The Wanderer sighed. “When the final prophecy came to the seven of us, we went into hiding. The prophecy had essentially stated that our time—the Age of Prophets—was coming to a close. We felt it safest to disappear, as we could no longer wield any influence over the world. The thought was that once the Last Prophet was born, we could return to help teach him.”

“But the others didn’t return,” Jude said. “Why not?”

The Wanderer shook her head. “I don’t know. In the intervening century, Pallas turned against this plan, obviously. He returned to the world in secret. But the others … they could be, quite literally, anywhere, masking their esha from scryers.”

“Which is why we need to use the Circle of Stones to scry for them,” Anton added. He looked at Penrose. “Remember before the Witnesses attacked Kerameikos, how the Order wanted me to scry to prove I was the Last Prophet? This is exactly the same thing.”

Penrose bit her lip. “I don’t know if I like this.”

“If the Prophets haven’t returned, it must be for a reason,” Osei agreed. “We must trust that they know what is best.”

The Wanderer laughed, a pleasant, wind chime of a sound. She stopped abruptly when she realized no one else had laughed with her. “Oh. You actually mean that.”

Penrose stiffened. “We must trust in the Prophets.”

“I am a Prophet,” the Wanderer said, her eyes flashing. “So is Pallas. I know the Order of the Last Light has sworn oaths to serve us, but it’s not that simple. Even back then, relations between the seven of us were … complicated.”

Jude eyed the Wanderer curiously. She’d spoken very little about the other Prophets and their past together. Her relationship with the others had been strained, that much he knew. But she seemed reluctant to divulge how that tension had come to be and what had made Pallas turn against the others.

“The point is,” Jude said, redirecting their attention from what he knew would be a fraught topic, “we need to find the Prophets.”

Penrose looked wary. “I don’t know about this. I need to think it through.”

“Actually, we really don’t have—” Anton began.

“That’s fine,” Jude said, cutting him off. “But before you make a decision, you should know the risks, too.”

Anton sent him a warning look, but Jude ignored it. Penrose might be furious with him, but he still trusted her. He refused to involve her and the rest of the Order without telling them the whole truth.

Anton sighed and answered for Jude. “The other Prophets will feel it when we use the Circle of Stones to scry for them, as if we were sending up a beacon. Which means…”