Page 306 of Commanding Scythe and Sky

He’d left me here. The relief was instantaneous and all-encompassing. A glass of water glimmered in the silver of the moonlight, and I turned to grab it. My gaze snapped to the gift beside it—my silver hair comb, the ruby gleaming, and a parchment beside it with two scrawled words: thank you.

The cool water was a welcome reprieve, but I had more important things to do. I was late—too late. I’d forgotten our agreement after… everything.

Feeling like a stranger in my own body, I held the ruby to my chest, thanked her for protecting Cora, and wandered to the wall that bordered my chambers.

When the passage opened, I didn’t hesitate. The stone remained warm against my palm, though I didn’t need her guidance. I’d memorized the turns now.

I paid the magic and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

When my eyelids finally grew too heavy, I summoned the journal, snatched it off the shelf, and sat down to write.

I failed. Miserably. But I’m safe. As safe as I can be in a den of monsters.

Adrastos saved my life tonight. My honor with it. He has an odd code he follows, and I find myself infuriated trying to decipher it. Sometimes I see him—Bellamy, hidden beneath the formalities. I wish I didn’t. It would be easier if I didn’t.

I wish I could see you both one more time, to take the strength your words offer, but I know Grayshell is calling.

I love you, Mags. Get home so Aren can return to the front. It seems to be the only coherent thing Ally is saying.

May the Seven Sisters bless you.

May Aren’s God do the same.

Safe travels.

Until we meet again,

-Blythe

SIXTY

GOLDEN ONE

AREN

“You’re sure this won’t let them back in?” Lana ran her tongue over her teeth, cocking her head as we assessed the dormant gate in the corner of Bellpost’s grand hall. The windows behind the empty archway were almost entirely concealed in viciously barbed flora.

“No,” I scoffed. “But I don’t think Rhiannon kept her grip on this place for this long only to let it go with Moros at his worst.” I looked up at the talons of prickly vines. They stretched and turned, reaching for the gate as though ready to snatch anyone who came through. Ever since the plant in the library tasted my blood, they’d seemed… eerily attuned to my movements. Not stalking a threat so much as tracking a power source—the way plants usually responded to Aphaea.

“We’ve gotta try, right?” Mags pressed.

“If Blythe’s information can help August narrow down a location for Ally, the risk is warranted,” Jason agreed.

Brody was quick to counter, “The last thing we need is Bellpost at full strength when we’re not.”

“So, we just leave Ally in that hell?” Jason snapped, voicing my own sentiments.

“No,” Lana and I said in unison.

“This at least gives him a hemisphere to work with. The birds are another clue. August needs every scrap of intel we can get, and he needs it now.”

“If we’re going to have any chance of un-scrambling the damage Moros has caused, we need her back in a stable environment, stat,” Mags added.

“Then I’m going,” Lana said curtly, determination darkening her eyes. Her backpack now contained the journal from Rhiannon’s hidden library, in hopes that August or Freya would have the time or resources to make sense of the enchantments and reveal the contents.