Kerrigan jerked out of the guard’s grasp and hastened after Valia, trying to hold onto her magic. “What are you doing?”

Valia waited until they were far enough away before whispering, “Getting you out of here. Fordham found me and sent me to help you. Hurry.”

Kerrigan didn’t ask questions. She needed to be out of the mountain and find Tieran. If she was kicked out of the program, then that meant he’d end up back at the Holy Mountain. That was something she would never allow. But if Fordham had sent Valia, that meant that Tieran had gotten through to him. Hopefully, he was safe. She couldn’t drop into the spirit plane to find out right now.

“Through here,” Valia said. She pushed a hidden lever, and a hallway opened before them.

“You really do know all the ways in and out.”

Valia shot her a grim look. “I hoped to never use them like this.”

She rushed ahead until they reached a set of stairs that led down. They came out on the other side of the mountain near the greenhouses.

“Good luck,” Valia said.

“Thank you. I owe you a great debt,” Kerrigan said to the girl.

Tieran was waiting for her as Valia shut the door behind her. She rushed to him, throwing her hands around his neck. “Oh, Tieran, you’re safe.”

For now. We need to go.

Kerrigan ran a hand down her face. “I can’t yet.”

What do you mean?

“There’s something else I need to do before I can depart. I want you to go somewhere and hide—somewhere they’d never think to find you—and I don’t want you to tell me where you’re going. Just get safe. I’ll reach for you when I’m ready to go.”

I don’t like this. We should go together.

“I know. They think they can silence me, but I won’t go easy. I can’t. I have to do what I always should have done.” She hugged him one more time. “Now, go. Find a place to hide.”

He nudged her gently. Don’t be long. I’m just starting to like you.

She laughed as tears welled in her eyes. Tieran took off, flying into the distance. What she hadn’t said was that they’d be safer apart, where they couldn’t be each other’s liability or weakness.

Kerrigan still had her cloak and pulled it back up around her curls. She took the long way to the Wastes, knowing there might be eyes and ears watching for her. She even took a back way inside, disappearing into the afternoon rush and reaching Clover’s table.