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I turned, grabbed Dimitri’s hand again, and dragged him out the back door. For once, he did not argue.
Yahontov followed close behind as I guided us through Lowtown’s warren of alleys and connected backyards. If I saw a Spirit, I picked another way. And another again.
I knew each street despite the night and many destroyed buildings.
Each time a Spirit appeared, my terror spiked, but it was quickly followed by anger. This was my neighborhood. And the Spirits were part of Tal. We respected them, as the dead deserved, and no one should make us fear our ancestors. Fear the very essence of our city.
My body screamed for air, my legs begged me to pause, and though I slowed, I only stopped when we reached the outskirts of the night market in Midtown and chattering crowds pushed in from both sides.
Dimitri leaned on his knees, catching his breath, hat long lost, while Yahontov seemed like he could have continued all the way up the hill to the palace. Behind its sigils, they would most likely be safe from this new threat, even if the rest of us were not.
“What was that?” Dimitri asked between gulps of air. “Was that your power?”
My body shook, only stubbornness keeping me on my feet. I turned to face him, forgetting I was supposed to make peace.
“They broke into homes. You think I would hurt my own people? Because of course I predicted I would find you in a drinking hall, be dragged back to Lowtown, and need a distraction to what? Go shopping?” I swept my hands around us, taking the anger that had been building out on him. “I’ve showed you everything I can. Arrest me or let me go.”
He straightened. “You’ve lied to me at every point. If I thought locking you up would make you talk, I would. You say you want to help? Then show me I can trust you. Meet me at the same drinking hall again tomorrow at sunset, ready to tell me everything.”
“I can’t.” But I wished I could spill all von Lemerch’s secrets. Tell him why I had stolen the crown. That the Day of the Dead would bring death.
He sighed, shaking his head. “You owe me answers but so far, I’m only getting more questions. You said you wanted to leave Tal, still here you are. If you want to work together, come tomorrow. Otherwise, disappear again. This time for good.”
He left without waiting for my response, Yahontov trailing silently behind.
We all wanted answers, and I feared we would all have to pay for them. Could I, barely able to look after myself, really make tomorrow better for anyone else?
Could I show him von Lemerch like I had the rest? My throat closed, knowing I contemplated revealing her words. Would pushingthrough kill me? How fast could I be? Would he even believe me?
Death was everywhere in Tal, but I did not long to embrace it.
No more rash decisions. No more of theusual idiocythat made even my twin distrust my judgment.
Be it unfinished business or secrets, something tied me to Dimitri, and come tomorrow, I would need to find a truth I could share, for I cared too much to run. I straightened and joined the crowd drifting from stall to stall. I had new questions to ask before dawn. Somewhere, someone knew more than the rumors on everyone’s lips.
The hairs on my neck rose, thief’s instincts and magic telling me someone was watching.
“Lumi,” I whispered into the busy night. “If you’re behind the walking dead, it needs to stop.”
If we could all work together, maybe we knew enough to put the pieces together.
But searching for my sister was no longer enough. I had avoided confronting her lies despite them offering truths about my own life. Seeing the prince and corpses walking reminded me of the innocent lives at stake.
I could no longer put off meeting my great-grandmother—Morovara, the first priestess of bones, High Priestess of Tal, and the third person I knew who might possess the power to raise the dead.
Chapter four
Vanya
In the Temple District, young priestesses in white robes were out brushing the steps and weeding the paths even before midday. Like the dead, the temple did not sleep.
Before I went to the palace and pretended to be a princess, I would have hidden among the trees, then after dark snuck into the largest ziggurat, or run back home to build up my courage. Now, I walked up the front steps as if I owned them. I was speaking to Morovara, whether she wanted to or not. My magic buzzed under my skin, reenforcing my resolve.
No one stopped me, though some looked like they wanted to. Inside, the shadows swallowed the morning sun. This early, it barely reached the light shafts piercing the stone walls to bounce on the polished copper plates. Candles as thick as my thigh stood unlit in the sconces.
I strode in and up until my calves screamed and legs wobbled.
The high priestess would be at the highest floor.
