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What a loss that would have been.

“We leave once Mel armors up,” Derian said at last. He held up a hand when Melanthe opened her mouth. “Ye’ll wear it or stay here.”

Melanthe sighed. “Fine. Sophia, we should provide some armor for you, as well.”

Sophia shook her head. “When I shift, I’ll lose it.”

“Then ye’ll not be shiftin’ while with us,” Derian argued. “Ye need an escort and we will provide it. But ye go armored and armed.”

His words caused Sophia to recall the conversation she’d had with her mother about her needing to focus more on her training and learning to defend herself in any type of situation. Had that really been only a few days ago? The memory brought a pang of homesickness and had her mentally shaking her head. Why was her mother always right?

Not seeing any reason to argue with Derian’s dictate, she nodded. She marveled over the fact that this group had converted Mercesti among them with enough skills to generate so much equipment. That had another thought occurring to her.

“Are any of you converted Orculesti or Wymzesti?” she asked.

When silence again fell and everyone stared at her with stony expressions, she realized she had just committed some kind of social blunder.

“I’m sorry,” she hurried to say. “I just thought, well, maybe someone could help me let my family know I’m okay.”

“We have such Mercesti among us,” Derian replied, his tone neutral. “But the only possible way to communicate a thought to yer family would be to send it directly to
archigos
Malukali, and she has been inaccessible for days.”

Blinking in confusion, Sophia repeated, “Days?”

“Aye.”

“That can’t be. She and
archigos
Knorbis went out to Kanika’s home to help her—”

“Kanika is dead,” Derian interrupted.

“No, she’s not,” Sophia argued. “Everyone thought she was, but—”

“Aye, she is.”

Irritated that the Mercesti kept interrupting her, Sophia clenched her hands into fists and frowned at him. “She survived the attack by Deimos. Lieutenant Donald found her more than a week ago.
Archigos
Malukali and
archigos
Knorbis went to counsel her afterward because she was in shock.
Archigos
Malukali is still there.” She spoke of the incident as though the group should know about it. They certainly seemed more knowledgeable about happenings on the plane than most Estilorians.

“She did not survive it,” Verrell said. “She was killed by a being who can assume the forms of others.”

Sophia’s eyes widened. If the two elders went to Kanika’s home believing this supposed imposter was Kanika, they might have been taken off-guard. And if this being killed Kanika, she would have no qualms about attempting to overpower a couple of trusting elders. Sophia considered the fact that Knorbis had returned to the homeland without his wife. It was the first time in her entire existence that she had seen one of them without the other.

Filled with mounting horror, she looked around the table and said, “This is even worse than I thought. We have to go. We have to go
now
.”

Ariana had gone into the venture of finding the remaining scroll pieces with the understanding that something could conceivably go wrong. But she knew she’d be surrounded by her new friends, a couple of elders and a team of Waresti. They could certainly handle anything that arose.

Never—not once—did she think she would end up right back where she started nine weeks ago.

She wanted to curl up into a ball and will it all away. Just kill her and be done with it, she thought. But now she didn’t only have herself to think about. Tate was with her, too.

Although she and Tate were both exhausted from whatever it was the Wymzesti elder had given them, Eirik told them that they had to fly. Knorbis tried to argue with the Mercesti, explaining their conditions, but it didn’t do any good.

Besides, it was too little too late, in her estimation.

He had betrayed them.

“Did any of them send out thoughts before you imposed your abilities?” Eirik asked a dark-haired male dressed in a black toga before they took flight.

“The Kynzesti sent out a partial thought that indicated she and the Lekwuesti are with you and the elder, my lord. She revealed nothing else.”

Eirik stared down at Tate. “Who was on the other end of your thought?”

She hesitated for a moment, but must have decided it wasn’t worth resisting. “My brother.”

Ariana’s eyes burned upon hearing that. She knew how close Tiege was to his twin. The partial thought must have hit him like a strike to the heart.

“I shall take measures to deal with him, then,” he said ominously.

