“Kieran, that’s amazing!” Orin laughed while grabbing my shoulder, giving me a small shake. “This is the good news we have been needing!”
“Let’s just hope that it stays that way,” I chuckled, pushing away the odd feeling strangling my heart. I know I should be happy—I needed to be happy—but I’d been fighting a losing battle between that thought and the sense that it would not last. Half of me wondered if it was because of the past, of my youngerself finally being allowed to return home, excited and overjoyed to see how much my sister had grown, only to find everyone gone. They vanished without a trace after Ambrose raised taxes on the farmers in my town and were never seen or heard from again. I made headstones for their empty graves beside my sister’s favorite tree.
Sensing my spiraling thoughts, Orin squeezed my shoulder tight. “It won’t be like last time. Sybil will break the bargain and survive this.”
“I know,” I whispered, nodding my head. “I know. I just—I just need to see it happen. I need to keep making sure she’s safe; that’s all.”
“That’s exactly what we’re training her for.”
I released a tight breath, looking back at Aster and Bryony. “Where did Ivara go?”
“She said that if Ambrose expects us to bring back blood flowers, she’ll need to gather some herself. She should return shortly—she knows her territory better than anyone.”
“Definitely more than Pasian, that’s for sure,” I chuckled. Ivara’s brother was more of a scholar than anything. His taste for adventure was almost non-existent—at least until he joined the rebellion. “Have we heard anything from him?”
“Just the usual. They are lying low while they find more recruits to send our way. They have seen an increase in new members, though. The people are getting restless, especially with hints of a war brewing.”
We spread the news of the potential war as soon as we learned Sybil had been brought into the realm, not wanting to risk towns and villages being blindsided. Still, it’s been a constant struggle to keep the people quiet enough that Ambrose hasn’t caught wind of it. Surprisingly, Lady Lowell has done an amazing job of keeping the peace. Viv was right when she pushed me to let her join our ranks.
“How is everything going with planning the mission for the execution? Anything you need?”
“Thereissomething we need to discuss about that,” Orin said, shaking his head. His brows furrowed in thought before leaning closer. “Sybil will pave the way for us getting into the colosseum, but we may need one more person in the palace before the execution is set to take place. I have a feeling Ambrose will keep Samian and Sybil close to him that day, but we will need to have one of our own to replace a guard or two that will be in the colosseum itself.”
I hummed, going through the play in my head. There will be five of us going, including me. Thinking it best to keep this small, I was to lead the group through the tunnels and into the colosseum. Sybil will leave the door open for us to cause enough disruption to free the prisoners. But having a few from our side to hide among the guards would help us tremendously.
“I’ll talk to Samian and see what we can do. Find a few who would be willing to infiltrate the palace either tonight or tomorrow.”
Clapping Orin on the back, I made my way back to the council room, my heart feeling lighter than it had in days.
When I came inside, everyone was huddled together, talking and laughing. Their faces were bright, and the feel of the room was spirited, except for Ezra, however. Lately, he had been distancing himself from us, some unknown anxiety pulling him into the confines of his mind. Whatever it was, it was eating away at him. His face had been losing its color; the skin under his eyes was dark from a lack of sleep.
As if he sensed my gaze, Ezra looked up and met my eyes. I crossed the room and took a seat beside him.
“You doing alright?” I asked, though my attention drifted to Sybil’s smiling face. Warmth spread through my chest as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
“I’m fine,” Ezra grunted, pointedly ignoring me when I looked back at him.
“You sure about that? It looks like you haven't slept for the past few days. If there are any issues, I can have them dealt with.”
“It’s nothing I can’t handle,” Ezra sighed, leaning back in his chair. “Just some trouble with a few of the rebels. I’ve done things I’m not proud of. I know this, nor am I asking for anyone’s forgiveness. I’ve worked in the shadows to help Samian, but that doesn’t change anything I’ve done in the past. The camp is wary of me, as they should be. But I’ll be fine.”
I hummed, drumming my fingers on the table. “Do you want me to move you to another camp? There are others who have dealt with the same issues and can help you.”
“No,” Ezra said quickly, “I-I need to stay here. I am Sybil’s combat instructor, after all.”
“One of her instructors,” I reminded him with a pointed look. “While I still don’t agree with how she’s being trained, I’m grateful for your help.” Ezra let out a low chuckle, his eyes moving to Sybil. There was something in his gaze that looked sad, almost regretful. “Still, let me know if you need help with anyone in the camp. It’s my job as the leader to make sure everyone is in line. Just because they need to adjust doesn’t mean they can disobey my orders and cause trouble.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Ezra grumbled. “Should I call my daddy, too? Let both of you handle all my problems?”
I barked a laugh; the sound pulling everyone’s focus our way. “Fine, don’t come crying to me if anything happens.” Ezra’s deep laugh followed, but I turned toward the rest of the group. “Alright, let’s hear what Solaris told you, Sybil.”
Sybil nodded, and she took a deep breath. “Solaris was the one who was forced into the bargain. She told me what happened and how. After the bargain was made, she noticedhow oddly the male who’d forced her into it began to act. Like Ambrose, he began to spiral and became very manic. She learned he was hearing a voice that was causing his mental break. However, she noticed another thing.” Sybil paused and pulled up the sleeves covering her wrists. Flipping them, everyone sucked in a breath when we saw how the edges of the bands were fading. “Solaris explained that as time went on, her mark began to disappear. It was as if the magic of the bargain were weakening. That’s when she was able to break it.”
“Did she explain how?” Viv asked, her eyes wide as she studied Sybil’s wrists.
“She did,” Sybil nodded. “It was pretty similar to how I was able to break Ambrose’s commands. She told me to go to the place of my magic, but once I was there, she explained I needed to search for something that felt foreign. I walked through the field until I reached a dense forest that was dying from these odd vines. I tried to pull the vines away, but,” Sybil paused, wincing at the memory, “it hurt. It was like the vines were so cold that they burned through my skin. Solaris told me I had to wait until I could bear its touch before I could break the bargain.”
“Did she say how long that would be?” I asked her, my brows furrowing together.
