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Gus gave his older cousin a hard look. ‘We were in that position once. Don’t think because I was young, I don’t remember,’ he said quietly. ‘And it was another Warsword who sought to end our lives, too. Thought we weren’t worth saving.’

‘And he was wrong,’ Adrienne retorted with a note of reprimand. ‘And that Warsword has fought for us ever since – has defended us, protected us and sought to make the world a safer place. Has he not?’

‘You’re not shadow-touched,’ Gus argued.

Anger flashed in Adrienne’s eyes and the youngster had the good sense to baulk. ‘You telling me I’m not family to you, Angus Castemont? Are you telling me that I haven’t fought for you like I would my own blood?’

A flush of shame crept across his face. ‘No,’ he murmured.

‘Then that’s the fucking last we’ll hear of that,’ she said, shaking her head.

‘So much for not cursing…’ he had the balls to mutter.

Adrienne rounded on him. ‘When you’ve been the general of a rebel force for several years and you still have to deal with a little shadow brat, then you can curse.’

There was a sigh of frustration as Dratos drained the rest of his cup. ‘Told you not to bring him.’

‘Don’tevenstart me on you,’ Adrienne snapped.

‘Glad to know the rebels we’re potentially allying with are such a happy family,’ Torj said.

‘Least what you see is what you get, Bear Slayer,’ Dratos quipped before saluting Anya with a fresh cup of wine. ‘As you were.’

To her credit, Anya didn’t miss a beat; she continued her address as though there hadn’t been a familial spat midway through. ‘If you take our word and the word of your Warsword,and you believe that Artos is behind the poison running through the midrealms, then the next thing to question is:what does he want?’

‘What he’s always wanted,’ Audra offered. ‘To unite the kingdoms under a single banner – his. And rule over the festering leftovers.’

‘Something like that,’ Anya agreed. ‘With the resources he’s put into “saving” Tver and helping with the rebuild of the castle, he’s already got it quite firmly in his grasp, whether King Leiko knows it or not. Aveum is clearly his next mark, judging from the camps we’ve seen in its underbelly. And now that Queen Reyna is in mourning, the kingdom is more vulnerable than ever.’

‘Will your kind take responsibility for the arachne attack?’ Torj asked, teeth gritted.

‘It wasn’t us,’ Anya said coldly. ‘We are not to blame for every evil that spills into these lands. It was a diversion, created by Artos and his lackeys. There was something he wanted beyond the domes… Wasn’t there?’

Torj had the decency to flush. ‘While Vios was in disarray, reapers sent a unit of wraiths and howlers to the Pools of Purity. They attacked.’

Gasps and murmurs broke out across the room.

‘What are the Pools of Purity?’ Gus asked, brow furrowed.

‘They’re the source of the healing Aveum springwater,’ Wilder explained. ‘The same water Warswords are gifted a vial of after they’ve passed the Great Rite.’

Gus’ eyes widened.

‘The damage?’ Anya’s voice was devoid of emotion.

‘The Thezmarrian Guardians stationed there were able to defeat them, but the extent of the harm to the pools themselves is still unconfirmed,’ Torj reported. ‘There’s no doubt in my mind that some will have certainly been tainted, and that thereapers will send reinforcements. It won’t be the last time they attack.’

‘Do we knowhowthey were tainted? With what substance?’ Wren’s soft voice sounded out of place amid the harsh words of war, but her questions settled over the group like a blanket.

‘We assumed some sort of shadow magic,’ Torj replied with an apologetic grimace. ‘The same poison they’ve been using to corrupt men into howlers, and infect other monsters with darkness. Why?’

Wren looked distant for a moment. ‘So it could be a different poison entirely?’

Torj frowned. ‘It could, but…’

Wren glanced across the table to Kipp, who seemed to be the only one whose mind was working in tandem with hers. He nodded in realisation.

‘When a Guardian becomes a Warsword…’ Wren ventured slowly, as though the ideas were still forming as she spoke. ‘Each of the kingdoms bestows a gift, yes?’