“Oh, Mara.” Gareth moved carefully into my field of vision. He was a mess—his clothes soaked through, streaks of mud all over him, his glasses speckled with raindrops. He cupped my face in his hand andbrushed his thumb across my cheek. His touch was cold but so gentle it made my heart twist.
“Please don’t cry,” he said quietly. “I know it hurts, but—”
“You don’t understand,” I bit out, staring at the cave ceiling. “I shouldn’t be here.”
“Well, I suppose that’s true. Youshouldbe at the priory, safe in your bed.”
“Safe? At the priory?” I laughed through my tears. “You do tell wonderful jokes.”
“Certainly it’s safer than Ghorlock.”
I glanced at him. “How do you even know about Ghorlock?”
He gave me a look, his mouth quirking into a small smile.
“Oh, right.” I rolled my eyes. “You read about it in some obscure text a million years ago and can recall every detail with perfect accuracy.”
“Gods, it sounds even better when you say it.”
Something moved to my left, and I heard the familiar click of talons. I turned slightly to see Freyda creeping carefully toward me across the cave floor. The sight of her ruffled wet feathers and stern amber glare nearly unstitched me. I held out my wounded hand to her. The bandage was sopping, stained an ugly yellow-brown. She cocked her head and stared at it, then at me.
“Freyda was the one who told me you were gone,” Gareth said quietly. “I was up late in the laboratory. Everyone else had gone to bed. And she showed up at the window, fussing like mad. I tried to quiet her, but she was inconsolable. She kept flapping around, trying to push me toward the door. So I finally gave up and let her lead me to you.”
“All the way to Ghorlock?”
“All the way to Ghorlock.”
I blinked back tears as I met Freyda’s eyes. “Our familiars know when we’re hurt. She must have panicked when she couldn’t find me.I’m sorry, Freyda.” I held out my hand to her again. “You’re right to be angry, but will you please come here?”
Freyda was not one to forgive easily, especially when I was the transgressor, but I must have looked truly pathetic, because she came to me with only a few soft chirps of irritation. She pressed her beautiful head to my shoulder, and I put my arm around her, scooping her gently against me.
“Does anyone else know I’m here?” I whispered.
“Perhaps the Warden,” Gareth replied. “Even I can’t claim to know the full breadth of her abilities.”
“And you decided to come and fetch me without anyone to help you?”
“I didn’t think you’d want anyone else.”
“You think very highly of yourself.”
“That’s true,” he said lightly, “but I also can’t imagine you’d want the other Roses to see you like this.”
“Like what?”
“Half alive and crying, with that horrible dead look in your eyes.”
I chuckled softly. “Not dead enough.”
Gareth was quiet for a long moment, then shifted a bit closer to me and rummaged around in an oilcloth bag.
“I did bring some supplies,” he said. “Food, medicine. As you can see, I haven’t built a fire. There’s no wood to be found, and I don’t much like the idea of attracting the attention of curious titans. But I did bring one of your starstone beacons.”
He pulled out a palm-size metal casing and set it carefully on the stone between us. A soft white light shone through its elaborate tracery of roses and briars, casting gentle shadows across the cave walls.
My surprise was faint. I barely felt it. I barely felt anything.
“Did you just march into the supply room and take one off the shelf?” I asked.
