Amurra let out a gasp. “Time! How much time since I died? The army—did it come? Eklor’s army! The construct, the little scout, found it! Did it tell you? Do you know?”
“The construct that murdered you kind of made that clear,” Zera said.
“I tried to tell someone before I died. My, that feels so strange to say.”
Stran kissed her golden hair. “Don’t think about it. You’re alive now.”
“I’ll always think about it,” Amurra said. “I wasdead. No more days with you. Never returning home. Never seeing Vivi, Jen, Nugget... We’re naming him Evren.”
“Whatever you want,” Stran said.
“I want to not die again,” Amurra said. “I want no one to die. What is Eklor planning, and how do we stop him?”
Key questions,Kreya thought. She liked Amurra even better after death. She had a practical streak that was even more noticeable. “All the bone workers from across Vos will be gathering tomorrow morning to receive his ‘miracles.’”
“But we destroyed his stash of bones,” Stran said. “That should slow him.”
“Only if he intends to work the spell,” Kreya said. “We don’t know that he does. In fact, I doubt it. The resurrections were bait for his trap. I think it’s more likely he’s lured them to the guild headquarters with the promise of a miracle, and then he’ll use his army to massacre them.”
Jentt nodded. “Makes sense.”
Amurra shuddered. “It’s horrific. How do we stop it?”
Kreya turned to Zera. “Did you find spare bones for me?”
“Plenty,” Zera said.
Next question: “Do you mind if I destroy your palace?”
Zera blinked. “Sure.”
She didn’t ask any questions, which was like the Zera of old, trusting Kreya. She felt the weight of that trust, and she silently swore not to squander it this time. Years ago, she’d taken Zera’s friendship for granted, and then in the aftermath of the Bone War, she’d assumed she’d lost it. This time around, she was going to treasure it as it deserved to be treasured. “Your pillars,” she explained, because Zera deserved answers even if she didn’t ask, “the ones carved to look like skeletons, I’m going to turn them into our army.”
“I love you,” Jentt said.
She smiled. “I know.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
For her first warrior, Kreya chose a stone pillar carved like the skeleton of a rampant lioness. She studied it for a moment. Felt its strength. Behind her, Zera and the others were evacuating the palace. Once she took the pillars, it was likely the ceiling would collapse.
“Can it be done?” Jentt murmured behind her.
No one had ever used bones to animate a stone statue. Most constructs were machines, compilations of gears and useful attachments. Or else they were powered devices like cable cars or lifts. She was the only bone maker she knew who had ever used bones with dolls.The techniques should be the same,Kreya thought. “Yes.”
“Kreya...”
“You don’t need to say it.”
“I do, though. I have left too much unsaid.”
She waited, and she felt the weight of the silent seconds while Jentt searched for the words he wanted. It was a strange sensation to know exactly how much time she had left. Every moment felt like it had to matter. There were so many moments she’d wasted in the past. So many moments she’d simply forgotten or that had blended into other memories.
She didn’t like how much pressure it put on each moment. And so she forced herself to still, to breathe, to wait until he was ready to speak. It was only a handful of seconds, but choosing to take them felt somehow rebellious.
It made her want to kiss him.
And so she did, brushing her lips against his cheek and then his mouth. He kissed her back hungrily, as if he were afraid he wouldn’t ever kiss her again. He felt the moments slipping away too.
