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Falizha’s crew of female Guardians had once manned the ship—before she led them to the burning fields and to their deaths. Now, these metal halls creaked and moaned—it sounded like cries of betrayal.

The worst ghosts were the memories.

The first room I visited was the cabin I had stayed in with the Guards. It was on this ship that he and I had opened up to each other.

Thinking of him led me to the dreams. The ones that felt all too real. I was almost afraid to fall asleep again, afraid to wake up and remember what had happened.

I stood in the open door of the cabin, holding onto the cold frame. The four sets of bunk beds were all made—there were no signs anyone had ever stayed here. There was no discarded clothing or leftover food trays from when Nuo and I had eaten alone, avoiding the crew.

Across the room was the bed Nuo had sat on while we talked. I could see him clear as day.

“I want you to show me it all. Show me your whole world. Let’s live until we don’t ,” I had said, realizing I had a genuine friend after so many years alone.

“You might regret telling me that, BB.” His voice had been calming and sure. “ We live to the fullest.”

“No matter the bad side effects?”

The bad side effect was that we ran out of time.

I didn’t go into the cabin, and continued retracing my time here on the airship.

I felt nothing when visiting the training room. It wasn’t a place where I had built fond memories. The last time I was here, I had broken down and cried over my mother’s death.

The storage room below was in shambles, as though something had happened, a fight maybe. Broken crates and bottles littered the floor, and the food was gone. The Guards had been chasing us for weeks. They must have depleted Falizha’s supplies.

Working my way back to the higher levels, I ran my hand along the cool metal walls, trying to ignore my headache. The humming of the magic vibrated in my head, though it felt considerably less in the quiet. I was lost in thought when a loud crash came from down the hall and I froze.

Maev stepped into view, throwing a bag over her shoulder.

Dressed as a Guardian, she wore all black.

The dark clothing showed off her slim frame and made the blue of her skin and hair resemble a summer sea.

She was so foreign and beautiful that I almost felt shy to look at her.

She paused, giving me a weak smile, and pointed a thumb to her back.

“I found Guardian clothing and thought it would be a good idea we all blend in once we reach Ouras’s temple. ”

“What’s in the bag?”

“Clothes, food, and other interesting finds amongst the Guard’s belongings. Hope you don’t mind I went through the Interrogator’s stuff. Not that he had much, but I swiped his map too.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat.

“What does that face mean?” she asked.

“A Guardians map is sacred to the maker.” Nuo would be furious. It took a long time before he allowed even me to see it.

Maev grabbed a length of her hair and ran it between her fingers, chewing her lip.

“What does that face mean?” I asked, unable to help the small smile that broke free. I enjoyed how easy to read she was.

She scanned the hall. “It’s well known the Interrogator is the most dangerous, the most ruthless. Will you tell him it was me who stole it?”

The humour of the situation vanished.

“I didn’t know him to be like that—to be ruthless.” Seeing her confusion, I continued, “Nuo was my friend. He was good to me. It’s hard for me to see him so hated. That his reputation is surrounded with fear.”

“His fame has reached our people, a world apart from this one. Guards are often talked of, and rumours spread. None have been talked of so well in my lifetime as Shadow and Blood.”

“Hmmm. Well, I won’t tell Nuo. Not that we talk anymore.” I shrugged.

Maev approached, jerking her head to follow, and I didn’t miss the sad look she gave me before passing.

She appeared less animated than usual, and I got the feeling she didn’t like to linger on negativity.

Even though she was trying to be kind, I could sense she was still angry about my decision to seek Ouras.

Somehow, her kindness made me hate myself more.

We travelled the halls, peeking into rooms. Maev commented on everything she saw, distracting me. “That woman really liked to show off, didn’t she? There’s gold everywhere.”

“Why did you have to bring Falizha up? If I get the chance, I am going to make a ball of fire and throw it in her face.”

“Don’t waste your fire. She’s a Day-leg, a child of the Sun no less. You’ll need to incinerate her to cause real damage. Make it an ice ball. Or better yet, drown her. Make her wish she was a Sea-leg for once.”

There was an idea. “Where is this violence from?”

I had to walk faster than usual to keep up with Maev. Her legs were longer, and she seemed to be constantly vibrating, ready to go.

“I grew up around conniving women. I know what they’re like.”

“Were they golden Day-legs too?”

“No. The golds back home are not imperialists like here. The women I’m talking about were the ones who faked being my friend so they could get closer to my brother.” Her mouth thinned into an unimpressed line.

