"Perhaps it's not so bad if he doesn't awaken."

Astreia and I squatted behind bushes lining the principal thoroughfare into the quaint village of Friedesh. Because Yoko didn't trust me, she refused to allow me to travel alone, and because Astreia didn't trust Yoko alone with me, she volunteered to accompany me.

After Tievel's story, I had expected something grander than a sleepy hamlet nestled at the base of towering mountains. I didn't even know there were mountains in the middle of the Vesper. Every so often, the gray clouds swallowing their peaks would flash with searing light, and even so far below the storm, the world grumbled with thunder.

"All right, all right," Astreia said when I didn't respond to her flippant remark, "We won't leave him like that, but I'm also not keen to join him."

"No one will suspect a thing if we act like we're supposed to be here."

Astreia shook her head, her braids clacking. "Friedesh is small for a reason, Morana. The Light of the World is why Edresh is in power. The gratitude other kingdoms once had for Edresh has long faded. If they had free access to the eternal flame, they would no longer be willing to bow to a High King."

"Is that what started the war with Araphel and Estrellum?" I asked. I knew the official reason for the war: to stop the evil beings who wouldn't give up their Death magic, but I'd never believed it. "They wouldn't bow to another king?"

"Most of the people who live in this village are soldiers or family members of soldiers. Visitors to see the Light of the World must be approved in advance, and they sign in and out. They will know we don't belong."

I nearly jumped to my feet. "And you're just now telling me all this?"

She pulled my arm. "Just because it's dark doesn't mean you won't be seen. Not as pale as you are. Good grief."

"Don't you think these would have been excellent details to share?"

"I'm sharing them now."

Irritation scuttled through me, and I rubbed the spot between my eyes. "All right, look. Our story is simple. We recently settled on one of the homesteads a few leagues away. Fever Flower has poisoned your husband, my brother, and we're in town to get the antidote. Surely, people who live nearby come into town?"

Astreia didn't look convinced, but we didn't have many options. "Of course, if we don't get caught, then we don't need a backstory."

"You want to sneak in there?" I snorted.

"Why is that funny?"

"You just told me it was heavily guarded and someone with Yoko's skill set would be able to easily sneak away. Correct me if I'm wrong, but neither of us has her skill set."

"I am far more capable than you think."

"So, I've realized."

The princess sniffed and looked away. "And you are more stealthy than you give yourself credit for. What is the number one rule for servants and lower elves when in the presence of nobility?"

She had me there, and oh, how I loathed it. "Be invisible."

"Precisely what we are going to do, and if we get caught, I'll blind them and you can use some of that impressive ice magic that you probably hoped we wouldn't talk about."

"Oh, right? The power I have no idea how to control."

A sour taste filled my mouth. I didn't want to talk about it at all because I knew exactly where it had come from—the Warden I killed during my capture. His soul settled inside me, and it had been a brittle, icy thing. I hadn't noticed when it blended into the rest of me, but I felt that same sensation in my blood when the ice poured from my hands. They already believed me to be a monster. No need to prove it true.

"We should move while the moon is behind a cloud," I said, choosing her tactic of pretending I didn't hear her.

A lonely bell tolled in the village. Eleven times the chime struck, each note resonating through my bones. How many more chimes did we have before we lost Tievel?

"Look there," Astreia said. I squinted in the direction her finger pointed but could make out nothing of notice. "There are cracks in the wall, and the bushes there are overgrown. The guard passes four times a bell, so it takes a quarter of that for him to make the rotation, but he's looking in our direction for half of it."

"So, we have just over seven ticks to make our move, but how do cracks in the wall help us?"

She was excited when she replied. "It's where smugglers get in and out. I bet when we get close enough, we'll see the cracks are strategically placed for scaling the wall, and the bushes provide extra coverage. Nowhere else is that unkempt. It means someone on the inside—someone very high up—allows the smuggling to happen. Likely, the Chief Councilman. Clearly, not a fan of our dear old king."

I nodded as if I understood the politics of what she was saying. I only cared about the bit that meant we had a way in and out of the city.

"Now," she hissed, grabbing my hand and dragging me through the bushes.

Brambles and thorns snagged on my skirts. A branch pulled at the thick braid hanging down my back, and I bit back a curse as my scalp protested. As soon as we reached the wall, I understood Astreia's urgency. The guard was just far enough away from us that our approach hadn't been noticeable. We had a little time to scale the wall before they came around the corner, but it was far taller than I'd thought. However, as Astreia predicted, the cracks were evenly spaced and perfectly shaped for fingers and toes.

"I'll go first," she said. The stolen razor twirled between her fingers. "In case someone is waiting on the other side."

Then she clambered up and over as though she'd been born to climb walls in the middle of the night. Hesitating, I worked my fingers into the highest hole and tested its strength despite Astreia proving it could support her curvier figure. The one time I tried to climb a tree—Tievel's brilliant idea—I fell from the lowest branch and broke my arm. Beatrice called it a learning experience, but promised to break the other arm if she ever caught me in another tree.

"Come on, Morana," the princess said, poking her head over the edge of the wall. With her starlight muted, it was difficult to make out much more than her outline. "He's turning. Hide!"

I dropped behind the bushes, moving the foliage to cover me completely. The guard did little more than look left or right as he walked along the border. As long as he didn't deviate, I would be fine.

His pace remained measured and even, and the gravel path lining the wall crunched beneath his boots, each step growing louder with his approach. Still, my thudding heart nearly drowned out the sound of his steps, and I almost jumped when he came into view.

It was just my imagination that he slowed. That he glanced down for the first time during his rotation. That's what I told myself until he paused and turned on his heel. The moonlight glinted in the white of his eyes, and it grew brighter as he bent at the waist.

