Tavia wasn’t sure what all the fuss was about. It wasn’t like his people couldn’t heal him in an instant. It wasn’t like she had sliced a blade across his neck.

“We’re on the same side,” Saxony said. “We called you here to help us fight a great enemy.”

“She was going to risk our location by harboring an enemy busker,” Lionus said.

At the mention of Nolan, Tavia’s eyes searched the forest floor.

Nothing.

For the love of—

“Nolan’s gone,” she said to Karam. “We need to send people out into the forest to find him. Now.”

Karam nodded. “I will get the buskers back out of their cozy beds.”

Tavia couldn’t believe that they’d let Nolan slip out of their hands while they were so busy fighting against each other. It was ridiculous and if Nolan wasn’t found, then she was going to use that mirror doll to break Lionus’s other leg. Or even his damn neck.

“Are you okay?” Saxony asked her.

Tavia nodded.

“You’re bleeding.”

“So I’m told,” she said.

“I can help heal your wounds.”

“No,” Tavia said, shuffling away from Saxony’s outstretched hand. “I’m fine.”

Saxony nodded and cleared her throat, like she was clearing away any awkwardness from the air. She turned back to the Crafters.

“Tavia’s buskers will find the missing prisoner,” she said. “In the meantime, you should all heal yourselves, and then some of my Kin will show you where you can rest. In the morning, we’ll talk strategy. Which, just to be clear, involves killing Ashwood. Not each other.”

Tavia smirked.

Saxony looked so much more like herself when she was taking charge, rather than waiting for someone else to give her orders. She looked like a warrior. Like a Liege. Like someone who could lead a band of Crafters from across the world and into victory, without them all turning against each other.

She looked like the person Tavia remembered being friends with and that she so desperately wanted to trust again.

10

KARAM

Karam approached the cabin where Saxony and her grandma were having dinner together. It was the first time they had properly spoken since Saxony went behind her back to summon the Lieges, and Karam knew that she should probably leave them alone to eat, but she had to speak to Saxony before it was too late.

She knocked on the cabin door.