I didn’t know what to say, so I said nothing. I toyed with the hem of my cloak, ignoring the stabbing in my gut from being back on the ship.

“I’m sure you’ve noticed.” She gave me a skeptical look, pretending she didn’t see my discomfort. “Every one of them told me how handsome he is. I worry that makes me look like a man.”

I almost laughed. “Well, you don’t. And your brother is good-looking, but I wouldn’t pretend to be your friend because of it.”

Maev walked like nothing was amiss as we passed more cabins that looked like the one I had shared with the Guards. I thought no more of the dreams, wiping my cheeks dry and letting those thoughts go. Maev stared forward as she continued talking, and I was grateful.

“Uh-huh. I’ve invited friends to my home who ditched me to watch him study. Sighing at him when he had his nose in a book.”

Maev’s tone was too forced to be casual. Why was she being nice to me when she was mad about my decision to go to the temple?

As much as I could understand the motives of Maev’s friends, I could tell it had hurt her at one time. “Have you not had men after you in the same way?”

Maev’s blue skin turned a funny shade of pink. “No.”

“I haven’t had any female friends before,” I admitted. “I don’t know what’s okay to ask.”

“That’s been made obvious.”

“I was just trying to ask if you have had boyfriends.”

She fixed the bag on her back so her hands could wave in the air as she spoke.

“To tell you the truth, I haven’t had many female friends either, not since I was a kid.

And I haven’t had any men in my life. I spend most of my time in my lab, not frolicking and going to parties. Not like Ollo does,” she muttered.

With her heart-shaped mouth, straight nose and big blue eyes, Maev should have had a lineup of men. She looked me up and down, apprehensive. “There was this one guy.”

“Oh?” I prompted, and for a moment, I wasn’t thinking about the airship or the look on Nuo’s face when I threw a torrent of water at him and the Guards.

Maev raised a finger to the air and rambled, making me think she felt as awkward as me.

“Nothing’s happened between us. He and I used to attend classes together before he trained to be a city guard.

All the girls in class admired him. But we were forced to be study partners, so I got to sit next to him for a full year. ”

She seemed proud of that fact, and it seemed strange to me that was something to brag about, sitting next to a guy.

She opened a door to an empty room, scanned it, and moved on, not finding anything of value. “Now, I see him once in a while when he comes to visit his uncle, who is my professor and lead alchemist at the university, by the way. But I don’t think he notices me or has any interest.”

“I’m sure he does. And not because he’s trying to get to Ollo through you.”

She was silent a moment before saying in a low voice. “So you do think he’s good-looking.”

“I would be stupid not to notice that both of you are.” I wouldn’t admit I used to call Ollo the beautiful blue man. Was it because I hoped Maev would be a friend? A real one?

She pointed a finger in my face, about to get angry with me, when I grabbed her finger and pulled it downward. “But he’s not the Shadow Guard.”

It hurt to say.

Her face fell. “I’m sorry. I was trying to get your mind off everything.”

“I could tell. You aren’t good at faking conversation.” I dropped my hand.

We both stood woodenly, and with a huff, she placed her hands on her hips. “Let’s keep searching the ship and pretend like we aren’t terrible at conversation, okay?”

“Sure.”

We continued down a hall I hadn’t travelled. Maev halted, facing a large gold-inlaid door decorated with an image of the Aspis. She tipped her head my way, giving me a deadpan look. “How much you wanna bet that behind this door is a room that makes you want to gag?”

I enjoyed how much Maev didn’t like Falizha, even though she had never talked with her. “You know, you and your brother look alike, but you don’t sound the same. You’re much easier to communicate with.”

“Ollo’s always had an impressive vocabulary. My father tried to get us to present ourselves in a way that showed strength of mind. It didn’t quite stick with me.”

She tried the door. Surprisingly, it was unlocked.

“I’m guessing she wanted it open for any of the Guards who were willing to visit,” I groaned. Would she be trying to win them over? A marriage for her image?

I remembered what Kazhi had told me after she had given us the plan of stealing the airship.

“I’m not using her for the ship, Ikhor. But for what’s on the ship. There are books, records and journals. I can’t easily get to them. With Falizha gone, they’ll be left waiting to be read. Find out what the Council has planned.”

“How come you haven’t been able to discover those secrets?” I was familiar with Kazhi’s magic and how it worked.

“There is a reason.”

We knew why we were walking into Falizha’s room, but neither of us knew what to expect.