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Toryn frowned. “Or Morgan could be lying at Oberon’s request.”

“Hmm.” Kalen rubbed his jaw. “Perhaps. She also said the full power of the god now resides in that onyx stone necklace. But she could just be saying that to lure us there.”

“For what, though?”

Toryn shot me a frank look. “We have something he needs. You’re the vessel, remember? I’m surprised it’s taken him this long to make a move.”

“True, but…” I glanced from Toryn to Kalen. “Even if it’s a trap, doesn’t that mean he’ll still be there, or at least somewhere nearby? You’ve been looking for him for days, and you have no leads at all. This might be our only chance to track him down.”

Kalen folded his arms. “Ouronly chance?”

“Absolutely. I’m going with you.”

“Tessa.”

“I thought we just established this might be a trap,” Toryn said, and then he shook his head. “No, not might.Most definitely is. It’s absolutely a trap.”

“If we’re anticipating a trap, it’s less of a trap,” I argued.

“The word ‘trap’ is starting to lose all meaning,” Kalen muttered.

Toryn and I looked at each other. I pressed my lips together.

And then he whispered, “It’s a trap.”

I cracked a smile and so did he. Laughter bubbled up inside of me for the first time in days. Toryn tipped back his head, his chuckles blending with mine. Kalen just stared at us with an arched brow, but a moment later, he joined in. Our laughter wound through the courtyard like a song.

The tension in my shoulders released another notch. And when our laughter finally died, there were different tears in my eyes. They washed away another mark of pain.

“All right.” Kalen held up his hands. “This is what’s going to happen. I’ll look into this, using Boudica to scout ahead. Only a few of us can go. A larger party will be more likely to catch his attention, and I’d rather approach him from behind. If he has soldiers with him, I’ll come straight back here so we can gather our own army to send against him.”

I opened my mouth to volunteer.

“Tessa,” he warned before I could speak.

“No, listen,” I insisted. “I’ve spent my entire life staring up at those mountains. I know which path we should take. You’d be better off with me there. And besides…” I sucked in a sharp breath. “I could take the Mortal Blade with us.”

Kalen’s gaze pierced through me. “I don’t like it. There’s no barrier stopping me from reaching him anymore. I could just as easily chop off his head.”

“Perhaps.” I folded my arms. “But I want another shot at him, same as you.”

Over the past weeks, I’d found a way to temper my self-destructive anger, but it still burned bright inside of me. It would never be fully quenched. And so, if I could not be the one to take down Oberon, I at least wanted to be there when the light in his eyes died. Kalen met my stare, unblinking.

“You say you know a path,” he began.

Toryn scoffed. “Please don’t tell me you’re considering this.”

“Tessa needs to be there,” he said with a knowing glint in his eye. “She’s coming with us.”

Thirty-Nine

Tessa

Nellie hovered in my doorway, watching me strap leather armor over my shoulders. She clutched the wood while worry danced in her eyes.

“There’s nothing I can say to talk you out of this, is there?” she asked.

“I’m afraid not.” I cinched the belt around my waist and slid the Mortal Blade into the sheath. The real one, this time. Kalen and I would journey ahead to the mountains, along with Niamh, Fenella, and Alastair. The others would wait here. Someone needed to keep an eye on things in Endir, since tensions still ran high.