What does he mean by that?
Ariana wondered, exchanging a panicked glance with Tate.

Then Eirik turned his attention back to Ariana. She couldn’t avoid flinching under his gaze as he said, “We have wasted enough time here. Use your power to find the missing scroll piece and lead us to it.”

“Or is it
pieces
?” the female Mercesti beside him asked.

They didn’t know.

Despite her fear and the fog of exhaustion coating her brain, Ariana found herself stuttering, “Th-there’s only one more.”

“Then what are you waiting for?” Eirik snapped. “Fly.”

They all extended their wings. Ariana opened her second power to its full extent. Her mind racing, she reasoned that Tiege and the others would try to get to the ancient library as quickly as possible, since it contained the only scroll piece they knew where to find. If she and Tate were going to have any chance of surviving this, they would need the help of their friends and family. Thus, Ariana had to be sure she led them to the library.

Because there were two more lavender trails leading to scroll pieces—well, three, counting the one leading directly to Eirik and the piece he obviously kept on his person—she had to focus on getting to the correct one. Using the information conveyed to her by Quincy, she pictured a library with shelves overflowing with books and scrolls, visualizing everything from how it looked to how it smelled. She soon identified the correct trail.

“When we’re in the air,” she said, “I don’t have the same ability to see the path.”

“Then we will land periodically to ensure you are leading us true,” Eirik said, looking at her with his cold, red eyes. “But you had best be sure we get there soon. You are well aware of the consequences I will impose if we do not.”

Her stomach tightened in remembered fear. Oh, she knew. But as they lifted into the air, she also knew she had no choice but to take a longer route than necessary to the library so she could give their rescuers a chance to acquire the map and get there first. She had to believe that Eirik was bluffing about having a plan to intercept and stop Tiege and the others. Even if he wasn’t, she knew Tiege was very capable of defending himself and was surrounded by Waresti. He was strong, she reasoned. He’d be fine.

As tears trailed down her cheeks, she prayed that she had a fraction of that strength to get through this again.

Bertram and Tycho watched from their hiding place as the Kynzesti female and her Mercesti escort emerged from the large tree village and flew west. Night was falling, but the fading sunlight still glittered on armor worn by a few of the departing beings.

They had nearly been caught spying by the other Mercesti. Their centuries of existence as former Waresti alerted them, though. Bertram thought he saw a scout on a well-hidden post among the high tree branches. Going with his instincts, he and Tycho had quickly left, making their way back across the marsh until they found a section deep enough that they could immerse themselves to avoid being seen, but close enough to see if anyone left the trees.

“I still do not see why we did not make ourselves known to the other Mercesti,” Tycho grumbled as they emerged from the marsh and dripped on the boggy ground beside the water. “Who is to say whether or not they would have worked with us to acquire whatever scroll it is we are after?”

Bertram removed a leech from his arm with a look of disgust. “If we had approached them about it, we would have had to share the prize with them. This way, we can follow them and simply acquire the Kynzesti when she steps away from the group, keeping the prize to ourselves.”

Tycho issued a grunt of acknowledgement. Then he said, “Where do you suppose they are going?”

Having given this some thought, Bertram answered, “They have probably made some kind of ransom demand and are taking her to the place where her family can pick her up. As they live out here in the middle of nowhere, they probably do not want to bring the Kynzesti’s family to their doorstep, so they arranged for the exchange a fair distance from here. Likely they lack food, clothing and other items that they feel would be a good bargain for the female’s life.”

“Fools,” Tycho said with a shake of his head. “They have no idea what potential they now have within their control. Eirik is surely pursuing something worth at least ten times what they are bargaining for.”

“Whatever is on this scroll that Eirik seeks, it had better be worth all of this,” Bertram replied as he extended his wings to take flight. “If not, this Kynzesti’s life will not last long enough to be a part of any kind of ransom exchange.”

Tiege paced as Uriel relayed the map to Hoygul’s home. The elder had decided to continue on to Kanika’s home while Tiege, Zachariah, Sebastian and the Waresti with them went in search of the scroll piece and, of course, Tate and Ariana.

