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“Not explicitly. But I was to watch Elyria. So, when she went to Luminaria, I followed. If she was going through the Gate, so would I.”

“But she was not planning to go through the Gate.” Cedric’s brow furrowed. “Elyria was not at Castle Lumin as a champion. She was there for Kit. You pledged yourself to the Crucible before Elyria did.”

“Call it intuition.”

“Nox.” The knight’s voice was stern.

“Fine, fine. It was Aurelia. When she emerged from the Gate as the Arbiter, I recognized her for what she was immediately. And having the opportunity to speak to another celestial that was not Lord Noctis . . .” Nox exhaled. “It was too great a temptation. So I entered anyway. What good fortune that Elyria ended up doing the same shortly thereafter.”

Cedric snorted.

“The rest, well, you already know,” they finished.

Thraigg gave a low whistle. “Well, I’ll be damned, Noxie. Knew ye were keepin’ secrets, but didn’t think ye were takin’ orders from the star gods themselves.”

Cedric’s expression was uncharacteristically dark. “Allow me to make sure I’ve got this all straight. You’re an emissary of the Dark Warden. You’ve been spying on Elyria for him for fuck knows how long. And we’re about to walk into your master’s stars-damned foyer and beg him to help us?”

“That feels rather reductive, all things considered, but I suppose I cannot deem any of it a lie.”

“Quartered hell, Nox.” Cedric raked a hand down his face. “I will have to set aside my personal feelings over the fact that yet another one of my friends has been keeping colossal stars-damned fucking secrets.” He tilted his head to look at Thraigg, one eyebrow arched with suspicion. “There isn’t anything else you’re planning on confessing, is there?”

“Don’t give me that look, boyo. My confessions came out in Elderglade. Aside from being in the Sanctum at Lark’s behest⁠—”

“To watch me. Protect me.”

The dwarf nodded. “To keep an eye on ye, yeah. But ain’t a thing I’m hidin’ now.”

Cedric exhaled, his gaze returning to Nox. “Does—stars above, I can’t believe I’m even saying this. Does Noctis know we are coming, then? Why have we traversed all the way across Arcanis to this mountain if you are already in contact with the dark star god?”

Nox choked back a growl. “He does not. I am not . . . in contact with him, not exactly. When he calls, I must answer, but there is no calling back, and thus . . .”

“And thus, we must go to him,” Cedric finished, and Nox nodded.

“Yer powers, then, Noxie? The new ways ye’ve been wielding yer shadows since the Crucible. Is that him?” asked Thraigg.

Cedric gave an eager nod. “Yes, the shadow missives, crafting your new illusions. That is part of his gift?”

“Something like that.” Though a gift would have been freely given, they added silently.

Both the knight and the dwarf looked as though they had a thousand more questions waiting just inside the slightly ajar set of their mouths, but they didn’t get the chance to ask them. The trio had just reached a widening of the path—a smooth plateau, before the trail took a sharp turn around the side of the mountain—when the ground began to quake.

Nox swung their body to face forward just as Vespyr stopped short, her breath misting from her nostrils when she snorted, nickered.

“Whoa, whoa,” said Thraigg in an attempt to calm his own horse. “Take ’er easy there, Hops.”

Hops the horse did not, in fact, take it easy. She retreated several steps with a nervous whinny, tucking herself behind Polonius. Fog drifted down the path ahead, spiraling out from around the corner of the trail like low-rolling clouds, and as though their hooves had iced over, all three horses suddenly refused to move.

Nox loosed a resigned sigh as they slid from Vespyr’s back. “Come along, then.”

“What’s going on?” Cedric asked, tucking a drowsy Sid into one of his saddlebags before dismounting from Polonius. He went to help Thraigg down from Hops, then added, “What are we doing?”

“Progressing.”

Unbuckling his hammer from where it was strapped to his horse’s flank, Thraigg added, “We can’t just leave them here.”

“We won’t,” replied Nox. “But neither is there any point in ushering them farther. Not until we deal with that.”

Cedric and Thraigg exchanged a look before following the line of Nox’s finger, now pointing toward the fog. Fog that appeared to have gotten denser, though it had slowed its approach, lingering in a tangible cloud right over the path where it curved out of sight.