I inhaled shakily, wanting to draw from her strength.
There would never be enough time with the people I loved.
Tucked behind the market corridors, the House of the Veil blended seamlessly into the city’s jagged architecture. The unassuming facade—a broad, arched doorway framed by weathered stone columns—gave little clue about what lay beyond the threshold. Even from here, though, faint, eerie chanting drifted from the numerous stone windows cut into the stone, the voices of the Veiled brothers and sisters who served the poor and destitute of the Viori.
Goosebumps rose on my arms as I followed Ciaran and Amahle inside. My reaction had to be more about my wariness than the sanctuary itself. Just because Haldron was evil didn’t mean the rest of Emberstone was.
Beyond the threshold, the cavernous interior stretched before us, dimly lit by the ever-burning lanterns lining the walls. Smooth stone floors echoed beneath our footsteps, and low-hanging beams narrowed the corridors. In the central chamber, clusters of tables and chairs were gathered before a broad hearth, the flickering firelight casting shifting shadows on the high walls.
I recognized men and women from my tribe, their low murmurs echoing against the white walls and high vaulted ceilings that rose in places to reveal skylights chiseled into the mountain’s surface. Thin shafts of daylight pierced the gloom, illuminating the smoky air.
“Seren.” Tara’s voice reached me before I saw her, then my sister stood from one of the tables.
I hadn’t realized how worried I was about her until she strode toward me, a laughing scowl on her face. “I take it they didn’t throw you in the dungeon, after all.” She crossed her arms as she stopped in front of me. “But Mother and I had to hear about it from Seth. Guess you forgot we were here, did you?”
“I saw Mother yesterday. Didn’t she tell you?”
“She’s been busy with the wounded. I think she went out to stock up on her supplies, though. I haven’t seen her all day.” Tara scanned my face. “Is everything all right?”
“Not exactly. Anywhere around here safe? Free from listening ears?”
Tara frowned then nodded. “Follow me.”
Ciaran gave me a worried glance. “I’m going to find my family. I’ll meet you back here in an hour.”
Amahle and I accompanied Tara down another corridor, a winding passage cut deep into the rock. Closed doors lined either side, offering sanctuary to the weary souls who found refuge here. We didn’t stop until we reached the one where Tara was staying.
There was no bed inside, just a bedroll on top of clean straw, and the space was small and windowless, crates stacked high against one wall, filled with what little my family still owned. Nowhere to sit.
Tara closed the door behind us. “What’s going on?”
“Father’s here.” I surveyed the space, my pulse beating faster. “Haldron has Esme. He’s the one who kidnapped her.”
Quickly, I explained everything my father had told me.
Tara’s expression darkened with every word. By the time I finished, her entire body had gone rigid.
“No.” The word escaped her like a breath before her jaw clenched. Her hands curled into fists, shaking at her sides. “No, no, no.”
Faster than I could react, she grabbed the nearest crate and flung it against the wall. The wood splintered, trinkets spilling onto the ground.
“He took Esme?” Her voice cracked, her chest rising and falling with shallow breaths.
I nodded, throat tight.
“I’ll kill him,” Tara hissed. “I swear it. I’ll carve his heart out myself.”
She turned toward the door as if she might storm out right then and there.
I grabbed her arm. “We need a plan first.” Considering her state, I stumbled over my next words. “And there’s something else I need to tell you.” The news of Madoc would devastate her. Maybe Mother or Father should be the ones to tell her, but I couldn’t do that to Tara. She deserved to know.
Tara’s wild gaze snapped to mine, filled with fury and pain. “What is it?”
“It’s …” I struggled for the right words. Madoc and Tara were more than just twins—they were best friends. They could sit in perfect silence and still understand each other, reading every shift in body language. “Madoc had to flee to Lirien. Haldron’s forces were hunting him and Father helped him escape. He’s not coming back, Tara.”
She didn’t meet my eyes. Didn’t blink, her gaze growing distant.
“I just?—”
