Felitïa managed to squeeze past Nin-Akna and Rudiger to reach the wall with the written secrets.

Meleng was already there, poring over the book spines. “I don’t recognise the languages on these two,” he said, indicating the only two books with titles on the spines.

“No, neither do I,” Felitïa replied. “That’s the—” She tried to point at the book she knew to be The Foretellings of Eleuia, but realised that it was hard to point at anything when she couldn’t bend her fingers. “That is, I mean...” Pointing with her thumb was awkward too as it looked more like she was holding out her hand to tell Meleng to stop.

Meleng obviously took it that way, as he stepped back. “Sorry.”

“No, it’s okay. I didn’t mean that.” She settled on turning her hand so that the line made by the tips of her fingers—or rather, the tips of her splints—ran parallel to the book spines, and then tapped the spine of the book she wanted. Even the very gentle tapping she used sent pain running through her hand and arm. “This is the one I want.”

“I’ll get it for you,” Corvinian piped up. He handed his torch to Nin-Akna, then darted between Felitïa and Meleng, and pulled out the book. “I can help you read it. I can turn pages for you.”

“Thank you,” Felitïa said. “But we’ll worry about reading it later. Just carry it for now.”

“Okay,” the boy said.

“A lot of junk in here,” Zandrue said. She took the book from Corvinian, who scowled. “You need to carry the torch.” She slipped the book into her pack.

“Not junk,” Felitïa said. “Just old. Fra-Atl said everything in here related to the secrets in some way.”

“I wish we could sit down and study them,” Meleng said. “I’d love to look through everything.”

“Another time, maybe,” Felitïa said.

“Yeah, now we head back up,” Rudiger said.

Felitïa.

“Maybe we should grab a few more of these secrets,” Zandrue said. “They might be helpful.”

Felitïa glanced at Nin-Akna.

“The book you have is the one that talks about you, right?” the Youth Guard said.

Felitïa nodded. “Part of it does.”

“That’s all Chica promised you. Technically, she didn’t even have the authority to do that. I don’t like the idea of stealing the rest.”

“Agreed,” Felitïa said. “We leave everything else, Zandrue.”

Zandrue shrugged. “As you wish.”

“Can we go now?” Rudiger said. He was already in the corridor by the stairs.

Felitïa.

There was another presence in the Room again—the presence that wasn’t quite a presence.

Felitïa.

The voices in the Room echoed it. Felitïa. They and the extra presence were all the same voice, really.

“Felitïa?” Zandrue said.

Felitïa.

Felitïa stared into the hallway, by the stairs, at the wall where the hidden stairs were located. “It’s calling me again.”

“What’s calling you?” Corvinian asked.

“That presence thing?” Rudiger said.

Felitïa nodded. She squeezed past Nin-Akna and Zandrue into the corridor.

Felitïa, you must listen to me. Zandrue. Rudiger. Borisin.

“What’s going on?” Rudiger asked.

Felitïa edged past him, and walked to the base of the stairs. She began to look along the wall for the door’s trigger.

“You’re not thinking of going down there again?” Rudiger said.

Meleng. Corvinian. Jorvanultumn.

“It’s down there.” She was sure of it. She looked back at Rudiger and the others behind him. “The Volgs are up to something underneath Ninifin. We can’t just let them do what they want.”

“I agree,” Rudiger said. “But we’re in no shape to do anything about it. I’m injured and exhausted. We all are.”

“Rudiger’s right,” Nin-Akna said.

Quilla. Kindanog. Nin-Akna.

“Let’s go outside,” Rudiger said. “Rest, find Jorvan and Izel and any other survivors from the attack, and then make a plan for what to do.”

She saw the stone that needed to be pushed. But the others were right. She was in no condition to go down there, and neither were they. She turned away from the wall, looked at them, and nodded.

Rudiger began up the stairs.

Nin-Akna handed the torch back to Corvinian. She came over to Felitïa. “Don’t worry. I want the Volgs down there even less than you do. We’ll come back for them when we have the strength.”

Felitïa nodded. She agreed with them. She really did. So why was she so tempted to be reckless? She wasn’t a reckless person, was she?

Nin-Akna started up the stairs, followed by Meleng.

Felitïa, you must listen to me.

Why? Felitïa asked. Why must I listen to you?

You will soon forget this, but you must remember.

I can’t remember anything you don’t actually tell me. Tell me what you want me to remember.

Felitïa, you must listen to me.

Felitïa took a deep breath, focused her attention on the extra presence in the Room. Willed herself to remember that day by the well so many years ago. Nothing came of it. Just like every other time.

Corvinian smiled at her as he passed her and headed up the stairs.

“You okay?” Zandrue asked.

“I will be.”

Zandrue nodded towards the wall behind Felitïa. “Still thinking of going down there?”

“Yes, but I’ll point out that thinking about it isn’t the same as doing it.”

“I never suggested otherwise,” Zandrue replied.

“There’s something down there, Zandrue, and it’s calling to me. I don’t think there’s going to be another chance. One of the things that book says about me is that I will try to prevent a terrible disaster. I’ll fail, but I’ll save people who would have otherwise died. I have a feeling that’s about to happen.”

“You two coming?” Rudiger called from up the stairs.

“Give us a second,” Zandrue called back. She looked back at Felitïa. “Maybe it was talking about everything that’s happened so far.”

Felitïa shook her head. “I haven’t done a very good job of saving people. Everyone keeps dying. I hate that my life is being dictated for me, but I need to know what’s going on, and maybe I can change things. Make something different happen.”

“And what about your hands?”

What about her hands, indeed. She couldn’t flex her fingers for the hiding spell, but what if she could redirect the energy through a different body part? Through her legs maybe and use her toes to control the release? She would have to make a wider tilt of her head in the opposite direction, and maintaining the spell while walking would be more difficult, but it might work.

“I need to learn alternative casting techniques anyway,” Felitïa said.

“Wouldn’t it be better to learn them first?” Zandrue said.

“What are you two doing?” Rudiger called.

“I’m making certain Felitïa doesn’t do anything stupid,” Zandrue called back.

“If I decide to go, will you stop me?” Felitïa asked.

“Not if you convince me it’s not something stupid.”

“I’m not sure I can. I need you to trust me.”

“I do. In fact, I’ll come with you.”

Felitïa shook her head. “I’m not sure I can hide myself. I definitely can’t hide both of us. It has to be just me.”

Zandrue turned her head to the side for a moment and sighed. “All right then. Just be careful.”

“I will. As careful as I can.”

“And I’ll be right here,” Zandrue added. “If you need me, scream as loud as you can.”

“I’ll scream loud enough to wake the City.”

Zandrue grinned. “Go on. Before I change my mind, or the others start coming back like they’re already doing.”

Felitïa glanced up the stairs. Rudiger and Nin-Akna were coming back down. She took a couple steps back so that she was beside the trigger for the door. She took a moment to make note of the presences in the Room. They were just the ones of her friends, so she jabbed the trigger stone with her elbow. The door began to grind open.

“What the hell?” Rudiger said, reaching the bottom of the stairs.

“Sorry, I have to.” Felitïa stepped through the door and jabbed the trigger stone on the other side to close it again.

“I thought you said you’d keep her from doing something stupid?” Rudiger said as the door ground to a close again.

Then she was left in pitch black darkness.