Karam had been putting this choice off for too long, because she was scared to leave Saxony alone in a place where she seemed primed to lose that fire inside of herself. Karam wanted to help Saxony become the leader she knew that she could be, but Saxony was there now. All that was left was Tavia, who Karam had thought needed someone to watch her back, but Nolan’s capture—and the look on Tavia’s face as she held Wesley’s gun to his head—told her that Tavia didn’t need protecting anymore. She needed an escape from the role she had been forced into.

She needed Wesley.

They all did.

The door opened and Saxony’s face brightened when she saw Karam.

When Saxony smiled, even the leaves rustled, like they were giggling alongside her, perfectly synchronized to her happiness.

Saxony’s grandma sat at the table behind her, every bit the warrior Karam hoped she would remain when she reached her age. Her hair, braided down to the very edges of her fingertips, was the color of Arjun’s sword and gleamed in the same way when the sun hit it just right. Her dark skin matched Saxony’s perfectly, though her eyes were not the same guarded brown, but instead shone in the color of stars and fresh clouds.

“Karam,” Saxony said. “Did you come to join us for dinner?”

She opened the door wider for Karam to come in and sat back at the table, opposite her grandma.

“Help yourself,” Saxony said. “Amja cooked enough for the whole army.”

It truly was a feast, with nearly a dozen plates on the table, some sticky with sauce and sweet steam that Karam could smell even from the doorway. It made her mouth water, especially since she had skipped lunch to train with Tavia.

“No, thank you,” Karam said.

She was here to talk, not get distracted with such a delicious spread.

“You’re quite the dedicated warrior.” Saxony’s grandma nodded in approval. “Always focused on the task at hand.”

Karam smiled, because she didn’t trust herself not to say something stupid. A war ground was not the ideal place to meet Saxony’s family, and Karam hadn’t had nearly enough time to practice small talk and the right way to make them deem her truly worthy.

“I am glad you are both here,” Karam said, lingering by the door. “I have to talk to you and I am not sure if it is something you are going to like.”

Though the sad truth was, whether Saxony liked it or not, Karam had to go.

The Loj was spreading, Nolan had escaped, and despite Karam sending their best scouts after him, he’d disappeared into the woods. Even with the Lieges coming from across the four realms to help, and with Tavia’s deal with Casim bringing them buskers, they still needed one thing.

They still needed Wesley.