“I won’t let that happen,” Annia said, her eyes narrowing on the tent as well. “I’ll be by her side the entire time. There’s no way I’m going to let her run off again, not when it resulted in this fiasco.” She swept her hand out, indicating the sleeping children. Her expression softened as she gazed at their peaceful little faces, and the anger sparking in her eyes gave way to sadness again. “I can’t imagine the fear and pain they’ve been through these past weeks. Or has it been months? Do you have any idea how long these children have been down here?”

“I don’t know.” My eyes were drawn to the blonde girl who looked like she could belong to the Baine Clan. I didn’t think we had any small cubs missing, but I would have to ask when we got back. “Their parents must sick to death with worry.”

“I know I would be.” Annia shook her head, returning her gaze to mine. “What kind of monsters could do such a thing, Sunaya? Steal innocent children from their beds and inject them with fatal diseases?”

“The kind that believes in the ‘greater good’,” I sneered, remembering Dr. Mitas’s hateful, impassioned words back in Dara. He was supposed to be a doctor, a healer, yet he had no qualms about participating in such horrific activities. I didn’t believe in any greater good myself, mostly because that phrase was so open to interpretation. The rulers’ ideas of what the greater good meant rarely matched the ideas of the common man, after all. The Mages Guild was proof of that.

“I shouldn’t really be surprised,” Annia admitted. “As enforcers, you and I know better than most the lengths criminals will go to justify their actions.”

“I think that the day we stop being shocked by this kind of thing is the day we should be afraid,” I told her. “We should hold society to a higher standard, or the world will never become a better place.” An ember popped, sending sparks shooting through the sky. I held out my palm and caught one of them as they floated back down to earth, watching as it briefly stung my palm before its orange glow faded to black.

Transient, just like everything else in life.

Annia’s lips curved at that, her dark eyes sparkling. “Why Sunaya Baine, you almost sound like a sage. Is that the sort of thing that happens when one joins the Mages Guild?”

“I suppose I’ve gotten a little more philosophical these days,” I allowed, smiling a little. I imagined my deeper thoughts were inspired by the brief, but meaningful conversations I’d had with Resinah’s spirit—the first mage, entrusted with wisdom by the Creator. I glanced down at Annia’s bandaged arm and changed the subject. “How did you get that?”