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There was a price on his head now.
And Thea had vowed to claim it.
From the balcony where they’d fucked, she watched the black wings beat against the sky, disappearing beyond the clouds, her mind invaded by thoughts of war. A war she had lost. The most devastating kind. A war of hearts. A war that left only a dark void within. A war that called for vengeance as its only form of payment, of retribution.
The day outside was bright and clear, the sun intensifying on the golden hills of Tver. It only served to fuel Thea’s misery. For how could she feel so broken while there was still so much light in the world?
Thea shook the thought from her head and went to finish packing. It hurt to move Wilder’s things as she searched for her own. He’d left everything as though he were only heading out for a meeting, as though he had fully intended to return to her.
She shifted a pile of his clothes and heard a soft thud on the carpet. Crouching, she picked up a heavy blue gem. It was the sapphire she’d found in his cabin back in Thezmarr. The jewel she’d never had the courage to ask about. She ran her thumb over its multi-faceted face, the simple action reminding her that she hadn’t known Wilder, not wholly. And now, she never would know him, not as anything other than her enemy.
She stared at the glimmering gem, dazed. And though she told herself it didn’t matter now, she slipped it into her pocket anyway.
Just as she finished securing her pack and scanning the list of items she’d need to pick up, a knock sounded at her door.
It was Wren.
Thea’s sister closed the door behind her, dropped her bag on a chair and surveyed the mess of the room. ‘You’re truly going, then?’ she asked, not sounding the least bit surprised.
‘Yes.’
The sisters hadn’t had a moment alone since they’d faced the Daughter of Darkness in those woods, since they’d discovered who she truly was. Now, the revelation hung heavy between them.
‘I don’t know what to say,’ Thea admitted.
‘Nor I,’ Wren replied. ‘Someone had to have known…’ she ventured.
‘My coin is on Audra,’ Thea huffed, stuffing a final spare shirt into her pack with a little too much force.And Wilder, she added silently.
‘You’re probably right.’ Wren sighed. ‘I don’t know what to do from here, Thee. Who to tell, what to ask…’
‘Tell no one,’ Thea told her, her heart hardening. ‘We trust no one until we know more.’
‘No one?’
Thea redid her braid and faced her sister. The betrayal she carried with her was so raw and tender. ‘Cal and Kipp can be trusted. And… despite his brother, I trust Malik with my life. Torj too.’
‘Then I trust them as well.’
Thea nodded. She was glad to be leaving Wren with people who would support her.
‘You and I must remain united,’ Wren warned her. ‘At least in spirit and cause.’
‘I agree,’ Thea said. ‘What will you do while I’m gone?’
‘While our people are here, I’ll make use of Notos’ library. It’s meant to be one of the best ones in the midrealms. Perhaps I can learn more of our enemy…’
‘And then?’
‘When I’m no longer needed here, I’ll return to Thezmarr. When I know as much about…heras possible, then I’ll do what I can to prepare for what comes next. Alchemy, magic, whatever it takes.’
Her…Their sister.
Thea found herself nodding again, understanding the responsibility her sister was taking on for the both of them. ‘There’s one more thing I need to ask of you, Wren.’
‘Ask it.’
Thea’s hand went to her fate stone. She pulled it from her neck and held it out to the best alchemist she knew. ‘I need you to remove the treatment on this.’