"Oy, Borden. Whatcha doing?"

The guard—Borden—stepped away from my hiding spot and faced the person hollering his name. "Jac. You old bastard. You ain't supposed to be on this post for three more moon tides."

"Got pulled early thanks to that scouting group that disappeared up in the mountains. Didn't think we did that no more."

Borden glanced over his shoulder, then back at his friend. "We ain't supposed to be doing that no more. But the new king commanded it. Haven't heard nothing bout going back up there. We ought to be safe."

Jac clapped him on the shoulder and grinned. He slipped his hand in his coat and pulled out a bottle half filled with golden liquid. "Care to take a drink with me, then? To celebrate my early return."

"I dunno. I'm on duty, and the last en that was caught drinking on duty got four lashes and a day in the stocks."

"Then let's not get caught, eh?"

The men chuckled and shared the bottle between them. Thighs burning from holding a squatting position, I prayed they would go elsewhere, and thankfully, the gods listened. Borden tapped Jac on the shoulder and jutted his chin toward the bushes across the road.

"Let's get on over there. Too much light here."

They were only halfway across the street when I slipped from my cover and ascended the wall. All it would take is one of them looking behind them to see me climbing, but it was now or never. Throwing my leg over the side, I gripped the edge of the wall and dropped, my blouse raising so my bare stomach scraped the entire way down.

Astreia pounced the moment my feet touched. "You all right? That was too close!"

"You're telling me," I muttered, looking at our new surroundings. The wall holes were on this side too, and like the outside, the plants were overgrown. Someone had stacked old boxes and barrels around the area too.

"Good thing Borden likes his ale."

Astreia grinned. "They should never give men guard duty at night. They're not used to looking out for themselves. Women, on the other hand, never know a moment's peace in the darkness. They will remain alert at all times."

"Have you figured out how to get to the fire?" I asked, immediately craving its warmth despite my fear. The autumn cold was brisker here at the base of the mountains, and the thin shirt I wore did little to stave off the cold. Somewhere in the distance, cheerful music played.

"It's in the town square. Like the fountain in the capital city. Except they have fire instead of water. You can see it if you look down the alley. From what I remember of my visit here, they don't post guards around the flame itself. Kind of an assumption that anyone who is inside the city walls is supposed to be here, and guards would ruin the festive atmosphere. People pay a lot of money to visit, and that means they want to have a good time."

The alley our hideout was in was clean and better smelling than most. But it was dark. For that, I was grateful as we slunk down the cobblestone path. The music grew louder, and I could hear people laughing and glass tinkling against glass. And there in the center of everything stood a stone basin.

Inside it was a twisting flame of molten gold. It writhed and sparkled in tune with the music as if it were a living creature. Those closest to it stood transfixed, their mouths hanging open and eyes glazed with longing while their peers danced and drank with abandon.

"I've never seen a fire like that before."

Astreia smiled sadly. "It's more than fire. It's Queen Luciana's soul set free from its shell–tethered to earth. But... it's smaller than I remember."

"It can't be consumed, though. Right? We won't hurt it if we take some of it?"

She nudged me in and pointed at a line. The people waiting were far more solemn than the revelers. Some held the hands of sickly-looking children. Others clutched glass jars against their chests as they held back tears. One by one, they held out their containers, scooping up a bit of the liquid fire before sending up a prayer and leaving.

"People have come here for centuries. It will be fine, and it's going to heal Tievel," Astreia said.

Dread weighed my steps. What if we were wrong? What if it couldn't cure him? "Are you certain? We came all this way..."

"It will heal him, and we don't have any other options."

She picked up a dusty, discarded jar that smelled faintly of old wine. We joined the queue, keeping our heads down and trying to look as reverent as the others.

For me, it was a struggle. Fear flared deep inside me, sparking my instinct to flee and protect myself. Every second brought us closer to the fire, and with proximity its gentle warmth turned to fierce heat. My arm ached and my heart thudded. While the others prayed, I repeated assurances. This fire was not lit to burn, but to save.

I was safe. I was safe. I was safe. I was–

Something reached me through the sultry air. An intoxicating surge of power, and it emanated from the Light of the World. The hairs on my arm stood up, and a vibrating note rumbled in my chest as my power woke. I clenched Astreia's hand so hard she glared at me before wrenching free to dip our jar into the flames. Pressing two fingers to her lips, she bowed low before herding me back toward our alley.

"That was entirely too easy," I said, leaning against the wall and wiping sweat from my brow. What was that? Had I almost tried to consume Queen Luciana's soul? The note that formed felt different, though. New.

"Are you all right? I think you squeezed my hand so hard my bones fractured," Astreia said, handing me the jar as she hiked her skirts to climb up the wall.

"I'm fine," I said, mesmerized by the dancing flame. There was only an echo of that power now. I looked over my shoulder and stared at its source. If nothing else came of this journey, I was grateful to have witnessed this sight.

"All clear up here. Looks like the guards are out cold. That was some stout whiskey. Step up on the first two holds and hand me the light. I'll carry it down."

Doing as she said, I watched her go over, once again marveling at the ease of our mission. I'd done something dangerous and faced my greatest fear. But it was worth it. Tievel was going to make it.

Then people started screaming. In shock, I let go, hitting the ground with an impact that rattled my teeth. Groaning, I pushed myself up and rubbed my jaw before looking down the alley to see what caused the commotion.

But there was nothing to see. A darkness greater than I'd ever known, even in the middle of a moonless night, spread out from the town square. No golden flame. No bright fire.

The Light of the World was gone.