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“We need to go after him.”

He nods slowly, his eyes on mine. “I don’t know how long he has been gone.”

My heart races, but my instincts roar at me. I keep my expression blank as I nod, turning away.

He’s…lying.

I don’t understand why. Does he think I would judge him for failing to keep Calysian from leaving?

Scooping up my clothes, I move into the forest, ducking behind a tree as I dress. The edges of my mind begin to itch once more, a sense of dread burrowing deep into my chest. It’s a feeling that I’ve missed something, a certainty that something is very, very wrong.

“If we move quickly, we might be able to catch him,” I say when I return. Haldrik is slowly lumbering around camp. He blinks blearily at me, in no hurry to move. Every other day, he has been the first up and ready to go, pacing impatiently while I eat and bathe.

A dark, ugly suspicion takes up residence in my gut.

Haldrik slowly gets to his feet. “Ah, Madinia. Those eyes just gave you away. They flashed with such hatred, it chilled me to my bones.”

My heart leaps into my throat. He gives me a sad smile. He’s less than ten footspans away, his knife already sheathed at his hip.

My sword is lying next to my sleeping mat, too far for me to reach without leaping towards it. But I go nowhere without my knife, and the hilt is a cool comfort in my hand.

I stare at the man who insisted on traveling with us. My heart wilts, and I can barely breathe, betrayal choking the air from my lungs.

I’ve been so, so stupid.

“I spent an entire month in that tower wondering how Kyldare found us that last time. Daharak constantly changed her plans. Only a few people knew the exact route we would take. You must have been one of them. You were the one who told Kyldare where to find us. You knew we were going to be attacked. That’s why you disappeared in Ambrelis.”

Haldrik hunches his shoulders, a deep line appearing between his brows. He looks old and frail and tired. “Kyldare promised he would only take you. He said the others would live.”

“He lied. Carix died that day. He was your friend.”

I remember that much. I remember Carix gently teasing Haldrik about how well he could hold his liquor, remember Haldrik grinning back at him as he agreed to a drinking game.

Haldrik flinches back, looking suddenly lost. I have no sympathy for him.

“They held a knife to Carosa’s throat. Kyldare was going to kill her without a second thought. There was so much blood on the deck of that ship, my boots were painted with it, Haldrik.”

“Then you should have gone with them!”

I let out a bitter laugh. “You know what Kyldare wants, don’t you?” Daharak was so careful to only tell those in her trusted circle. I don’t remember Haldrik being one of those people, but clearly he had been spying for some time. “Were you truly prepared for what would happen if that grimoire made its way into the wrong hands? You know what Regner did to us!”

“I was tired!” he roars. “I never wanted to fight in a war. I wanted to enjoy the freedom of the open seas!”

I curl my lip at him. “Daharak will kill you for this.”

“Daharak’s dead.” His voice is flat, and I stumble backward.

“What—”

“It’s the only logical assumption.”

My lungs unfreeze. “But you have no proof.”

He sends me a pitying look, but I don’t miss the guilt that flashes through his pale eyes. “Kyldare is a monster. We both know he never would have let them live.”

My mind races. Haldrik is going to try to kill me. He has to. Within moments, I’ll be fighting for my life. But I can’t remember what power he has. Which means I need to buy time.

“You’re still working for Vicana.”