Page 129 of Antiletum

“And I meant it when I told you I want to help. Besides, how would ourvinculumbond react with that kind of distance?”

My lips press into a thin line before answering, “Not well. But I could fly back to you. When the distance begins to harm us.”

“I’m not staying here without you. But what will we do? Where will we go? If you now no longer know where theVulpesHeartstone is?”

“Don’t fret,ocellus. There are plenty of safehouses both withinVulpesandPantherafor us all.” I bite my lip, anxiety creeping in like the unwanted parasite it is at the next piece of the plan that I must lay at her feet.

“What?” she bites.

“Promise you won’t be angry with what I’m about to suggest.”

“I will make no such promise,” Delaney announces sternly, crossing her arms across her chest.

“Fair enough.” I pause, commanding my heart to calm. Reminding it that my wife already knows of all my terrible transgressions and there’s nothing left to fear.

I’ve already suggested my plans to her before. It’s not news.

She promised not to run from me again.

My nervous little heart listens to none of it. Not the first reassurance. Absolutely useless.

“We need to raise Rainah before we go and bring her with us.” I’m proud of myself, for how steady and sure my voice sounds. But the following silence is hard to stomach, and I think I might vomit. Delaney stares at me with an unreadable expression. It stretches on, far too long. Eating away at my only recently revived confidence.

Finally, she sighs. “Yes. That’s been on my mind a lot.” Delaney picks at a spot next to her on the mattress.

Her response shocks me to my core. “It has? I thought you were opposed?”

“I think we have to. And I want to know why she lied to me about knowing you and didn’t tell me that you were alive. Among other things. But, Val…”

Now Delaney’s nervousness shines, matching with mine. We really are incredibly in tune.

“What if our necromancy doesn’t keep her alive, untethered to us, like the Heartstone?”

“It will,” I say, confidently, standing to collect my clothing and hers.

The sun is beginning to peek above the horizon, daylight bringing about reality, no longer being able to hide in the quiet shadows of night. With the time I took to go toVulpes, the opportunity to raise Rainah and our entire group flee The Citadel is running concerningly thin.

Delaney rises off the bed, following after me. “How are you so sure? And also,” she narrows her eyes at me, the most adorably vexed expression crossing her face. “How are you able to shift? How does Parliament not have that gift tied to the Ellden clocks too?”

“I’m so sure,” I respond, shoving a leg through my pants, “because we’ve already done it.” I sweep a hand towards all the living flora around us, no longer clinging to our necromancy, thriving on their own. “And it has to work. Ithasto.”

With a sly grin, I finish donning my garments, glancing down at the white stains. It may be wise to stop by our chambers to change first. Stalking towards my wife, I collect her in my arms. Press my mouth against hers. “As for my shifting, I believe it is a combination of a couple things. One being too much unchecked breeding in the gutter. My mother is so magicless she wasn’t worth noting to Parliament. But she’s descended from shifters just the same as everyone else.”

“And the other thing?” Delaney’s hands lay flat against my chest.

My grin spreads further. “That would be because of my biological father.”

Delaney’s mouth drops wide. “You know who it is?”

“As a matter of fact,” I nudge my nose against hers, “I do.”

I’m a wreck, picking at the skin on my cuticles. Delaney fidgets next to me, in no better shape than I.

It takes a long time, walking down to the forgotten catacombs in The Citadel, not far off from the abandoned tunnels used forSuredeisprisoners. Rainah deserved something better than that cesspool.

Daylight is fully upon Omnitas now, after the time it took for Delaney and I to make ourselves more presentable and collect the rest of our group, explaining how the precariousness of our mission has increased. We’ll have to detour to Greystone to inform Alaric.

A missive at this point is too risky.