Loren.”
Noam nods at his men and I feel more than see them surround us. They’re not overtly threatening, and the hum in the square continues just the same—hammers pounding, voices buzzing in conversation. Even Conall, Garrigan, and Nessa remain by the horses, wholly unaware of the way Noam ushers us to follow him into the palace like it’s his.
Sir throws Theron a glare when Noam gets a few paces ahead. “You told him?”
The bite in Sir’s voice is the same growl he threw at me so often growing up. But this time, it’s distorted with the smallest flicker of remorse. Not for himself, I realize when my eyes snap to his. For me.
He knows what happened. Understands it more than even I can at this point.
Theron betrayed me.
My lungs hitch.
The Cordellan soldiers urge us forward, and we start walking toward the palace.
“I had to,” Theron says, beseeching, but when I don’t look at him, he clears his throat and roughens his voice. “We have to open that door. We need Cordell’s resources to figure out a way to do so—and I have a plan that will make my father need my help to open the door too.” His eyes sparkle. “Trust me, Meira.”
“But I asked you not to tell him.” I finally look at him. “I needed time, Theron. I needed to figure—”
“How much time do you think we have?” Theron’s brow pinches, and I know he’s trying not to show his frustration. “How long do you think Angra will give us before—”
“Angra is dead ,” Sir cuts in. “You did this to fortify us against an evil that isn’t even here?”
Theron’s face sets. “I did it so that no matter what evils arise, we will never be outmatched again.”
The doors to the palace open and Noam leads us through the entryway, down a hall, and into a study. When the door closes behind us, Noam stops in the middle of the room and locks his arms behind his back, not bothering to face us yet. Theron steps forward while Sir presses his fists into the back of one of the couches, caving in on himself as he tries to assess the situation. And I move to the window, the glass smudged and dirty but still showing a view of thepalace’s courtyard and Jannuari beyond.
“We found a door,” Theron begins when the silence lingers. “In the Tadil Mine. It was carved with scenes—vines on fire, a stack of books, a mask, and light hitting a mountain with the words ‘The Order of the Lustrate’ around it. The first three had keyholes in the center, but we couldn’t move closer to study them. There’s a barrier that blocks anyone from approaching.”
I know that tone. The slight air of distraction, like his mind rolls through things faster than his mouth can say them. I turn, and sure enough, Theron gazes absently into the air as he talks. He got the same look in Gaos when he stared at the tapestry—and me.
I fall against the wall.
That’s where I’ve seen the Order of the Lustrate’s seal before. In Bithai, Theron got this same look on his face when he helped me decipher that maddening book, Magic of Primoria .
The beam of light hitting a mountaintop—it was on the cover.
I find myself dangling on the precipice of asking Hannah about this, but that instinct shatters against my abrupt realization that she still isn’t here. My mind is only mine.
I brace for a flood of missing her, but all that comes is a small, selfish knot of relief. I’m happy to be the only one in my head again.
Shouldn’t I miss her, though?
Noam turns. “Is that all?”
Theron nods. “Yes. I returned once, after we found it.” He rubs his shoulder, wincing like it pains him. “The barrier is . . . persistent. Each time someone tries to pass, it throws them against the wall. And there’s nothing else down there.”
I don’t have it in me to be hurt that he went to study the door without telling me.
The Order of the Lustrate wrote the book I read in Bithai months ago. Most of it was cryptic scrawling or riddles, but maybe there’s something in
Noam nods at his men and I feel more than see them surround us. They’re not overtly threatening, and the hum in the square continues just the same—hammers pounding, voices buzzing in conversation. Even Conall, Garrigan, and Nessa remain by the horses, wholly unaware of the way Noam ushers us to follow him into the palace like it’s his.
Sir throws Theron a glare when Noam gets a few paces ahead. “You told him?”
The bite in Sir’s voice is the same growl he threw at me so often growing up. But this time, it’s distorted with the smallest flicker of remorse. Not for himself, I realize when my eyes snap to his. For me.
He knows what happened. Understands it more than even I can at this point.
Theron betrayed me.
My lungs hitch.
The Cordellan soldiers urge us forward, and we start walking toward the palace.
“I had to,” Theron says, beseeching, but when I don’t look at him, he clears his throat and roughens his voice. “We have to open that door. We need Cordell’s resources to figure out a way to do so—and I have a plan that will make my father need my help to open the door too.” His eyes sparkle. “Trust me, Meira.”
“But I asked you not to tell him.” I finally look at him. “I needed time, Theron. I needed to figure—”
“How much time do you think we have?” Theron’s brow pinches, and I know he’s trying not to show his frustration. “How long do you think Angra will give us before—”
“Angra is dead ,” Sir cuts in. “You did this to fortify us against an evil that isn’t even here?”
Theron’s face sets. “I did it so that no matter what evils arise, we will never be outmatched again.”
The doors to the palace open and Noam leads us through the entryway, down a hall, and into a study. When the door closes behind us, Noam stops in the middle of the room and locks his arms behind his back, not bothering to face us yet. Theron steps forward while Sir presses his fists into the back of one of the couches, caving in on himself as he tries to assess the situation. And I move to the window, the glass smudged and dirty but still showing a view of thepalace’s courtyard and Jannuari beyond.
“We found a door,” Theron begins when the silence lingers. “In the Tadil Mine. It was carved with scenes—vines on fire, a stack of books, a mask, and light hitting a mountain with the words ‘The Order of the Lustrate’ around it. The first three had keyholes in the center, but we couldn’t move closer to study them. There’s a barrier that blocks anyone from approaching.”
I know that tone. The slight air of distraction, like his mind rolls through things faster than his mouth can say them. I turn, and sure enough, Theron gazes absently into the air as he talks. He got the same look in Gaos when he stared at the tapestry—and me.
I fall against the wall.
That’s where I’ve seen the Order of the Lustrate’s seal before. In Bithai, Theron got this same look on his face when he helped me decipher that maddening book, Magic of Primoria .
The beam of light hitting a mountaintop—it was on the cover.
I find myself dangling on the precipice of asking Hannah about this, but that instinct shatters against my abrupt realization that she still isn’t here. My mind is only mine.
I brace for a flood of missing her, but all that comes is a small, selfish knot of relief. I’m happy to be the only one in my head again.
Shouldn’t I miss her, though?
Noam turns. “Is that all?”
Theron nods. “Yes. I returned once, after we found it.” He rubs his shoulder, wincing like it pains him. “The barrier is . . . persistent. Each time someone tries to pass, it throws them against the wall. And there’s nothing else down there.”
I don’t have it in me to be hurt that he went to study the door without telling me.
The Order of the Lustrate wrote the book I read in Bithai months ago. Most of it was cryptic scrawling or riddles, but maybe there’s something in
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