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“So, what are you and your father here to do?” I asked, taking a swig of my mead, which had already turned cold.

“He’s meeting with the seneschal of Kadden in secret tomorrow. To win a war against the Terrans, the bear king will need Kadden to fight with us. But if my father can convince them not to ally with Askeland, he might have a chance to turn the bear king’s attention to the real threat of Malengard. Especially once he hears about Thrailkull’s plans.” She stared into her mug like she was thinking. “The thing I don’t understand is why he sent you—no,forcedyou—to spy on the Rathalans like he wants to know their every move when he completely ignores my father’s warnings. What are we missing?”

I shook my head, keeping the truth hidden. While Averee was here to stop a war against the wrong enemy, I was unknowingly playing into the king’s plan. It didn’t matter, though. I wasn’t going to stop until I handed over the Zavien stone and got Lila back safely. Averee would hate me for it, but I was used to that by now.

“Are you going back to Malengard?” she asked, eyeing my Rathalan disguise.

I nodded.

Her jaw tightened. She was afraid—forme, I realized—but she was trying not to show it. We were trained to never show fear, no matter how outmatched we were.

“There was a Kovak girl enslaved in the malarite mines,” I said, not sure why I was telling her other than wanting someone to share the burden of it.

Averee’s eyes widened. “Was?”

“They killed her.” I’d found the girl and her bear dead in the mine early this morning. The moment the Rathalans realizedthat they couldn’t easily control the bear, it was a death sentence for them both. My gut twisted at the memory.

Averee frowned. “Maybe this news will make the king finally turn his sight toward Malengard. Our people will not be enslaved. Not now, not ever.”

We were both silent for a moment. The vision of Thrailkull’s growing army flashed in my head.

“Where are you headed after your meeting tomorrow?” I asked.

“Back to Askeland. My father can’t risk being gone too long without suspicion. What about you? When are you coming home?”

I glanced up at the full moon hanging so low in the black sky it appeared to be eavesdropping. “By the winter new moon.”

She nodded like she understood without me explaining it.

I wasn’t sure if Averee knew that the winter new moon was the chosen date for our wedding, but I decided not to remind her. If I returned with the stone by then, Lila and I would get married. If I didn’t, Lila would be lost.

Her blood will be on your hands.

Averee placed her hand on mine, pulling me away from my dark thoughts. “You’re going to see her again, Jeddak.”

“I hope you’re right,” I said.

“I usually am.” A sly smile crossed her lips.

We talked until our mugs were drained and the silver fingers of dawn tugged at the dense blanket of stars above our heads. I didn’t realize how much I’d missed our friendship. It felt good to be back together, laughing and finishing each other’s sentences again.

“I have to go,” Averee said finally, her warm breath like mist in the cold air. She and Nya stood up to leave.

She held out her hand to me. Standing up, I clasped her forearm as she clasped mine like we were back in Askeland, ending a long day of training.

“Tidai na Inaya.”

“Tidai na Inaya,” I repeated.Honor to Inaya.I prayed the sky goddess was watching over Lila as we spoke.

I held on to her arm a few seconds longer than normal, tempted to ask for her help. The old Averee I knew wouldn’t have hesitated to march into enemy territory with me, staff raised, teeth bared. I had a better chance of escaping Malengard alive if she was at my side. But that was before our friendship had become rocky and the stakes were so high. Even if she said yes, I realized I wasn’t willing to risk her life. No, this mission was mine and mine alone.

“Do you have a plan?” she asked in a way that made me wonder if she’d suspected I was doing more than just spying in Malengard. After being friends for so long, sometimes we could detect the things left unspoken.

“I’m kind of making it up as I go.”

The corners of her lips twitched. “There’s a small Arden potion shop open at the end of this avenue that has some potent weapons in a bottle. You might want to pay it a visit before you leave.”

“Thanks,” I said, stifling a smile so Kah wouldn’t gloat about how he’d been right about bumping me into Averee.