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“Amity, you need to say thank you—”
“Blaise’s thread,” she says, pointing to something in her grimoire.
I raise a brow.
“Flax is used for making thread,” says Amity, rushing toward the baggage, rummaging through Blaise’s things, which overprepared Amity had packed in haste in case we needed anything of hers. “I knew Blaise didn’t seem like the kind of person who likes to weave for fun…”
She pulls out a bundle of thread, then throws a string into the fire, collecting the ash in a jar.
“What’s she doing?” asks Evander.
“I’m saving my father, obviously,” she says.
Three days later, Evander paces outside my and Amity’s tent, rubbing a blister into the back of his neck.
I let him for a few minutes, then decide it would be kinder to put my poor friend out of his misery. I recognize the source of his anxiety and could probably give him a break by telling him I already know what he’s going to say.
Evander needs to learn to say these things himself, though, so I drag my still-exhausted body out of my tent and wait.
Evander halts, sweeping his gaze over me. “How are you feeling?”
I shrug. “My muscles still feel weak, but I can tell I’m at least headed in the right direction. Better than I was a few days ago.”
“So Amity’s drug is working then?”
“She has me on a strict regimen. Apparently the drug isn’t a cure for the poison, but it keeps it from progressing and alleviates most of the symptoms.” I can’t help but beam. “She’s a genius, that one. Not sure where she gets it.”
My joke doesn’t land, which is a testament to how consumed Evander’s attention is with whatever he’s about to tell me.
Evander nods absentmindedly. “Ellie’s getting her strength back too.”
The corners of my mouth lift into a smile that I hope comes across as patient.
Evander stops and takes a deep breath. “Marcus, I…I can’t tell you how much it means to me, and to Ellie, what you and Amity have done for us. For Cecilia. I don’t…I can’t imagine going through the past few days without either of you.” He puts his hands on his hips and stares at the ground, biting the inside of his cheek as he shakes his head. “But I have to take them back home. Ellie’s getting better, but she’s been through so much. And Cecilia is still so young. I want both of them seen by a healer. I can’t…” His sea-green eyes water with sorrow. “I can’t go with you to find Piper. And I know that makes me a cruddy person, after all you’ve done. I know…” He trails off, looking me in the eye.
“I know,” I say, clapping Evander on the back. He startles.
“You know?”
“You’re not responsible for my family. I am. Piper and Amity—they come first. And you have to do the same for Ellie and Cecilia. It’s what’s right.”
Evander looks as if he doesn’t believe me. His shoulders are tensed, like he’s awaiting a blow to the jaw.
“Listen to me,” I say. “It’s not that Amity and I won’t miss your company. But it seems to me that you got yourself into this mess by putting someone else’s needs above your family’s. Am I right in thinking that?”
Evander clenches his teeth. He says nothing, but that’s answer enough. After a moment, he swallows and says, “You stood watch. You protected us from the Others while Ellie was going into labor.”
“Need I remind you that the entire reason Ellie went into labor is the fact that she threw herself between Amity and an Other? For which I am eternally grateful.”
Evander nods. “Any resource you need—if I don’t have it with me, I’ll find a way to get it for you when I get back to Othian.”
I’ve been considering this the past few days. “Any resources your father could spare to help me locate Piper would be helpful. I know he isn’t the most amiable person, but if you could convince him, I’d be grateful. Either way, if you could use your royal influence to get a message to the Avelean court quickly, I’d be appreciative.”
Evander raises his brow, so I explain, “My sister is employed by the King of Avelea. She might also be able to convince him to help.”
“And what about you?” Evander asks. “What’s your next move?”
I think of Piper, my lovely wife, her thoughtful ponderings, her cleverness, the beautiful way she loves Amity, the way she gets lost in her music. “Me? I’m going to track down my wife.”
