"It's too dangerous—" Arion started.
"The corruption poisons water first," Sian interrupted. "Rivers, streams, even morning dew becomes tainted near the seal. You'll need someone who can purify water sources, or you'll die of thirst before you even reach the heart of the wildwood."
"She has a point," Karse said lazily. "The corruption spreads through water like blood through veins. Every stream near the seal runs black. Without an Undine to cleanse it..."
"We'd have to carry all our water for two weeks," Thaine concluded. "That's not feasible."
"Exactly." Sian's chin lifted. "My magic can separate the corruption from clean water. It's exhausting, but possible. Unless you'd prefer to test what corrupted water does to someone who's part Forest Court magic?" She looked pointedly at Briar.
"I'm going too," Halian said quietly.
Everyone turned to look at him.
"Halian—" Arion began.
"You’ll need a healer," he began.
“We’ll manage,” Eliam countered, his tone dismissive.
Halian wasn’t going to be deterred.
"My sister helped create this mess,” he said. His jaw was tight, hands clenched at his sides. “I should have seen it, should have paid more attention. She never wanted to leave the Forest Court, I made her come with me… I had no idea she was meeting with Malus."
"No one blames you," Sian said gently.
"I blame me." The words came out sharp. "She's my family. My responsibility. I failed to stop her, the least I can do is help fix what she's done."
"Your guilt won't help us," Eliam replied.
"No, but my magic might." Halian's usual cheerfulness was completely absent. "I know defensive spells, ward construction. If we're going to reinforce the seal, you'll need someone who understands magical architecture."
"He's not wrong," Arion admitted reluctantly. "Adding new layers to an existing seal requires precision. Halian's studied magical theory more extensively than any of us."
"Seven then," Thaine said from his position against the wall. "Should be manageable."
"This is either going to be very effective or a complete disaster," Karse observed. "Seven people who barely trust each other, traveling through corrupted territory to stop an insane fae lord from releasing ancient monsters. What could possibly go wrong?"
"When you put it like that, it sounds almost impossible," Halian said, some of his usual dry humor returning.
"Almost?" Sian asked.
"Well, we have the power of three courts, a Drak who knows the territory, the best tracker in the Forest Court, and whatever Briar is becoming." Halian glanced at her. "I'd say we have slightly better than impossible odds."
"Slightly better than impossible," Thaine muttered with a shake of his head. "How reassuring."
"Two days to prepare," Arion said, bringing them back to practical matters. "We'll need cold weather gear, provisions for at least two weeks—"
"Two weeks?" Sian asked.
"The paths aren't straight," Karse explained. "And if we encounter corruption, we'll need to go around it."
"What about weapons?" Thaine asked.
"Star metal, if you have any," Eliam said, looking at Arion. "The Unseelie corruption recoils from it."
Arion's expression tightened. "We have a few pieces. Old blades from before... from when we needed them last. They're kept in the deep vaults."
"Star metal?" Briar asked.
