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He had access to grafts, and who knew how many shifters were at his disposal. He had a year to build a network capable of infiltrating Rimore with little effort. He could reach her—and Luka—whenever he wanted.

Lily looked at the boy.

She had no choice. Not now.

Lily moved toward the furthest tree she set her sights on. Neir didn’t follow.

Trailing a frozen hand down its trunk, she fell to her knees at its base, reminiscent of where she was at Ava’s safe house not even a day ago. The Wraith pooled in her hands, and she buried one then the other in the cool soil, feeding the earth her pain until it dried and crumbled all around her.

Her head started to swim, but Lily pushed through it, picturing who she lost and what she risked losing. She poured her hurt into every pulse of energy that broke past her fingertips, but no matter how empty the air around her became, grief burned hot in her chest.

Lily’s head hit the ground. Her vision drifted in and out, and the next thing she knew, she was being lifted. The second she had the sense to realize they were Neir’s hands on her shoulders, she flailed out of his reach.

“Erebria above.”

The woman guarding Luka was behind them, staring beyond Lily with wide eyes. Lily’s attention fell to Luka, now alone. On unsteady feet, she stumbled over to him, collapsing against a beam of the lean-to. Luka threw himself at her. She held onto him, afraid to ever let go as he sobbed incoherently into her chest. Lily silently squeezed him, inspecting Maude over his curls. The leathers on her abdomen were covered in blood, but she was breathing.

“What do you think? That’s got to be what? Three hundred trees?” Neir approached, oozing satisfaction with the woman close at his heels. “Gone”—he snapped—“in seconds.”

The woman didn’t answer, keeping watch of Lily with her ruby red soul, a firm hand hovering over the gun on her belt.

“Take it easy, Helene. You and Lilith will be well acquainted soon enough. Don’t scare her.” Helene grunted, and Neir laughed.

Luka shuffled uncomfortably in her arms at hearing his voice.

“The deal is done,” Lily snarled.

“It’s begun,” Neir corrected, spinning around and extending his arms wide. “Look what you can accomplish with the right motivation. Imagine what could be after years of fine tuning.”

Lily did. Trust with him would never come, and for Neir’s sake, it’d be best if he never put too much faith in her hands either.

Neir motioned for the woman to join him at his side. She obeyed, never taking her eyes off of Lily. “But alas, I’ve got appearances and apologies to make so we can continue with this engagement.”

Lily’s mouth dried, eager for him to leave, but so much unknown still sat heavy against her chest. “Your place on the throne; does it come with the Vulpes?”

Neir’s excitement gently slipped away. “Not directly. I simply wish to not be bound to a drug that weakens me. Without it, I’ll be stronger than the being who created me. I will be perfect, and maybe one day, the Vulpes will deem my descendants worthy of its power.”

Lily considered that. “And the Serpent?” she asked. “What are your plans for it?”

Neir’s smile returned. “Worry not about that, but what I’ve done for you today.” He pointed to Luka. “Raise him as the savior you know he is, and strengthen your body and soul. The sun’s angels have ruled long enough. It’s past time we let your monsters crawl out from the shadows.”

Neir and his accomplice disappeared in the next bout of wind, leaving Lily surrounded by an odd sense of peace. The breeze ruffled her hair, Luka’s weight against her body grounding her. His slowing breaths kept hers under control while she patted his back, soothing him without words.

They stayed like that until voices carried through the trees. Luka shot upright, dragging Lily with him, but she couldn’t register anything coming out of his mouth. Instead, she moved to Maude, kneeling and placing a hand on her forehead.

She fidgeted but didn’t rise. Blood stained her light hair, and based on the tear in her armor, she’d been stabbed, but her skin underneath was unmarred.

“She’s okay?” Luka asked.

Lily squeezed his hand on her arm. “Because of you.”

An insatiable itch clawed at her back as they watched over Maude. Reluctantly, Lily faced the orchard. A gasp built in her chest, though she kept it within. Luka’s hold on her fell away as curiosity carried her to what resembled the aftermath of a wildfire. Ash drifted to the ground like snow above a dark, bulbous scar oozing an equally violent miasma.

The ethae appeared silently at her side.

This was how Keara did it—where she got enough aura for her undead armies. Lily knew, but to see it was humbling. Terrifying.

Empowering.