"So, what you're telling me is that you've just now miraculously come up with a plan to get us within the walls?" Sam asks, her words slow, tinged with a rough edge that has Alicia shifting from foot to foot and glancing at Oliver beside her.

"If it were easy, I would have suggested it long ago," Oliver says, taking the brunt of Sam's ire and Alicia is thankful for that.

Alicia doesn't want to collide with Sam, not after promising what she has to the queen. Sam is her ally, hell-bent on being her enemy.

"Why now? Why are you desperate enough to tell me this now?"

Oliver glances down and meets Alicia's eye. "Because we have what we need to prove to the council that the grand duke is trying to tear Muovea apart. And with him out of the way, we can return home, work on a cure."

"I propose something else," Sam says, leaning against her desk. "All that black powder you got from the Keep? I have an idea of how we can use that."

An uncomfortable feeling slides down Alicia's spine.

"We take our best fighters to those walls," Samantha continues, and Alicia's world grinds to a halt. A month ago Alicia wouldn't have cared what happened to this place, but a month ago Alicia didn't care for the people of the Commons.

"What about those with the Ruga flu?" Alicia asks. "They can't possibly make that journey."

"Alicia's right," Galya agrees, standing from her seat by the desk to move towards Sam. "Our people won't survive that journey, and now with medical supplies, we have a real chance out here."

"We leave them here."

Galya slams her hand on the table, rattling objects and drawing the attention of everyone in the room. "No," Galya says forcibly. "You know damn well what Warren will do to this place if he believes it's left unguarded."

Sam stares at her with a clenched jaw and a storm swirling in her dark gaze. "We have a chance to do what we've always wanted."

"We should be focusing on things out here, on the Commons, on the exiles," Galya says, flicking her gaze to Oliver and Alicia before facing Sam again. "Have you taken the time recently to look around you and truly realise what you've created? People call the Commons home now, some don't even give Muovea a second thought anymore."

"Surviving and biding our time is no way to live, Galya, it's just delaying the inevitable."

Galya tilts her head, green eyes alight like emeralds within the setting sun streaming through the glass. "Wouldn't it just be the same if you destroy the capital?"

"My father and the grand duke need to die for what they've done to us, that's why I need to get back within those walls. And that's why we need to blow them to the Reaper's den."

Galya's lips twist. "You cling to your hate and your need for revenge and it's going to destroy you." Fists clenching at her sides and her shoulders thrown back, the intensity in her green gaze causes Sam to swallow. "Will we ever be enough for you? Will I?"

"Galya..."

"Not all of us need vengeance, not even Oliver though you keep telling yourself that he does so you can continue to use him as your weapon. Do yourself a favour and let go of the past before it crushes you." Galya turns towards the door, her eyes on the ground.

"Where are you going?" Sam asks, her tone trembling, but Galya keeps walking.

"I'm going for a ride." Then she's gone, leaving the silence to prickle Alicia's skin.

"Are you with me, Oliver?" Sam demands.

"With what?"

"We use that black powder to blow a hole in those walls and draw the Grey Bloods into the capital. Like you said, people are immune, not everyone will die but it'll certainly undo whatever plans the duke has."

Oliver shifts, his sterling gaze drifting to the window. "I can't do that," he replies quietly.

"Are you becoming soft, Oliver?" Sam jabs.

"Sam," Alicia cuts in, hating the way he winces. She knows Oliver is loyal to the princess for whatever reason and that it pains him to go against her wishes, but Sam is speaking pure madness.

"When did you develop a moral compass, Oliver?" she sneers, completely ignoring Alicia.

Oliver's sharp chuckle snaps some of the tension in the room. "I'll develop a moral compass the day the sky falls."

Alicia just rolls her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest to stop herself from fidgeting.

Oliver reaches into his pocket and lights a cigarette before continuing to speak, "We have a way to bring down the duke that doesn't require more bloodshed."

"I think your sudden mercy has something to do with Alicia."

"It's got everything to do with Alicia," he says, dragging smoke into his lungs and expelling it as he looks them both in the eye with that icy gaze. "Trust that she knows what she's doing."

Sam's lip curls. "That's the problem, I don't. What vague details she's told us about herself have been blatant lies. For all we know, she could be working for the duke."

"She makes a lousy spy then," Oliver says with a shrug, but Sam's words are beginning to make Alicia realise it's time to tell them. If they're going to trust her, they need to know the full story, as well as knowing the capital that they'll be walking into. A lot changed in the year that Sam was exiled.

Nails digging into the calluses in her palms, Alicia talks, "I'm no friend of Sergey Volkov's. He killed my father and destroyed my life."

"Are we bonding over the things the duke has taken from us now?"

