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“No, Petrik. You didn’t fail. You saved Temra. Thank you for coming to get me the moment you knew she was in danger.”

“I know I set out on this journey for my book, but we’re friends now. Of course I’ll look out for her. For you both. I know I’m not good for much, but I’ll be here as long as you want me.”

He looks over at the sparring pair then, and as I watch him watching my sister, one thing becomes perfectly clear.

He likes her. He’s never let Temra see it, but right now I can tell clear as day.

Does he know that the second he shows interest, she’ll stop flirting with him? She’ll get her victory and become bored. Is that why he holds back in front of her?

He’s more clever than I gave him credit for.

When I’m alone again with my thoughts, I can’t help but think of my father, since I just left his family for good. I miss him. The sound of his deep voice. His big arms around me. I don’t remember much of anything he said to me. But I remember how he made me feel safe.

And I realize now just how much he must have loved my mother to leave everything he knew behind and start a new life with her.

I wonder if that life caught up with him.

Was it religious zealots who broke into our home that night and killed my parents? Did Volanna lie about never knowing what became of her son?

I might be plagued with unanswered questions forever.

That night, Petrik stays up writing in his book by the fire while the rest of us go to sleep. I think he’s tracing all the notes he’s made, reinforcing the watered ink so it won’t fade. No matter how much I tried to convince him to get some rest, he said he’d go to bed when he was ready.

I lie on the hard ground, missing the blankets and bedrolls and tents that were abandoned at the Sotheran estate. My feet are pointed toward the fire, and Temra is curled up against me. My thoughts usually keep me awake, but tonight I feel myself drifting until Temra rises and leaves my side exposed to the night air.

After a few beats of silence, I hear her voice over the top of the crackling fire. “I didn’t get a chance to thank you, Petrik.”

“Thank me?” he asks.

“For grabbing Ziva and Kellyn and coming after me.”

“You don’t need to thank me for that. I’m sorry I’m notskilled enough to have put a stop to them taking you in the first place.”

“That’s a silly thing to say,” she says.

It’s quiet for a bit, and then I hear the faint whisper of paper. Is Petrik turning a page or putting down the book? I’d have to sit up to see, and I don’t want them to know I’m eavesdropping. Kellyn’s snores from across the way prove he’s out cold.

“Why did you?” Temra asks.

“Say a silly thing?”

“Bother to save me?”

I think Petrik must be stunned by the question because he doesn’t answer for a moment. “I don’t understand.”

“I’m not the one with magic. You don’t need me. You could have taken Ziva and ran without having to deal with overzealous city folk. You probably would have had plenty of time to even go back for the horse and the supplies before fleeing the city.”

“As if your sister would ever leave without you.”

“You could have lied to her. Told her I was already dead.”

My heart hurts to hear such things, but I realize she’s right. Petrik didn’t have to do any of the things he did.

“It didn’t even cross my mind not to save you,” he says after another beat of silence.

“Smart and kind. Thank you for being you, Petrik.”

I think Temra might start to rise from beside the fire, but Petrik stops her. “You think too little of yourself. Has it ever occurred to you that there’s a reason you love the sword? Maybe you were always meant to protect your sister.” He pauses. “I know who hunts you. I know the warlord was in town. I saw her stop by the smithy. I’d been biding my time, hoping to approachZiva. You guys left right after a visit from Kymora and went to the tavern. I don’t understand why you’re running, although I imagine it has to do with the fact that Kymora would want to bend your sister to her will. But my point is, I think the Sisters took great care in putting you and Ziva in each other’s lives. Your value is just as important and vital as your sister’s. You are just as special.”