“If Knorbis went through all of this, then Malukali must be in grave danger,” Uriel explained. “And if Eirik managed to convince Kanika to participate in his quest to acquire the scroll, she must be dealt with accordingly. Just as important, I need to find out why my lieutenant and those under his command are no longer responding to me.”

Harold, the Waresti commander, was on his way with more Waresti. Some of those soldiers would accompany Uriel and some would remain with Tiege and Zachariah. They could arrive at any time.

Each passing minute dragged like an ant through honey. Tiege listened to Uriel’s directions, but he didn’t know his way around the plane well enough to understand half of them. He knew he would have to rely on Zachariah, who now nodded and asked follow-up questions of the elder, to get them there. That was not a heart-warming realization.

“Hoygul’s home looks like an abandoned and dilapidated cottage on the outside,” Uriel said. “That was the only illusion he would allow to be placed on it.”

Why the Scultresti didn’t want to be more thoroughly protected in light of the information he maintained completely defeated Tiege. He supposed he would just consider them lucky that they didn’t have to dissolve yet another illusion cast by the elders on this debacle of a mission.

“If you attempt to strong-arm the map from him,” Uriel continued, talking to Zachariah, “he will refuse to give it to you. While I can appreciate your sense of urgency and I know your pairing to Tate is driving you to find her and protect her, you will need to push that aside when you communicate with him.”

If that was true, Tiege decided that it would behoove them to leave Zachariah outside when they got to the Scultresti’s cottage. He’d wait to mention that idea, however.

“Ini-herit, Quincy and Clara Kate are on their way to Hoygul’s, as well,” Uriel said. “If they get there first, it is my hope that Quincy can once again convince Hoygul to give him the map.”

“Because it turned out so well the last time,” Tiege muttered, but no one heard him.

As the conversation between the other two males continued, Tiege turned his thoughts to his sister and Ariana. He tried again to connect with Tate and was met with the mental wall that had come down on her last thought. The dampening preventing her from connecting to his thoughts also kept Zachariah from sensing her through their Gloresti-style bond.

He wondered how Ariana was holding up. She had been so deeply affected by her previous experience at Eirik’s hands that he worried her mind wouldn’t endure this. His only hope was that having Tate there might help.

What he did know was that when he finally got to them, it would be a tight race between him and Zachariah as to who would get to Eirik first.

“Harold is here,” Uriel said, drawing his attention.

Sure enough, within the span of a minute, the Waresti commander and the warriors he led landed nearby. Conducting a quick scan, Tiege estimated there were nearly a hundred beings present.

“Fifty of you will come with me,” Uriel announced. “If Kanika and her followers have control over her homestead, they will not have many more than that in number. It is a relatively small dwelling, and even if some of them are residing in the surrounding forest, I predict no more than seventy could occupy it.”

“Do you need any provisions?” Sebastian asked.

“No. We won’t be gone long and I can connect with you if anything changes.”

The Lekwuesti elder nodded.

Uriel looked from Tiege to Zachariah. “Once we rescue Malukali, the hold Eirik has over Knorbis will be removed. I suspect he can counter the effects of Eirik’s dampeners even now, but he’s choosing not to because it would put Malukali at risk. Once she’s free, you should be able to connect with Tate.”

“Then stop wasting time talking to us,” Zachariah said. After a brief pause, he tacked on, “Sir.”

As rude as the statement was, Tiege couldn’t help but find himself in complete agreement. They all needed to get going. Without question, getting both the scroll piece and Eirik’s hostages was going to take monumental timing.

That, and a miracle.

Ini-herit connected with Zayna to get the map to Hoygul’s cottage. Although the elder had been there before, his memory of the exact location wasn’t clear. Once he received the details, they all headed to the Scultresti’s after only an hour of rest.

Quincy followed the others, but it about killed him. All he could think about was Sophia. Was she okay? Where was she? Had she continued to track Tate and Ariana?