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“Until the floods clear and the soils good to grow again.”

“The gods are angry with us.”

“Angry that the Ikhor lives.”

The couple who had passed were carrying bags over their shoulders and heading into the crowd and out of sight. What floods?

I turned to Maev, who was strolling ahead before coming to a halt between two stalls, and I nearly ran into her.

I swore as I looked at what had stopped her.

On a large board was a poster with a hand-drawn image of a person screaming.

Underneath was a warning that said, “ Beware, the Ikhor has returned . Female. Legacy unknown. Extreme risk .”

“Are you kidding me?” I groaned. Luckily, the screaming image under the words didn’t look that much like me.

Maev scanned the crowd. “What do we do?” She turned to Ollo, who had crossed his arms, studying the poster.

His finger tapped his biceps. Shoppers shouldered past him, pushing him closer to me, and I bumped into his chest, getting a lungful of a clean, crisp, and very masculine scent.

Another memory slipped through. He smelled like pine and leather.

Ollo muttered an apology, lips twitching, and I stepped back too quickly to look casual.

“We need extra clothes for one,” he said.

“But our cloaks will do for now.” He stepped closer.

His hands came up toward my face, and I held my breath as he lifted the hood of my cloak and set it gently on my head.

I was cast under his shadow as he said, “And for two, I am not going to harm you. No need to flinch in my proximity. Do I make you uncomfortable?”

The genuine way in which he asked caught me by surprise, and I shook my head. It was obvious Ollo was concerned for Maev, but him showing interest in my well-being when he hardly knew me was not something I had experienced back home.

Maybe only with … with him . Even Nuo had been reckless with my safety.

Ollo’s light grey tunic had ties that crossed over his chest, and a small image of wings decorated the fabric over his heart.

His dark, slim-cut pants disappeared under tall leather boots, much like Maev’s.

He was leaner than the Guards, but no less strong looking.

How many other details had I missed on our long journey while hiding inside the fog surrounding my thoughts?

“Thanks,” I said. “Did you hear what those two said about the floods? It sounded like their farms were underwater.”

Ollo ignored the question. It was Maev’s clenching jaw that gave away she knew something.

“What is it?” I demanded.

“The lands have flooded from the rain. The rivers are so high that buildings have gone underwater. Even here, the river is over the path’s edge.”

I turned to see what she meant. Sure enough, part of a path was sunken and farther down a path was submerged.

“That quickly?” I gasped.

“Quickly?”

Maev’s comment was lost in my panic. I had let the rain fall endlessly. I had destroyed homes and ruined farms. People’s livelihoods . All to hide myself from the Aspis. “What have I done?”

“Nothing that others wouldn’t have done to protect themselves,” Ollo defended me. “You also saved us .” He waved a finger between Maev and himself.

“But how many farms were ruined? How many people are fleeing their homes?”

A group of tattooed Guardians passed as I asked the question, and I ducked under my hood.

“First the fire of the Ikhor, now the floods,” a man covered in piercings said. “The gods are punishing us. Unless the Aspis acts, war will come. Maybe even between the legacies of Veydes. Only a Sea-leg could be happy in this weather.”

“What’s taking the Aspis so long? The battle should have taken place by now,” another replied.

Would they scream if they knew the Ikhor stood near, or would they aim to kill? I needed to get out of here. The city and its beauty faded from sight.

“It could be because they are down a Guard,” the first Guardian replied before their voices trailed off.

“They don’t realize the Ikhor caused the floods. They think the gods are punishing them.” I looked at Maev, and her face softened.

“Don’t get upset, Olivia. Stay focused. We should have told you sooner. Before we were in the city.” Maev’s eyes darted to her brother—they had discussed it before. But when? I had been with them the entire time. It was welling up—the guilt. Already, my actions could be argued as evil.

But the feeling shattered when a high-pitched humming rang in my ears. I turned in a circle, searching for the source. The sound had been clear as day. But there was nothing out of place. The people shopping, Ollo and Maev … no one reacted as if they had heard a thing.

I could have sworn I had heard the humming before. When it faded, I wondered if I had imagined it.

“Let’s get going,” Ollo said, putting an arm to my elbow, turning me and walking ahead. “There is an airship landing port on the opposite side of the city. And docks where passenger ships wait. I think we are all in agreement that we’d rather walk than sit in that boat any longer.”

I wiggled my arm free from Ollo’s grasp, disliking the familiarity of the contact.

A squat Sea-leg pointed us toward the landing site—a straight walk through the city’s centre. “But I wouldn’t be walking that way if I were you,” the round greenish woman warned.

“Why’s that?” Maev asked.

“I heard Aethar are in the city today, and more than usual.”

Maev only nodded her thanks, rolling her eyes when she faced me. “Imagine if she knew who we were?” She smirked.

We. The Aethar and their Ikhor.

What was I doing?