August had assumed they all were. He hadn’t considered that there were nonwielders fighting by their side.
“What about the tear?” asked Felix. “It won’t stop. Fallowmoorwillfall. Then it’ll come for Haverglen.”
“If it does spread this far, we’ll go,” Gideon offered. “Start over again somewhere else.”
“I don’t remember you being a coward,” Felix said.
The rest of the group fell eerily silent, and the tension made the air feel as tangible as the veil.
Gideon’s expression hardened as he leaned forward, hands pressed flat on the table. “I was forced to fight for this country, saw my closest friends die in a war they never wanted for leaders who never wanted them. I’ve done my part. You might think me a coward, but fear’s not the thing, Felix. I’m just tired.”
Felix shook his head but said nothing.
“You can stay here tonight,” said Gideon. “But come morning, you need to be gone. Let Fallowmoor go to ruin and run the other way. There’s nothing there worth the fight.”
Felix’s mouth twitched, something dark sparking in his eyes. He leaned back in his chair and lifted his chin just a fraction. “See, now that’s just not true.”
Gideon gave him a narrowed look. “You’re not still chasing that, are you?”
August watched them curiously.
What were they talking about? He was clearly missing something. Was there another reason they were going back?
“Closing the tear’s only the beginning,” said Felix.
But Gideon shot back without missing a beat. “The ministry’s got the elixir. We’ve no chance of getting near the aesran. Mad we were to ever think we could.”
“I told you once,” Felix said with a shrug. “I won’t stop until the crown’s mine.”
Lottie stared at him, horrified. “Unbelievable,” she muttered.
August tilted his head, studying Felix. Was it, though?
Felix wanting to rule wasn’t shocking. The thought fit neatly into place, like a missing puzzle piece. Of course he wanted thecrown. Why settle for mending the tear and destroying the elixir when he could reshape the whole country?
He was still fighting for his people, still willing to risk everything. And August had no doubt he’d tear down anyone or anything that stood in his way.
An unwelcome flicker of admiration stirred.
He shook it off, scowling.What is wrong with you?
“You need to stop him,” Lottie said. She stepped into August’s view and waited to have his full attention. “I know you have no love for Mother, but Felix is dangerous. You know this. He’ll hurt people. Hecannothave the crown.”
His eyes slid past her to Felix.
Gideon leaned forward, face taut, murmuring something to Felix too low to hear. Likely still trying to talk him out of it. But Felix’s confidence didn’t waver. He rolled his eyes and uttered a reply. Then his gaze drifted past Gideon, clearly done listening, and landed on August.
They regarded each other for a long moment as the conversations continued around them.
How did no one else notice the sudden, intense humming in the air?
A crease touched Felix’s brow, subtle and fleeting. August tried to decipher the expression but didn’t have the chance before Gideon pushed back his chair. The wooden legs scraped against the stone floor and yanked their attention back.
“Let’s get you fed and rested,” Gideon said, sounding tired. “You need to be out of here before the sun rises.”
“This the place?” Felix asked. The building looked like a giant mausoleum, with no windows and a metal pointed-arch door. The stone walls were grimy with smoke from Bedwyck’s factories and overgrown with moss and a few ambitious vines.
Gideon closed the gate behind them, the broken chain rattling against the iron bars. “It’s on Benjamin’s list,” he said, then started across the yard.
