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“I thought I’d gotten out the worst of it.” Her eyes narrowed. “I was so certain nothing this vicious was left. I thought maybe lingering tendrils of her poison were causing you discomfort but I didn’t ever think it was something so…threatening. I?—”

Ophelia wrapped her arms around her friend. “You couldn’t have known.”

“I’m not giving up. I’m going to figure out what’s doing it.” Santorina hugged her tighter, then pulled back. “I’m going to write to Esmond and check if he’s found anything that could qualify as elements of sacred land.”

Even hearing them speak about the ingredients of Kakias’s immortality ritual had a growl rumbling in my chest. Though I’d bite it back if somehow reconstructing the potion could heal the scar.

Ophelia didn’t answer Santorina, but something in her silence told me she was still gathering those pieces of theories about this invasive power.

As Rina left, I imagined very terrifying promises were being forged about the queen’s life in her mind. When she prided herself on something—like her healing capabilities—you were a fool to challenge them. She wasn’t like Ophelia, taking a knife to you, but Santorina Cordelian was brutal and determined in her own way.

Kakias was wronging each of us, personally, one by one. And dammit if she wasn’t writing her own death into the fates as well.

Chapter Thirty-Two

Malakai

“Who exactly are Lyria’s spies?” I asked as Mila sat down opposite me, handing a serving of dried meat and cheese across the mystlight. Cypher trees ringed our camp for the night, breeze whistling through the branches and stars speckling the sky.

“I don’t know.” Mila cleared her throat, avoiding my gaze.

“They’ve saved our asses a number of times, though,” Esmond said, dropping his voice low enough that none of the others in our party would hear.

They were our cover, traveling to Pthole to retrieve supplies to cart back to the infirmary at camp.

“Yeah and gotten us into worse trouble now,” I grumbled and took a long sip of ale. Whoever had brought it was doing us a favor. It always tasted better after a day of travel.

“They’ve given clear information now, though. The queen is moving and heading toward Firebird’s Field, as is Ophelia,” Mila said, mesmerized with the mystlight between us. “And Engrossian-Mindshaper troops continue to hammer ours.”

Mila twirled her bottle absently between her hands.

“Do you regret leaving?” I asked.

But she shook her head. Was that relief in her sigh? “They’re in good hands with Lyria and the others. Dax has told us a lot about what to expect from the Engrossian strategy.”

Thankfully, most of our warriors had grown to trust Dax and Barrett in our ranks after the good intel they provided. It was odd to be away from them all.

“But?” I prompted, sensing she felt the same. Things had been stiff between us lately; we’d barely communicated outside of training, but I could tell there was something more.

She shook her head.

“You want to fight alongside them,” I finished for her. Behind us, the warriors laughed around their mystlight lantern, playing a word game.

“Something like that.” Mila twisted her gold cuffs, watching the others.

“Those are beautiful, by the way,” I said, gesturing at the intricately carved metal around her wrists. I’d noticed them when we first met and every day we’d trained since. They were unique, clearly hand-crafted and not typically a part of Mystique leathers. “Where are they from?”

Mila’s eyes snapped to mine, then fleeted quickly away. “I got them at a market in Turren,” she explained, hands clutching the gold tightly.

Esmond and I exchanged a look when she offered no more explanation. The Bodymelder shrugged, turning back to the letter in his hands.

“Santorina?” I asked.

“She’s looking for some ingredients, though she didn’t give much detail why.” He folded it up, tossing it over the mystlight. “I have someone working on it for her.”

At least someone was making progress in one task, then.

“Come on,” I said, standing and extending a hand to Mila. “Let’s all rest so we can move early and arrive at Firebird’s Field before midday.”