Rune frowned, glancing to Gideon and Laila, who looked relieved as they dismounted their horses.
“Felix?What are you doing here?” Gideon strode toward the red-haired soldier, and they clasped hands.
“The Commander sent us to hunt you down,” said Felix.
Gideon froze, his hand falling to his side. “You’re here to arrest us?”
“No, sir.” Felix glanced at his comrades, who all stood at attention. “We’re here for our orders.”
Gideon cocked an eyebrow. “Orders?”
“Yes, sir.”
He looked to Laila, as if hoping she’d explain it.
“Well, Captain?” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Whatareyour orders?”
WHILE GIDEON, LAILA, ASH,Abbie, and a platoon of Blood Guard soldiers filled Bart Wentholt’s parlor, strategizing about what to do next, a message arrived from Harrow. She and Juniper had acquired the information they needed.
Gideon—
The bodies of Analise and Elowyn are hidden at the Crossroads. Cressida is planning to travel there before the new moon. The spell preserving them is fading, and if it fades entirely, their bodies will decay. She needs to strengthen it before that happens.
—Harrow
The Crossroads was the meeting place of three major rivers, all colliding in a dangerous gorge. The force of its crashing currents created a deadly whirlpool.
“She says nothing else?” asked Gideon, taking the note from Rune and turning it over, looking for more. There was nothing about Juniper’s attempt to recruit witches to their cause. Nor did Harrow say if they planned to remain in the capital, or return.
“It’s a renewal spell,” said Seraphine, who’d been reading over Rune’s shoulder. “It must be performed on a new moon. If it isn’t, she’ll have to wait until the next one.”
“It sounds like that will be too late,” said Rune.
Cressida wouldn’t miss her window.
“Do you have a map of the island?”
Bart produced one for him. They spread it out across the table, measuring the distance from their location to the Crossroads.
“Looks like a three-day ride to the Crossroads from here,” said Gideon.
“The new moon is four days away,” said Seraphine.
“If we get there before her,” said Rune, “we could find and destroy the bodies, eliminating any chance of resurrecting them.” This would—hopefully—embolden more witches to turn against the witch queen.
Her gaze met Gideon’s. They had to try.
It was decided that Rune, Gideon, and Seraphine would travel to the Crossroads ahead of Cressida. Bart and Antonio would remain behind to wait for Harrow and Juniper, along with any other witches they recruited. Meanwhile Laila, Ash, Abbie, and the other soldiers would head for the Rookery—to take it from Noah by force, with help from allies inside.
But even if Rune located the bodies of her half sisters, she’d need the counterspell to break the enchantment protecting them. The magic preserving Analise and Elowyn might be weakened, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t still strong enough to repel Rune’s attempts to burn the bodies.
Determined, she went to search the spell books she’d brought back from Wintersea, hoping an answer to her problem lay within their pages.
RUNE SAT ON THEfloor of the study encircled by candles, their flames dancing in the darkness. Spell books were scattered across the floorboards around her.
She’d searched each one and hadn’t found a counterspell.
When the floorboards creaked, Rune glanced up. Antonio stood framed in the doorway, holding a lamp.
