Bryn looked at the herb gardener a little more closely, wondering if perhaps Illiana was playing the part of a pawn as well. Didshehave greater ambitions? Was her interest in Marspolitical? Romantic? Was Bryn making a mistake in trusting her too quickly?
Bryn rested a hand on Mars’s wrist to get his attention. “The fact that you’re alive changes everything. Valenden Barendur is returning to the Mirien any day now with Baer reinforcements.”
Mars’s hand fell away from his chin as his face grew serious. “The Baer army is coming?”
“Not the entire army, but some troops, yes, and a few falconers, and hopefully some . . . ” She stopped herself, wondering if it was prudent to mention mages. She didn’t know how her brother felt about magic. She finally said, “Some mages.”
Mars’s jaw tightened. He tilted his head in Illiana’s direction as though asking a silent question. Illiana squeezed his knee.
“That is welcome news,” Mars stated.
Bryn blinked in surprise. “You don’t fear the mages?”
He rested his hand over Illiana’s hand on his knee. “It was our parents who spurned magic, not me. With Baer support, we could move against Carr sooner than planned.”
“Do you think the rebels will side with us?” Bryn asked, fiddling anxiously with the chain around her neck. “When they attacked our carriage in Saint’s Forest, I recognized Mam Nelle’s son among them. Christof Joster, I believe his name is. I’ve been searching for a way to get a message to him.”
Mars’s hand tightened over Illiana’s. He said quietly, “Christof is Illiana’s brother.”
Bryn turned on the herb mistress with renewed hope. “Then you can take him the message.”
Illiana looked hesitant, however. “After the siege, Christof ran away to the woods. He’s been hiding out in Saint’s Forest with a handful of other rebels who would be shot on sight if they returned to Mir Town. I haven’t dared meet with him in person out of fear of exposing him.”
“We need the rebels on our side,” Bryn insisted.
Illiana interlaced her fingers with Mars’s. “I’ll see what I can do. It won’t be easy with the castle’s increased security. And my brother is not a trusting person—it would help if we had a token of your sincerity. Some indication that they can rely on you in the thick of it.”
Bryn touched the chain around her neck, the only object of value she owned, yet she doubted rebels would see Outland rings as anything more than baubles. “Isn’t Mars’s word enough to vouch for my intentions?”
Mars let out a dark chuckle. “Illiana barely convinced the rebels thatI’mto be trusted.”
Bryn thought for a time, running over the possible ways she could demonstrate her sincerity. “The Feast of Saint Amice’s Day begins tomorrow night. Tell the rebels I’ll produce a sign there.”
Mars’s brow furrowed above the cloth covering his eyes. “What do you have in mind?”
Bryn toyed more with her necklace. “Something to prove I’m a valuable ally and I’m not afraid to risk my life to help them.”
Illiana’s lantern flickered, the oil running low, and Bryn realized how long they’d been in the passages.
“I should return before the guards note my absence,” she said, then reached out to squeeze Mars’s shoulder. “Though it pains me to leave you down here.”
“Illiana has taken good care of me.”
His hand rubbed gently over the herb mistress’s arm with a softness Bryn had rarely seen her brother display. Mars had always been rakish, taking a different girl to bed every night, barely knowing their names. But now, the way he tilted his head toward the quiet, beautiful girl, Bryn was inclined to believe he’d changed.
“I’m so glad to have found you,” Bryn said to him. “That you’re alive.”
Mars pulled her into an embrace, pressing a kiss to the top of her head like he’d done when she’d been a child. His mouth hitched in a grin. “You too, mouse.”
Crawling back to her bedroom, Bryn felt flushed with a dewy sense of hope. Was it possible that their fortunes had turned? After the siege, all three Lindane children had suffered greatly, but now it seemed Bryn and her siblings might be made of stronger stuff than anyone believed—even themselves.
She returned to her bedroom, but sleep didn’t come. All night, her mind raced with possibilities for the future. Mars was alive, which meant he was the rightful heir. Maybe she wouldn’t have to sit on the Mir throne after all—maybe she could return to the place that made her heart sing, the wild land whose whipping winds and salt-laden air wrapped around her like a blanket.
With the man who held her heart—and always would.
But first, they needed to remove the usurper, Captain Carr, from his designs on the throne. The first step was proving to the rebels that they could trust Bryn.
She pulled back her nightgown’s sleeve, tracing the small purge hex carved into her right wrist.