Alicia doesn't let the remark affect her, she just keeps pushing onward before she can lose her nerve. "I got close enough to him to be able to steal information because I am... was betrothed to Sebastian."

There's a beat of silence as Sam's eyes narrow. "Sebastian?"

"Your brother."

"My brother?"

Alicia glances at Oliver but he's already studying her in that way of his. She notes there's no shock in his gaze.

"You're betrothed to Sebastian Safronov?"

Alicia nods.

Sam tilts her head, frowning. "I'm sorry, what did you say your family name was again?"

"Zalana."

"You mean the family that owns the racecourses of Muovea and breeds the finest horses for the royal family and their guard? Those Zalanas?"

Alicia nods again, slower this time.

Sam's gaze flicks to Oliver. "You fucking knew, didn't you?"

Shrugging, Oliver takes another drag of his cigarette. "I knew she came from money, big money to be able to pay off the debts her family had. The ring she had was a nice piece, but only one ring. I guessed she was betrothed to someone important, someone she didn't want people to associate her with. But I know the duke wouldn't remarry and members of the council aren't allowed to have families to use against them." A curl of smoke leaves his lips as Alicia gapes at him. "That left Sebastian Safronov."

"And you didn't tell me?"

"I'm not the gossiping sort."

Alicia blinks and she's not sure whether there are tears in eyes or if she's just so very tired all of a sudden. "You knew?" she whispers.

"I suspected," he replies, not meeting her gaze.

Sam slumps back down in her chair, lips parted and eyes staring blankly at the map before her. "Anything else you want to add before I kick you both out?"

Swallowing, Alicia decides now is the time to tell her. "The queen," she starts, her voice trembling. "Your mother. She passed."

The silence that follows her words leaves her mouth dry. Sam draws in a breath and holds it as every muscle in her body seems to tighten. Then her features twist and a scream is wrenched from her throat. Alicia flinches as the woman picks up a glass on the table and hurls it at the wall where it shatters. She settles back in her chair, heaving in breaths, fingers curled around the edge of the table.

Alicia steps forward, needing to comfort the girl, needing to reassure her that in the end, she was the one Reyna thought of. "Sam, I'm—"

"Get out. If you're not going to help me destroy those monsters, then get out."

Halting, Alicia is torn. Torn between her duty to the queen now that Sam knows the truth, and her duty to herself. Redemption, that's how all of this began. But Sam is owed justice.

"I said get out!" Sam shouts and Alicia flinches before turning and leaving.

Whatever Alicia was to Queen Reyna means nothing to Sam, and it never will. Alicia can't be the one to give her the vengeance she wants.

Chin on her palm, Alicia traces the scarred wood of the table between her and Oliver, the noise of the busy tavern going in one ear and out the other. People are celebrating their success of getting the supplies, but the weight on Alicia's chest tells her how defeated she is.

"How long have you known?" Alicia murmurs, flicking her gaze up to Oliver who leans back in his chair, arms crossed over his chest, caught amongst his own thoughts too.

"About your betrothal? When you gave me that note about Grayson knowing who you are. I figured it was your secret to tell though."

"Thank you for not telling Sam." Even though she knows he would have wanted to.

He nods but says nothing more about it.

She should be grateful that more didn't realise, that word hasn't spread about who she is, but... it all seems so pointless now. In the end, who she is doesn't matter. Her actions to steal that book and the consequences for it still mean nothing if there's no capital left to save. And if Sam has her way, there might not be.

She has too much sway amongst the exiles for her to not get her way.

"What now?" Alicia asks, sitting up and splaying her hands on the table. "Do we just waltz through that tomb alone and take down the duke by ourselves?"

"Yes."

Blinking, Alicia takes a moment to truly absorb his quick reply. "Yes?"

He glances at her, sterling eyes bright, shadows sharpening his features. "We don't need Sam to do what we need to. I just thought she might have liked to be there when Sergey's world was destroyed."

"So..." A crease forms between her brows. "We're still going? You're still on board with my idea? You don't want revenge like Sam?"

Oliver shrugs. "Taking apart everything the duke has done is revenge. Without him, maybe the king will do the right thing."

"Or maybe without the queen he won't."

"Then he falls too."

Sighing, Alicia gazes around the tavern again, gazes at the simple folk that surround them just trying to survive in a land that wants them gone. And here they are, plotting to tear apart a kingdom like they weren't once such simple people too.

The gods find their humour in the most awful ways.

"It's decided then," Alicia murmurs, staring around the tavern like it's the last time she may ever see it, and perhaps it is. "We go—just you and me—and we take down the duke."

Before he gets a chance to reply, the door to the tavern crashes open and there stands Sasha, blonde hair wild, eyes seeking out Alicia's and she starts towards them. Alicia is already on her feet as the woman reaches them, panting and wiping sweat off her brow.

