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Riella did not hear the High Magus utter an incantation or move his hands, yet he must’ve cast magic, because a powerful energetic rebuff pushed her backward and made her words wither in her mouth.

She stumbled in her voluminous dress. Meliohr snapped her fingers at the nearest guards and they caught Riella as she fell, dragging her from the gallery while she fought to regain control of her body.

They released her in the hallway and she swayed on the spot while they watched her.

“I’ll take her,” came a female voice from the doorway.

A black-robed acolyte glided toward Riella. The hood covered her face to her lips, blood red against her snow-white skin.

The guards nodded and resumed their post inside the gallery, leaving Riella alone with the young woman.

“The High Magus sent me,” she said in even tones. “I am to lend you whatever assistance you need, courtesy of Starlight Gardens.”

Hope flurried in Riella’s stomach. “He wants to help me?”

The woman made a small sound in her throat. “Help might be too strong a sentiment. He loathes Polinth, and has taken measures over the years to keep him in check. The High Magus is distracted right now with the new queen. The Garstangs represent an existential threat to sorcerers, and having one on the Zermetic throne requires his full attention. But Polinth is a degenerate, no doubt. I’m sure he wants the amulet for his experiments in necromancy. So, let us ensure he does not get it.”

“Necromancy?”

Riella thought with dread about the skeletons littering the mountain outside of Polinth’s workshop.

The acolyte nodded. “It’s why he was expelled from Starlight Gardens. He’s been trying to make the High Magus regret it ever since. I’m Neve, by the way.”

With a sweep of her hand, Neve pushed back her hood to reveal thick black hair in elaborate braids and an intense brown stare.

“I’m Riella. But I thought the amulet grants life? The Sea Witch created it with an act of sacrifice. How can such a thing be used for darkness?”

“The amulet allows one to linger in the ephemeral space connecting life and death. The In-Between. With good intentions, you might give peace to a dying creature, or heal a deep wound in someone’s spirit, or communicate with a soul as they depart the mortal realm. With bad intentions—” She sighed. “Well, deploying dark magic in that precious space could cause limitless damage. It might dismantle the barrier between life and death altogether.”

“You can help me, though? You’re a sorceress?”

“I’m an apprentice. I warn that I’m no match for Polinth. My best hope would probably be to Bind him, and we run.”

Riella nodded. “Or you Bind him, and I crush his skull.”

“That’d work, too.”

“First, we need to find my—” She paused. “My friend. Jarin. He’s tall, dressed in black, wearing a skull mask. He went after Reynard.”

Neve blinked. “Why would he do that?”

“We hoped he could help us with Polinth. He seems to hate sorcerers.”

“Oh, that he does.” Neve’s dark eyes narrowed. “Do you?”

“Gods, no. Except Polinth, because he captured me and experimented on me.”

Her expression softened. “Sorry. The presence of Garstangs has us all on edge. Alright, well, let’s search the galleries. I’ll do the bottom level, you search this one.”

With a flick of her robes, she descended the marble staircase, leaving Riella alone.

The siren searched in a rush, wrenching open every door she passed. Partygoers in various states of undress occupied many of the rooms. The full moon winked at her through high windows.

Would Reynard help Jarin? Neve didn’t seem to have a high opinion of the Morktland king, and Riella understood why. But if he truly hated Polinth, he certainly had the power to do something about the sorcerer.

She’d just closed a library door when she caught sight of Seraphine, making her heart leap.

The elf wore a silk dress, her face paler and more sickly than the last time Riella saw her. Seraphine swayed, alone, at the quiet end of the corridor, silhouetted by candlelight. Was Polinth nearby? The siren waved at Seraphine, who responded by shuffling sideways until out of sight.