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Sarina wasn’t the only one with family who would never come home. Certainly not the last person still clinging to their grief.

She dropped her shoes and stepped into them, one and then the other, finding her balance. When she was done, she lifted her eyes to Bri’s and said a simple, “Goodnight.”

Then she turned, heels clicking on the sidewalk. The townhouse was just up the hill.

“So, that’s it?” Brielle called after her. “You’re just going to walk away? The old you never would’ve given up a fight.”

The old her had less sadness. Fewer lies to sort through. And if she stayed, she might just have to face the truth.

Brielle didn’t follow. Sarina didn’t know why it hurt so much to hear her footsteps trailing off in the opposite direction.

She wrapped her arms tight around herself, her fires guttering, and welcomed the chill wind that hit her as she started up the hill.

Chapter 64

Ivain had a way of showing his displeasure that felt like a thunderstorm. His eyes darkened, and his voice was a low rumble, the calm before a tempest about to break.

“Taly, you seem to have inherited your father’s knack for attracting misfortune,” he said quietly when she finished explaining the night’s events.

They were all gathered around the breakfast table. The whole family plus Kato and Eula, who stood off to the side like she was still on duty despite repeated attempts to get her to sit down.

“I suppose if you’re going to cause a scene, it might as well be a good one,” Sarina groaned, slumped over with her head buried in her palms. Eliza’s famous hangover cure still hadn’t kicked in. “Atlas used to say that.”

“Sarina, that’s not helpful,” Ivain muttered.

“Oh, sorry,” she said. “Taly, don’t mistake the lack of sparks for indifference. I’m—” But she cut herself off and said to her brother, “Are we sure about this? I mean shedidget the keys?”

“She chased the bastard halfway across town,” Ivain said flatly. “Was seen by who knows how many people.”

“Oh, that’s easy to explain. She’s the Savior. She was… savioring.”

“She left a trail of bodies.”

“You can’t blame her for what someone else did.”

“She used her magic in public.”

Sarina sighed, a long, theatrical exhale that seemed to say,Well, that’s inconvenient.“Alright, yes,” she said, turning back to Taly. “In the spirit of presenting a united front, I amextremelydispleased.”

The delivery had real authority, right up until she belched quietly into her elbow.

“Well, I, for one, think it’s brilliant,” Aimee piped up. She looked as impeccable as always, stirring sugar into her tea. “Because what this family needed wasmoreattention.”

Taly rolled her eyes. “I got the bad guy, didn’t I?”

“No,” Skye said, shoveling eggs into his mouth. Her eyes snapped to him.Not helping. “I was there. He definitely got away.”

A minor technicality that she would fix in the later retelling of this story to a less informed audience. “And because of my heroism—”

“Shards save us,” Aimee muttered under her breath.

“—we now have this.” Reaching beneath the table, Taly produced the metal box. It clanked as it hit the table. “You’re welcome, everyone. You know, for stopping a full-scale invasion. Two of these keys open riftwaysinsidethe city.”

Taly met Ivain’s gaze across the breakfast table. His expression was unreadable, but the tight set of his jaw spoke volumes. She’d expected his anger—anticipated it, even. He wasn’t the type to overlook recklessness, and she could practically feel the weight of his disapproval pressing against her. But he was nothing if not pragmatic. At the end of the day, he respected what mattered most: results.

He’d come around. Eventually.

“This conversation isn’t over,” Ivain said to her, his tone firm.