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As if he felt my eyes on him, Kage turned. His eyes met mine and he smiled. “Regan, this is Nyxaris.”

My eyes widened. “The … dragon?” I cleared my throat. “Pleased to meet you.”

Nyxaris looked pale but fierce. He had blood smeared across his jaw. “Viktor is wounded,” he said flatly. “But still alive. I’m going after him.” He met my eyes, and I realized that to him, this wasn’t our first meeting. “Viktor’s been up to his old tricks—an amulet with old fae magic. He vanished from beneath me.”

I thought of how Viktor had seemed to disappear into thin air that day in my office when Nyxaris had been attacking. He’d refused to tell me how he’d done it. He’d never apologized for leaving me behind either.

“Like the arch we came through?” Kage asked.

Nyxaris nodded. “Similar to that, but with a much shorter range, I think.” His mouth curled in a murderous smile. “He was running, but he won’t be far.” Kage’s gaze moved to Florence, then to me and the ring of keys in my hand. Nyxaris followed the look. “I’m going after Viktor. Florence must stay with you. Get the children out.”

“No.” It was the first time she’d spoken. Florence’s voice was rough with desperation. “I want to go with you.”

Kage ignored her. “We’ll watch over her, and Regan, and Lunaya. We’ll find the little ones and get them out.” His eyes briefly met mine, then rested on Lunaya and Persis. “Then Lysander and I will find you.”

Nyxaris gave a tight nod. I decided this wasn’t time to argue with their stupid plan. I would be following part of it, but not all of it. I wasn’t going anywhere, not even back to Bloodwing with my brother. Not yet.

“Nyxaris, no.” Florence made a broken sound that made me wonder just what she’d been through. “I’m not leaving you again. Please.”

Nyxaris looked at her, and the corridor seemed to shrink to just the two of them. He crossed to her in a single stride and cupped her face with both his hands so gently it made my throat ache. “I did not come all this way, Fledgling,” he said, his voice a low rumble, “to lose you again. You have only just returned to me.”

“I don’t want to hide anymore,” she whispered. “Let me help you.”

“You are not hiding,” he murmured, pressing his forehead against hers. “You are surviving.” He looked down at her, and I saw there was no softness to him—except in the way he touched her. “I must finish this once and for all. Do you understand?”

She nodded slowly. But as he turned away, Florence met my eyes. She was not going back. And neither was I. Nyxaris didn’t stick around to argue with his rider; he was already moving with highblood speed, slipping down the corridor and vanishing into the dark.

“Come on,” Lunaya said, waking us all up. “This way. Quickly.”

The level below the manor house was even more awful than I’d realized. We moved into a low vaulted chamber. Along the sides were barred rooms that stank of blood, fear, and stale bodies packed together with too little fresh air. The keys shook in my hands as I worked through the ring, unlocking door after door. Finally, Kage took the ring gently from my hand.

When all the cells had been opened, about fifteen children encircled us. They looked tired and filthy and far too thin.

“Not all of them are coming out,” Persis announced.

We followed his gaze. Inside one of the open cells, three children lay on the ground. They looked up at us with blank eyes, too gaunt and weary to even move. Kage swore under his breath. Then he strode into the cell and gently lifted two of the children up. Lysander moved in for the other, tucking a little boy against his shoulder with a soft murmur of reassurance. I saw his eyes were murderous in that quiet Orphos way.

Persis tugged at my sleeve. “There’s another one here.”

The fluffin darted forward, running into a dark cell. I walked slowly after her. Inside, a little girl with cropped dark hair and a split lip sat huddled in the corner, her arms wrapped around her knees.

In the end, everyone was carrying a child except for Lunaya and Florence who walked side by side and hand in hand with two of the children. Even Persis carried a small boy in his arms, high-blood and thin as a bird, with a hand clamped over his mouth as if he was still trying not to make a sound. I smiled at the little boy reassuringly from where I walked behind them. He looked back at me with huge, haunted eyes.

Above us the house shook again. Lunaya staggered. Florence was quick to wrap her arm around the other girl’s waist. The shudders were coming less often.

“This way,” Lunaya said, her voice sounding strained. She’d led us back to the room with the arch. The white stone door was still glowing; it looked bright and unnatural against the damp wall. Some of the children stared at it with wide eyes.

I shifted the girl I held higher in my arms and looked at Lysander’s sister. “Lunaya, will you take them through?”

She gave me a sweet smile full of regret. The expression made her look for one heartbreaking instant like the dreamy girl I used to see walking Bloodwing’s halls. “I can’t,” she said. “I must go last.”

I didn’t want to argue with her. I looked at Florence. She was already shaking her head. “No. I’m staying. Nyxaris doesn’t know everything. Once Viktor is …” She swallowed hard, looking between me, Kage, and Lysander. “Nyxaris will need to know all of it. I’m staying.” Her voice was firm.

I looked at my brother, hesitating. We’d left Bloodwing in chaos. We couldn’t send the children back alone.

Lunaya touched my arm. “Regan, don’t fear for them.” She looked from me to Persis and then to the children who’d formed a cluster near the arch. “I’ve seen this moment. If we managed to get them this far, then they’ll be safe on the other side.”

I stared at her, not quite willing to believe.