"Bain!" Kage's voice cuts through from the other side of the door.
The lights flicker violently. We wrench apart, chests heaving, both of us turning toward the sound.
"Temp." Naima's voice. Urgent. "This is important."
"Be right there!" I manage.
Malachi presses his forehead to mine, breathing hard. "What was it you said? Bloodshed means banishment?"
I choke out a laugh as I untangle myself from him, smoothing my skirt, trying to make myself presentable on the way to the door. My hands are still shaking as I open it, but the expressions that greet me kill whatever warmth was left in my body.
Naima. Kage. And behind them, Margot, pale as death, eyes wide and glassy. Kage pushes past me without a word. The others follow. I barely manage to shut the door behind them.
"This better be a godsdamn emergency," Malachi says, still breathing hard.
Margot meets my eyes. "I had a vision."
Three words. The room goes cold.
I look at Naima, who looks as terrified as I feel. We both know what those words mean. In Lunaris, seers are hunted. Visions are a death sentence. And Margot just admitted to having one. In front of outsiders.
"What did you see?" My voice comes out barely audible.
"You. And Bain. At the welcoming ceremony." Her voice shakes. "You have to be there."
"Why?" Malachi demands.
Margot shakes her head. Tears pool in her eyes, threatening to fall. “I don’t know,” she whispers.
My stomach hollows. I've never seen Margot like this—trembling, tears threatening to spill, terror written across every line of her face. I start toward her, but she raises a shaking hand to stop me. Naima tries next. Margot stops her too. Whatever she saw, she needs to get it out before she falls apart.
"I saw the blood moon rise over the ceremony." Her voice fractures. "And I saw... I saw Bas. Publicly executed. By the Council."
The words hit me like a physical blow. “At the ceremony?”
“No.” Her lip quivers.
This time, Naima surges forward and wraps her arms around Margot from behind before she can stop her. Margot crumples. A sob tears through her, raw and broken, and she grips Naima's arms like they're the only thing keeping her upright.
"Margie." Naima's voice is soft, steady. "Is all of this happening at once?"
Margot shakes her head. “Not at once, but it’s all connected.”
Naima nods and gently pushes the hair from Margot's tear-streaked face. She looks at me over her shoulder. The expression on her face cracks something in my chest. I press my hand to my mouth, fighting to keep the wave of emotion from crashing over me.
Warmth pulses through the bond, steady and grounding. I feel Mal move closer but don't look away from Margot as she takes a shuddering breath and meets my eyes.
"Bas … it happens at the amphitheater. And …" She bites her trembling lip. "And you. I saw you get taken, Temp."
The floor tilts beneath me. Malachi's hand closes around my arm as I stagger, but I can't look away from Margot.
“Taken?” I whisper.
“By who?” Mal growls.
“I don’t know,” she sobs quietly.
I’ve never known my friend to be a liar, but there’s something she’s not telling us. I can feel it in my bones. I think of Jordi in the Keep. Arlo's warning about the Council hunting us. The ledger full of purchased people. And now this. But if Margot dared to reveal her gift in front of outsiders, if she risked everything to tell us this much … why wouldn’t she just say everything?
