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Torran’s dark hair was flecked with snowflakes, but the ones that landed on his leathers melted instantly, and it reminded me of the ledge in the mountains. Guards fastened thin, rune-infused chains to the collar around my throat, then to my wrists and ankles.

Was I going to be flown to the Northlands? Or perhaps the FootPaths? Torran gripped my elbow and dragged me forward. My bruised body protested, but my legs kept up—anything to get away from Death’s Door.

He dragged me down a number of pathways, never giving me a single glance, to the outer wall where the Phoenix Tower stood.

I had never been that close to one before. They were always guarded, and Skyworld magic pulsed from the very walls. I’d never known a spy to break inside, and I’d known plenty who had tried.

The arched door opened on its own. “Inside.”

Darkness lay beyond the door, and I hesitated until Kit poked his head around. “No flying tonight, princess. The rogues are getting vicious, and we don’t want any more of them to die.”

“So, the FootPaths then?” Somewhere inside those tunnels I might be able to escape.

Kit’s mouth twisted. “You sound elated, as if you’ve no idea how bad this is.” He tutted. “Brave little thing, aren’t you? Not one quiver while you were on your knees.”

“I know where I’m going. It’s where you took Lex, right?”

The silence was palpable. So maybe Lex wasn’t in the Northlands Prison.

I guess I’m going to find out—and there is a King in the Northlands that needs killing. Silver linings and all that!

Instead of digging further about Lex, I gave them the fear they wanted. “I would rather throw myself off a phoenix in mid-flight than walk willingly into the Northlands prison.”

“That can still be arranged,” Torran said flatly from behind me.

The chains at my wrists tightened as one of the guards shoved me through the doorway. The heavy stone doors groaned shut behind us with a finality that made my stomach knot. Darkness swallowed the room entirely for one heartbeat before blue fire flared to life in sconces along the walls.

I stopped dead.

The inside of the tower was enormous. Far larger than it appeared from the outside. Circular staircases wound around the walls, disappearing upward into shadows, while strange symbols pulsed faintly beneath the stone floor. The magic in the room hummed against my skin and settled heavily in my lungs, as though the very air inside the tower had been enchanted. It smelled of ash and ancient stone and of phoenix fire.

My gaze snagged on the centre of the room where a circular opening had been carved directly into the stone floor. A staircase spiralled downward around it into darkness so complete it seemed bottomless. The FootPaths. Now that I had walked them, I could recognise them instantly by the runes of both Earthworld and Skyworld and the hum in my amulet. The little book was still in my pocket, pressed to my thigh and vibrating.

Torran tugged me close, and for a moment, our time in the library came flooding back. And he must have remembered, too, because he checked my hair and then ran his gloved hands down my thighs until they came to rest on my dagger.

“We all know it’s only a matter of time before that’s pulled on one of us again.” He pulled it out and tucked it into his belt. Then his hand was running over me again, sliding from my thigh and up over my hip. Our eyes locked just before he got to the little book.

Flinching back, I snarled, “There is nothing there for you.”

He was so close that his breath feathered across my cheek. “Give it to me, or I’ll take it.”

I hesitated, and his leather-covered hand gripped my shackled wrist and pulled me closer, sending pain searing up my arm. A wound I hadn’t registered before opened, and blood dripped onto the floor.

“Tor…” Kit’s tone was a low rumble. A warning.

“I’ve seen her tricks…” He held out a hand.

“Fine.” I smiled sweetly and lifted my hands. “But I will need the use of my hands if I’m to help you.” He had said this to me in the library, and it was still fun messing with him.

When he didn’t move, I turned to Kit. “I promise not to poison him before dinner.”

Kit’s laugh was too loud and made Torran groan as fire magic swept out of his finger and the shackles clanked onto the floor.

In one swift movement, I had reached his belt and had the warm hilt nestled in my palm. The silver-tipped blade to his neck. There were few things more satisfying than holding a dagger to a man’s neck.

Kit leaned back against the wall and grinned. “We sure there’s no magic in her blood? I think she might be the only woman on Earth who could truly handle a Rider.”

Black smoke lazily wrapped around my wrists and pulled my hands behind my back. The movement made my chest crash into his. Until he shoved me away.