Harman considers this. “If they could do it without it getting traced back to them, yes. That way, if it is a trap, they’re not implicated. But it will take some time.”
“Good,” I say, looking around at my soldiers. They straighten, knowing I’m about to pick one of them out.
“I’ll go,” Damia says before I’ve made my decision.
“Is that wise?” Alastor says. “I mean, no offense, Damia, but you’re not exactly the coolest head when it comes to religious types. Aren’t I the logical choice? I could work out if he was telling the truth in about ten seconds.”
“He’s abearer, Alastor, not some basic cleric. Don’t you think he’d see your sensic magic coming a mile off?” Damia points out. “Besides, apart from Lafia, I’m the only person here who’s been deep inside the insanity of a religious organization and seen the light.”
She lifts Barb off her wrist, draping the little serpent over her shoulder as she stands and moves over to the fireplace. She glances into the flames before turning to face us all.
“I know what it’s like, having to rearrange your whole universe when you realize everything you’ve been taught is wrong. I know how hard it is to let go of the certainty you’ve always relied on. Trust me, if Bearer Sophos has had some awakening, I’ll be able to tell if it’s genuine.”
“Alright,” I say, convinced. “You’ll go, find out if he’s really looking to ally with us. And if he is, you’ll get as much useful information as you can.”
She nods, and the light in her eyes tells me she’s excited for this—hungry for it. Damia isn’t the type to sit idly by even fora moment. She needs a mission, and she’s relieved I’ve just handed one to her.
“I’ll leave tonight,” she says.
Phaia shakes her head, her silver hair rippling against her face. “You should at least eat before running off to Godom.”
“It will take at least a few days for me to get in touch with my contact,” Harman points out. “And Jethra makes a mean stew.”
“Sophos is one thing,”Ana’s voice echoes in my mind.“But there are a lot of moving pieces on this board.”
“Do you have something specific in mind?”
“Oclanna,”she says, and I feel the surge of hatred that comes with the name.“The seal might be our priority, but she’s sat on my throne long enough.”
I nod, seeing her eyes flicker to her brother, and I start to get a sense of her plan across the mooring.
“We’ve already killed one monarch,”I point out.“Might as well make it hunting season.”
Morgana
“Harman, can I have a word?”
I catch my brother after dinner, which we eat together, crammed into the annex’s common room. I can’t help but feel a wave of affection for everyone as the strange group balances bowls ofstew on their knees, handing a loaf of bread around to rip great hunks off and pass on to their neighbor.
Corrin takes little chunks of meat from his bowl and feeds them tenderly to Barb, who accepts every bit with clear pleasure, making Damia roll her eyes and mutter about the serpent being a traitor. Meanwhile, Lafia declares she’s full and generously hands the rest of her stew to Hyllus, who gratefully accepts it as a man who needs to eat twice as much as the rest of us.
As Harman and I duck into one of the boarding rooms, I think about how worried he must’ve been, not knowing if we’d ever get to the coach house safely. That revelation reminded me how many burdens my brother carries around on his shoulders. Unfortunately, I’m about to add to them.
“Did you ever find out who it was—the person who betrayed us in Qimorna?” I ask as we sit down on a single bed each, facing each other. “Are you sure the Hand is safe?”
“It was one of the first things we focused on after we got out of the city,” Harman says. “Lucky for us, it wasn’t hard to work out. It was Cettar.”
I gape, remembering all too well the unpleasant rebel who never trusted Leon or me.
“Hesold us out to the Temple? But he was always so?—”
“Committed to the cause?” Harman asks. “Turns out, that was exactly the problem. His dedication was intense…but only when he agreed with the choices we made. He hated our inclusion of the fae and people like Lafia, and he saw you as the person who started all the changes to the Hand he didn’t like.”
“But still, he hated the Temple,” I point out.
Harman grimaces. “He hated you more. And he was fool enough to think he could betray you without harming the rest of us. Caledon’s spies convinced him that the Temple would accept you and Leon in exchange for letting the Hand safely leave the city. His mistake was believing Caledon would ever make a deal where he showed his enemies mercy. His prejudice made him blind.”
I nod. Cettar was more like a Temple follower than he’d likely ever believe. He, too, had committed himself to the idea of a pure, perfect movement, only made up of people who thought exactly like him.
