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Even if Arianna proved Niall had taken Rion, it might not be enough to convince the council to fault him. Many believed Rion belonged in a cell to pay for the crimes of his past. The other prisoners might not matter either if Niall offered logical explanations for their imprisonment. Which he likely had prepared.

Arianna wasn’t even certain they’d fault Niall for the glamours. He could spin it in a way that made it seem as though he were trying to protect The Divine.

Which probably meant returning to Ruadhán was a bad idea all the way around. Maybe that’s why Saoirse and Raevina were making plans. They’d already thought this through.

Arianna continued following Talon through the dimly lit city. No one wandered the drenched streets and the pair slipped between buildings undetected. If a citizen were to glance out their window, they would simply assume the pair had likely left a tavern and were eager to escape the rain.

It wasn’t until Arianna stood at the floating city’s edge that her heart skipped a beat. She peered into the never ending darkness where droplets of rain disappeared into a black abyss.

“Are you going to jump or am I forced to push you?”

Arianna gave Talon a sidelong glance. He’d pulled his hair back into a low bun and water rolled down his exposed face. She eyed the long sword strapped to his back and prayed he wouldn’t have to use it.

“As I recall, you were the one who needed a push all those years ago.” She recalled the memory from their youth when both had been innocent of the evil in the world. Their only worry had been whether they could conquer their fear of jumping from the largest waterfall in Móirín.

He smirked at that and peered down with her. “Don’t make me catch you.”

“Likewise.” Then Arianna tilted and the city fell away.

***

The pair hit the ground running. The village below was as empty as the city above, with only a few patrons daring to brave the storm for a late night drink at the local tavern. No one noticed the two shadows slipping between the residences or leaping over their small gardens.

I’m coming.

They were the words she’d been repeating since Ellie had tossed Arianna her cloak.

I’m coming and somehow it felt as though Rion repeated it back.

They kept pushing, kept running through the rain even as the terrain shifted and they entered the coverage of a forest. Talon had only glanced behind once, presumably to ensure she kept pace, but Arianna wasn’t stopping and she certainly wouldn’t slow him down.

Talon knew exactly where they were going; he’d seen the charred land before.

So close. He’d been so close.

They ran until her legs ached. Until her lungs screamed at her to find somewhere to rest. She wouldn’t. And—Arianna paused to study the building Talon had veered toward.

If it could even be called a building. Crumbling shack was more like it.

The door had been ripped from its hinges and lay on the ground, covered by a thick layer of vines and moss. Boards were missing from the walls and half the roof looked as though it had been blown away. But Talon still ventured inside and she reluctantly followed.

“Why are we stopping?” she asked. Talon didn’t respond. Instead, he shifted a felled beam, then dug at a loose floorboard with one of his knives. He reached into the dark hole and pulled up a leather satchel.

“Did you really stash a bag all the way out here?”

“Did you really think I wouldn’t be prepared to flee that perverse city?”

“I didn’t know you hated it so much.”

“I hate the ones who govern it and prove their worth through deception.” He pointed to the floor. “Sit. We have a few things to go over.”

Arianna looked out into the stormy night. “Do we have time for this?”

“We’re making time because it’s important.”

She pursed her lips but relented and sat with her legs crossed. Talon crossed the room and dug a map out of the satchel. Magic flickered through the air and droplets stopped falling from overhead as Talon held them at bay.

He lit a small oil lamp he’d also lifted out of the floor and set it in the center of the map.