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Breckett didn’t bother to start a conversation again. Instead, he remained in stoic silence. Meanwhile, Hadeon made several attempts to start conversations with Jessamine.

“What’s your home like?” he asked.

“Like most human villages,” Jessamine said through gritted teeth.

“Of course,” the prince said as though she’d shared something of significance. “Shadowbank is the name of the village. Is it not?”

Behind Arabella, there was no reply from Jessamine.

“Do the enchantresses live within the village?” he continued.

“No, I live in the forest, and my neighbors are a belgor, the belgor’s uncle, and an owl that thinks it's a shifter,” Jessamine said dryly. “What do you think?”

Ignoring her quip, the prince said, “What’s your role in Shadowbank? Do you repair the ward like Enchantress Arabella?”

“Why so many questions?” Jessamine said, and Arabella dared a glance over her shoulder, noting her friend’s narrowed eyes and the tensing of her jaw. “Are you hoping to get a bargain out of me, too? Use my past or home against us? I’m not interested in anything you have to offer.”

Arabella watched the prince’s wings twitch faintly—the only outward sign of his irritation. He was careful to keep his hands at his sides.

“We’re all doing what we must to protect those we feel loyal to,” he said, his tone growing cold. For a moment, it was as though the color drained from his features, and he was truly the dark fae prince of nightmares. “Nothing more and nothing less.”

Jessamine looked up at the male who towered over her. But even with the stark height difference, her presence billowed out around her—her sheer gumption and fearlessness making her seem far taller than she was.

“Why make a bargain with Arabella and not Elias?” Jessamine pressed. “Was it because you knew she was shadow fae?”

His eyes flickered up to Arabella as she watched them over her shoulder. “I had a feeling we’d need each other.”

Jessamine harrumphed but said nothing further. It seemed the prince had finally had enough of the pleasantries as well, as he didn’t attempt to start a conversation with Jessamine again.

There was no way to tell the passing of time without the guidance of a sun, moon, or stars. But what felt like hours later, they spotted a cluster of trees in the distance.

Over her life, she’d grown to associate forests with danger. But as her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth, she breathed asigh of relief for the first time in her life at the sight of a line of trees.

The oasis.

“About fucking time,” Jessamine muttered behind her.

Freeing her swords from the sheaths on her back, Arabella ran toward the oasis. As she did, she kept her senses open, searching for any nearby magic wielders.

She passed through trees for what she thought was half a mile, and there wasn’t a single sign of life. Not the pattering of small animal feet atop branches, nor the lumbering steps of demons along the forest floor. Instead, a strange quiet hovered over the earth. It felt like dozens of eyes followed their every movement.

A single well was nestled in the center of the oasis. Seeing it, she sighed with relief. She’d long since finished the water she’d packed.

They quickly drew several buckets of water, drinking their fill and refilling their waterskins. Then they explored some of the oasis, which had to be half a mile in each direction from the well. There were no signs of any other living beings—or demons. The plant life was also strange. Visually, it appeared similar to what was in the mortal realm. However, it was slightly different in color, texture, and size. She didn’t trust any of them would be safe to eat.

They made camp a short distance away from the well in a cluster of trees. Arabella, Jessamine, and Hadeon nibbled on some of the rations in their satchels in silence.

“Let’s take turns on watch,” Hadeon said. “I’ll take the first watch.”

Without a word, Breckett laid down and closed his eyes, instantly asleep. Meanwhile, Arabella and Jessamine settled against a tree that wasn’t quite an oak.

“Where do you think the exit is?” Jessamine asked.

It was a fair question. Even if the gateway they’d come through allowed them to pass both ways, there would be no finding it again in the endless desert.

Unbraiding her hair, Arabella said, “Honestly, I’ve been so focused on keeping everyone alive and reading this map that I figured I’d worry about it once we found the shadow fae. Maybe they’ll know a way out.”

Jessamine shook her head. “If they did, they’d have used it a long time ago. It’s up to us to find the exit gateway.”