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“She’s back in Mindshaper territory,” Lyria interjected, head finally snapping up from her maps.

“She is?” I asked. What made Kakias retreat? Last we heard, she was seeking the emblems. Had she found Thorn’s?

“My spies sent a letter today.” The commander eyed Rebel, then ducked back down, as if she’d never been speaking to us in the first place.

Barrett and I exchanged a confused glance.

“She can’t get Thorn’s emblem before Ophelia,” I said. “I don’t know what your mother can do with these pieces of metal, but it can’t be good.”

The prince nodded. “Our best bet is still Lucidius. His wanderings seem to indicate he knew something.” We just did not know what that something was.

I flopped back against the couch, breathing out a harsh breath.

“There’s this one,” I said, grabbing one of the journals and roughly flipping through the pages. So much incoherent scrawling, so many useless tales of a dead man’s life.

I found the passage from back in Bodymelder Territory and read aloud:

“Fields stretched on endlessly and I felt small a tiny dot in the map of the world whose purpose was to make an impact and I would make that impact that was what drove me to the spot

Bushels of overgrown weeds that’s what all this was I didn’t understand why they favored this spot so much

Field of birds marking it they had a name for its roar of yellow and orange poppies and spirits knew what else but this was where I needed to be besides the pointless view and the way it made me feel

I had to be here”

Esmond’s voice cut through. “Are you talking about Firebird’s Field?”

Our attention snapped toward the kitchen. “What’s Firebird’s Field?” I asked.

“It’s near the capital.” Esmond wiped his hands on a rag and rounded the counter, coming to stand behind the couch. I tossed him the journal. As he leafed through it, he explained, “It’s a wildflower field overflowing with gold and orange flowers, and it’s tied to Ptholenix—hence the name. There’s a long drawn-out history of the place, but nowadays it’s used for an array of offerings.”

Tied to the Bodymelder Prime Warrior. Their Angel. Whose wings legends claimed burned as bright as fire.

I had to be here, Lucidius had written.

“This absolutely sounds like Firebird’s Field,” Esmond said, closing the journal. “And given what you’ve said about sites significant to the Angels, that’s the strongest I’d recommend for the Bodymelders.”

Barrett was already on his feet, striding for Lyria’s table. “I’ll write to Ophelia.”

Esmond’s throat bobbed on a swallow as he continued reading the rambling passages. This didn’t help us if Kakias was after Thorn’s emblem, but at least it was another lead. And it kept the queen off Ophelia’s trail for a bit longer.

“What exactly is Firebird’s Field, Esmond?”

His brows pulled together, scrutinizing Lucidius’s words. The hair on the back of my neck stood up as I waited for his answer.

“It’s the location where the Angels’ ascension ritual was created.”

Chapter Twenty-One

Ophelia

The Seawatchers’ capital was like nothing I’d ever seen. I’d been here once before, but we were younger then, and I didn’t think any of us had truly appreciated the beauty of the city built of canals and bridges. The palms stretching to the sky and shadowing sandy corners.

Salt-water streams cut in from the Neptitian Sea, between city blocks made up of wide expanses of cobblestone. The buildings throughout all looked like they rose out of the ocean, painted in corals and yellows and peaches, light green and blue and brown sea glass adorning windows and illustrating mosaics along the facades. Blown into spires atop domes and some even forged into statues.

Though it was late by the time Sapphire carried me through the winding city streets to the chancellor’s manor, it would have been difficult to miss the unique beauty of this city that looked like it had been crafted from the spirits of its warriors. By night it was beautiful, but I imagined the true glory was by day. Like sunlight reflecting off a pristine ocean, I bet it made every crevice iridescent.

It was a shame we wouldn’t be staying long enough to enjoy it.