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Joy ignited in my chest, blooming like maidens’ fair flowers bursting from the snow. I’d grown so accustomed to bad news that I hardly dared to hope anymore.

“I—I can touch people?” I said breathlessly.

“You are in control of your magic now, Elowen.”

Slowly, I pulled my hand away from his face and stepped back, feeling a strange loss at the distance between us. I swallowed, my throat dry, and I tried to steady my racing heart. “I know you don’t believe in the gods, but I feel as if there’s adeath god who lives beneath the earth. It’s what Percival thinks, too. And when I use my magic out here, I can feel the death god speaking to me—not in words, but in visions. He rips the heads off lilies, black hellebore, and dead men’s bells, and he scatters the dying leaves on the earth. He shows me things. And I saw a wall of my magic rising up like a storm over the sea.”

“A shield. It’s a good idea, except our shadow magic will run out. We can only sustain it for twenty, maybe thirty?—”

He cut himself off and turned his head, body tensing, and I leaned around him to see what he was looking at.

Between the oak trunks, a vampire rushed toward us. Though he moved so quickly, it was difficult to track his movements, I still caught a blur of darkness, his cloak billowing behind him. And then he was upon us, gripping a piece of paper in his hands. His bright red hair hung long over a dark cloak as he handed the paper to Sion.

“Your Majesty, there are dozens of these, messages from the Pater. Someone found them on the shore, shot through with arrows.” His hands shook as he handed the paper to Sion. “They’re going to kill Maelor.”

CHAPTER 27

The air went cold as Sion grabbed the paper. I nestled in close to him so I could read it, too. A message had been written in swooping black ink:

We have the former Raven Lord, Maelor. He has been captured by the Order to protect the safety of mortals across Merthyn. He is scheduled for execution at nightfall. If you wish to save him from that fate, we require that the two other greatest threats to our region, Sion and the witch known as Elowen, turn themselves in. While we will need to imprison you for the safety of Merthyn’s subjects, we will allow all three of you to live out your natural lives in Ruefield. If you fail to comply with our demands, Maelor will be staked in the heart with hawthorn. You must arrive in Dredbury before nightfall. You may not carry any weapons, including wands.

My blood ran cold. They knew how to kill vampires. They knew about the wands. And there was no way in hell they would let us live out our lives in peace. What did that even mean for a vampire? It wasn’t as if the Order was going to supply them with the blood they needed.

The forest air went ice-cold as Sion’s gaze darkened to midnight. “You don’t need to do this, Elowen. I can go on my own.”

Dread settled in the pit of my stomach, and I shook my head. “Let’s get to the docks. We’re sailing to Dredbury together.”

The sun paintedthe sky in deep shades of red and coral, casting long shadows over the road. In the thick, dry air, our horses kicked up dust as we rode. Their hooves pounded against the packed soil.

Sion rode beside me, his jaw clenched, his long hair streaking behind him like a war banner. Behind us, Lydia urged her horse to keep up with us.

Up ahead, the towering walls of Dredbury loomed, the sun washing them in amber. Energy coursed through my veins as we rode closer, careening at a wild speed. We had only one chance to get things right, and already, twilight was closing in on us. We were running out of time, and I could hardly breathe. We’d spent eight hours on the boat, getting to the coast, and another hour riding.

Sion still had a few spies within the Luminari, those who hated the Pater as much as he did. According to them, the new Magister was deeply committed to public executions. No surprise—that was how the Order liked to operate. Maelor would be executed in the town square. The Magister also had a tendency to overcompensate when it came to defending himself while leaving the outskirts exposed. He’d fortify the interior of Dredbury with everything he had, surrounding himself personally with defenses.

And as we arrived at the outskirts of the city, we found only two soldiers guarding the gate. Two armored Luminari stood at attention, gripping spears. Tension coiled in my chest.

“Soldiers!” Sion barked. “Do you not recognize your former Magister Solaris?”

The word “Solaris” was our signal. Swiftly, I drew my dagger, just as Sion drew his, and we watched as they arced through the air—one thrown by each of us, carefully aimed. The soldiers had no time to draw their swords before the blades found their marks right in the men’s throats.

In my case, it had taken me years of constant training to master that skill. In Sion’s case, all he’d had to do was become a vampire.

Blood pooled on the ground as the soldiers crumpled to the cobbles.

“Nicely done.” Sion dismounted and crossed to the soldiers.

As I slid off my horse to follow, he started pulling the armor off them. I pulled off my own cloak, handing it to Lydia.

Quickly, we stripped the Luminari of their uniforms and metal breastplates. While Lydia kept a lookout, we hurriedly dressed ourselves in their amor and capes. The heavy fabric smelled of sweat and blood, and the breastplate felt bulky on me, far too large. We pulled the Luminari’s helmets off and slid them on our heads, keeping everything covered but our eyes.

I tucked my wand into my sleeve, the familiar weight settling against my arm, providing comfort, as I readied myself to walk into the lion’s den.

Disguised as soldiers, we slipped through the gates and into the city, blending into the shadows as we moved deeper into Dredbury. A cold weight settled over me as we went. I turned, glancing up at the city walls surrounding us, which were adorned with stone-carved heads and swords drenched in red paint to look like blood.

We walked with the rigid gate of the Luminari, tuning in to the distant shouts that floated through the streets. I could feel the tension roiling off Sion. We both knew what was at stake, and there wasn’t room for a single error.

As we moved farther into Dredbury, I tried to make a mental map of the city roads. When we left, we’d need to know exactly where we were going, as there would be no time for hesitation or questions.