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“They’ve already taken control!”

“And what’s your alternative? Stay and die?”

But no one had an answer because no one knew the right one.

The air shifted as she neared the outer districts, as if she could feel the energy being drawn out, begging to take her with it. She turned the final corner toward the outer gate and stopped.

The courtyard beyond had already broken into chaos. There were people streaming toward the exits in uneven waves, some carrying what they could, others dragging reluctant companions with them. Voices overlapped, calling instructions, arguing, pleading.

“Meridon will take us!”

“It’s too far—”

“It’s closer than staying here!”

“They might have lied about Meridon,” someone shouted, half-desperate, half-pleading with whoever would listen. “I have a cousin there. She’d have written if it wasn’t safe!”

But no one answered her. No one had the certainty to spare.

As Maia reached the outskirts of the walled city, a set of stable doors stood open. Horses, half a dozen at least, were being pulled free, hastily saddled or not at all. One broke loose entirely, bolting across the courtyard as someone shouted after it.

Another stood unclaimed, its tether loosened. Waiting. Maia took a breath in, adrenaline running through her. That might be enough to reach Caelith in time.

“Maia, wait—”

She turned. Julen stood a few paces behind her, his breath uneven, his gaze moving rapidly over the scene.

“I didn’t think it would be like this,” he said. “We should have done something sooner… shouldn’t we?”

“Julen, we did not know. How could we possibly? All we have is what we do next. And our only hope is to leave and find Caelith. He is the only one who can help us. Look, I think if we grab one of those horses—”

Before she could finish, a voice cut through the crowd. “Julen!”

They both turned. A man pushed through the crowd toward them, his expression tight with urgency. It was Julen’s father.

Relief flashed across his face when he reached them, gripping Julen’s shoulders as though to confirm he was still there.

“Thank the Gods,” he said. “I was looking for you, I thought I wouldn’t find you. Come quickly, we’re leaving. Meridon was right not to trust these monsters. We’ve been fools and now we are to pay for it.”

Julen blinked. “I’m not going to Meridon, Father. They said Meridon will suffer the same fate as anyone who refuses.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, of course they are saying that to get us to comply,” his father said. “There’s still time if we move now. Others are already going; we won’t be the only ones.”

He glanced at Maia briefly, then back to his son. “You should come with us.”

Julen hesitated. Maia already knew what he would choose, but she said it anyway. “We don’t have time, Julen.”

“Meridon won’t save anyone,” Julen said quietly.

His father’s grip tightened. “So you’re going to submit… to them?”

“No,” Julen said. “But what if what Orell said is true?”

“Then we put distance between us and it.”

“You don’t know that distance matters.”

“You don’t know that it doesn’t.”