"You both need to come see this," she says, turning around to walk back out of the tavern. Oliver and Alicia follow, sharing a look of confusion and worry.

As they step outside an abrupt shout echoes down the main street. Alicia turns hazel eyes towards the noise, seeing people running down the main road.

Samantha's name being called on the wind has all of them moving a little faster, following the commotion. A knot quickly forms in Alicia's stomach, fearing what they may be walking towards.

"Come on," Oliver says, grabbing Alicia's hand and taking her towards the wall where they can climb. Oliver reaches for the ladder, but Alicia grabs his shoulder first, stopping him, that fear squeezing around her throat as he looks back at her.

"I need you to remind me of what you promised me in that tent," she murmurs, and he looks at her with a crease forming between his brows, but Alicia's grip on his shoulder tightens, the muscles rigid under her palm. "Remind me."

"You're not going to be alone."

"Thank you." She lets go of his shoulder, lifting her hand to smooth it along his jaw, his skin soft from being freshly shaved. "You keep that promise in your head, no matter what we find beyond this wall."

Oliver's sterling eyes flicker between hers before he nods.

She drops her hand, and he climbs the ladder, Alicia following closely behind. She sees Samantha on the other side of the gate, climbing the ladder to the platform as well, the people of the Commons gathering behind the walls.

What Alicia sees over the wall when she finally stands upon the landing has her stomach dropping to her toes.

Warren stands amongst the light of lanterns, a gun pressed to the back of Galya's head, the girl looking like she'd sooner gut the man than let him shoot her. Alicia forgets to breathe for a moment as Warren lifts a hand, waving to Sam.

"Hello, girly," Warren greets around the chewed cigar in his mouth, his lopsided grin and slicked back, dirty blond hair taking Alicia back to her brief encounter with him in the forest. Oliver's warm hand against her lower back is the only thing that keeps her steady. "I have a proposition for you."

Alicia's gaze flicks over the men he's brought with him, a dozen or so exiles and perhaps more in the trees, all no doubt with a gun level on each of them.

"If the proposition isn't that you give me Galya," Sam calls to him, "then stand there quietly and wait for the Greys to come and eat you alive, then I'm not interested."

Warren laughs at that, clearly eager to play this game and it makes Alicia sick. Her hands tremble as she longs for her satchel and the weight of her pa's revolver within.

"No, girly. There's only one thing I want," Warren says, sounding like he's already won this fight. "I want you and your man—Oliver Narovich—to come out peacefully so I can put a bullet in both of your skulls." Alicia shifts closer to Oliver as Warren's gaze finds them, his smile widening.

It's Sam's turn to laugh, a biting thing, and Alicia watches as her hand goes to the gun in her belt.

"I can't believe you'd think I'd even consider that. What are you going to do once I'm dead? Take over this place?"

"What I do after won't be your concern, that's the perk of being dead."

"Then why don't you try it out yourself and forget all this?"

Warren sighs, giving a small shake of his head. "I would really rather not kill this sweet thing, Sam."

"No one here will take you in if you kill us," she tells him firmly.

"Are you sure about that?" A new voice speaks, and Alicia turns her sight to Grayson as he moves from within the exiles, stepping into view.

Alicia's breath is ice in her lungs.

"Do you even realise how many of these people despise you and Oliver?"

Alicia doesn't allow herself to look down at the people gathered behind the gates even though she wants to. She's become acutely aware of the regard people have for Samantha, Sasha's apparent mistrust of the girl clearly not the only one with such a sentiment if Samantha was so willing to abandon them all for her revenge.

"Recovered from your gunshot?" Sam asks instead, watching with mirth as Grayson's face clouds with anger, the only thing stopping him from pulling out his gun and shooting her is Warren's firm grip on his shoulder, pulling him back.

"I was trying to make this easy for you, Sam," Warren says with a shrug, like he truly doesn't care if all of this ends in a river of blood or not.

Sam raises a brow, muscles stiffening and getting prepared to take a shot at his head, but Alicia isn't so confident in their ability to win this fight without sacrificing so many lives.

"Don't think that I underestimated your stubbornness, you've always been a hard woman to bargain with."

Sam is about to speak, opening her mouth, but the noise that shatters the quiet of the blooming night halts her words. The loud echo of a bell reaches them, and they all turn slowly, Alicia frowning.

"Grayson told me of your little issue with the herd of Greys and your most gallant effort to stop them," Warren says over the noise of the distant bells. "I decided that since I can't take the Commons, then I may as well destroy them."

That's when Alicia puts the pieces together, shaking her head, refusing the reality of her thoughts. But she can't deny the authenticity of those bells, resounding into the night like a sweet song, a song loud enough to raise the dead.