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‘The fewer people who knew, the better.’

‘Well, that pool just grew by three… And judging from what I saw, the sun is setting on time for secrecy, fast. There’s no hiding that kind of power for long.’

Wilder didn’t reply, not when he knew Torj was right. Instead, he urged his horse into a gallop. They’d deal with it once they’d found a ship. There would be time enough then.

* * *

It was late afternoon by the time they reached the south-east dock of Settlers’ Port. Wilder left the group to buy passage for them and the horses to Tver. The young strategist had all but read his mind: they could sail from Harenth to the next kingdom in a matter of days if the wind was right, and by the gods, Wilder hoped it was right.

The black mass that had swarmed the sky gave no indication of the size of the enemy’s forces. The thought of it ravaging the beautiful lands of Tver was enough to make Wilder’s blood run cold. He hadn’t yet had the chance to speak to Thea, but he got the distinct impression that both she and her sister had seen something in the heart of that storm, something that he needed to know.

Wilder made quick work of obtaining passage, though he had to argue and barter to ensure that the horses remained above deck, rather than in the stuffy confines below. He would never force a Tverrian stallion down into the stocks, nor any horse, for that matter.

The ruddy-faced captain was not impressed. ‘We’re not scheduled to depart for another two hours,’ he said gruffly.

‘You’ll leave when I say so,’ Wilder replied with a pointed glance at his Warsword totem.

He found the others exactly where he’d left them. No one was speaking, but Thea and Wren kept exchanging worried glances, as though they could engage in an entire conversation with a look, a silent language that only siblings could speak.

‘We’re to boardThe Furies’ Willin thirty minutes,’ Wilder told them all. ‘There are markets just by the gates, if you need provisions. Don’t stray too far. Be back with time to spare. If you’re not here, you get left behind.’

He wanted to go to Thea, but she and Wren darted away to the stalls together, leaving the young men looking more bewildered than ever.

Wilder went to the pier, his horse in tow. Resting against a thick post, he looked out at the port, breathing in the briny air, tasting salt on his tongue. He’d been a fool, allowing himself a moment of happiness amid all the chaos. He should have known better than to forget his duty, his sole purpose – fighting the darkness, defeating the monsters. Instead, he’d been swept up in Thea, in the bliss they had shared. For a brief pocket of time, he’d glimpsed what he might have had, were he someone else, wereshesomeone else. No cares in the world, just the two of them, laughing, fucking and drinking each other in. He would have spent his whole life getting to know her, her body, her mind, her soul… Even at the Laughing Fox he’d been kidding himself, pretending that sitting with comrades, thatenjoying their company, was a reality for him. He had even imagined a time where he might call them friends.Friends. He’d kept the word at arm’s length since Talemir had left the guild.

‘I can hear you thinking from over there, brother,’ Torj said, coming to stand beside Wilder and following his gaze out to the sapphire waters.

‘There’s lots to think about,’ he replied.

‘I’ll say.’

Wilder shifted against the post, the swords strapped to his back digging in uncomfortably. ‘About what you saw this morning…’

His fellow Warsword offered an amused smile. ‘What about it?’

‘I…’ But Wilder suddenly didn’t know what he wanted to say. That it had been a moment of weakness? That it would never happen again? That it meant nothing? He didn’t have the energy to lie, and furthermore, Torj would never believe him. The Bear Slayer had known there was something between him and Thea from the beginning, and he had never judged.

Wilder tipped his head to the sky and sighed hard, bracing himself against the roiling sensation in his gut, the tightness in his chest. ‘I don’t know,’ he said at last.

Torj hummed in understanding. ‘I always figured you’d struggle with any sort of relationship, but to find out she’s a royal… Well, you’re fucked, aren’t you?’

Wilder gave a dark laugh, passing a hand over his weary face. ‘Is that your professional assessment?’

‘Something like that.’ Torj shook his head in disbelief. ‘That’s why you went to Delmira.’

Wilder nodded. ‘I thought it might trigger a memory, a clue as to what happened to her and her sister.’

‘And did it?’

‘Not exactly.’

Torj shifted on his feet. ‘Does she know that the Daughter of Darkness hunts her?’

‘No.’ The word came out clipped and cold.

But Torj was undeterred. ‘Does her sister?’

‘Not to my knowledge.’