Page 118 of The Heart Trials

“Do you…” I start. Ivy stops unzippering her bag, waiting on me to finish. “Do you love Rhythe? Do you have some kind of connection with him? Or is it just one sided?”

She shakes her head, already pulling a folded thermal blanket from her pack. “I don’t want to talk about Rhythe. I came with you for help. That says enough.”

It doesn’t.

Not even close.

She stuffs something in her bag before crouching near the fire Caelus is building, clearing away sharp stones and smoothing out a patch of ground with the side of her boot. Her movements are mechanical, like she’s working to keep her thoughts at bay.

I try to think of a way to respond that doesn’t push her away. I’m not sure how to build a connection of trust with someone who doesn’t seem to want one. And she’d have to trust me deeply to open up about whatever she’s hiding about Rhythe.

“I don’t mean to pry,” I say gently. “I’m only asking because if you know anything about him that could help us outsmart him, that would keep all three of us alive.”

She unrolls the tent and props it up over the cleared earth. Then she pulls off her gloves, tucks them into her coat pocket, and begins arranging her pack as a makeshift pillow.

“Ivy?” I press.

“I’m second-guessing coming with you two,” she finally says, a bite in her tone. “My fate was already sealed. Maybe it’s foolish to think I could escape it.”

I shift closer, still sitting near the edge of the fire’s reach. I signal Caelus with a subtle shake of my head to give us space. When he is out of earshot, I say, “What do you mean, your fate?”

“You’re worse than my mothers with all your questions.”

I didn’t think Ivy had parents. They didn’t come to the dinner. “Are your moms alright?”

“Their tenement is struggling, but others have it worse.” She shrugs, opening a small pouch of rations.

“You were saying, about Rhythe. And your fate?”

She sighs deeply. “Rhythe picked me.” She doesn’t look at me. “There is no getting away from him. We grew up together in the same tenement…I shouldn’t be saying this.” She plays with the ends of her tightly coiled hair, those gray eyes glistening. “My breeding parents were killed when I was a baby.”

“I’m sorry, Ivy. How—”

“It doesn’t matter. I didn’t know them.” She pulls her bag closed roughly. It clearly does matter. It matters a lot. “I’ve seen pictures. But my mothers who raised me adopted me, so I didn’t have to leave the tenement for an orphanage. Rhythe never knew his father. And his mother, well, she shouldn’t have died. But Mercyenforcers killed her anyway. So, Rhythe and I were stuck together a lot. Since we were little, he’s just always been there, through all of it, whether I like it or not. It was fine. But he’s different now. Still, there’s no escaping him.”

“Well, we will help you as best we can.”

“Yeah, Axira, but plans fail, and I’m just not sure if I’ve made a mistake. Maybe Rhythe is right about everything.”

“Right about what?”

“Nothing. Never mind.”

“You talk like you’re some kind of sacrifice of his.”

Her cold eyes meet mine in bone-chilling silence. The fire crackles behind us.

“Goodnight, Axira.” She tucks her blanket under her arm and climbs inside the tent.

I try to sleep but can’t. Caelus is in his own tent. I insisted. He didn’t argue. Maybe he’s beginning to see the wisdom in us facing that this power we’ve found between us will soon come to an end.

I toss and turn, my mind sifting through Ivy’s words, trying and failing to excavate more meaning. I still can’t sleep, and somehow I am also deeply fatigued; every muscle in my body groans. I give up trying, climbing out of the tent and pacing through camp, hoping the cold air might clear my head. To my surprise, Ivy’s sitting on a stump by the dead fire, hugging her knees. I start toward her. That’s when I see it—a glint of silver between the trees.

A rustle in the woods.

Low voices.

A shout.