She tried to nod. Tried to keep her eyes open. Tried to hold the harmony.
She couldn’t.
Look after your own.
Her knees buckled. The teeth snapped into screaming discord, then drowned beneath the roar in her ears.
As everything faded away, part of Fie whispered,They only have to catch you once.
When her eyes cleared of shadows, the world was a-tilt, rocking steady and even. Tavin’s taut face above drowned in a sky that had begun to lose its light. He’d wound up carrying her after all.
Shaking, Fie called three Sparrow teeth to life, but she already knew what she’d find. The webs of skinwitch spells peeled away from her and the boys, but the damage was done. The Vultures had changed course for Trikovoi. She’d cost them their lead and betrayed their destination in one swoop.
Look after your own.
She’d failed to keep the only rule Crows had. Tears rolled down her face and froze there.
“It’ll be all right,” Tavin said quietly.
Her whisper broke halfway through. “I’m sorry.”
Jasimir jabbed into her line of sight, pausing at Tavin’s side. “So what now? The Vultures know—”
“We keep going.” Tavin did just that, passing the prince.
Jasimir strode to catch up. “You keep saying that, but that isn’t working, is it? We’re going to keep doing precisely what Tatterhelm thinks we’re going to do? What’s the point ifshe’sgoing to keep giving away our location?”
“Leave it alone, Jas.” For the first time, Fie heard an open warning in Tavin’s voice.
“It’s time to go to the Hawks. If she can’t throw the Vultures off—”
“Leave. It.”
“This is my life,ourlives at stake here!” Jasimir shouted. “My condolences if that conflicts with who you want in your bed this week!”
Tavin stopped. His grip on Fie shook, anger rolling off him like a heat wave.
“Put me down,” Fie said, partially to head him off from saying some fool thing.
Tavin set her on her feet. “Can you walk?”
“Aye.” Fie wobbled a moment before planting herself sturdy in the snow.
Then she slapped the prince.
A resoundingcrackbounced off the stone as he gaped at her, hand on his jaw. His eyes flicked over to Tavin’s face before flinching back to Fie’s.
“First of all,” Fie snarled, “you keep your voice down out here, unless you fancy an avalanche. Second.Aye.I fouled up. Likely I’ll do it again. But Ambra help me, you leave who’s bedding who out of it, or I swear to every dead god I’ll—”
“You’ll what?” Jasimir spat. “Leave me to die out here? Let the Oleander Gentry ride down your caste?”
“The sad thing,” Fie hissed, “is you really think you’re better than Rhusana.”
Jasimir’s whole face tightened, then crumpled. Wind shrieked through the comb of the summit behind them.
Eventually Tavin spoke, softer now. “Changing course now does nothing. Trikovoi is still the closest fort in the Marovar. And we still have to clear this pass tonight.”
He took Fie’s hand and headed down a snowbank.
