And then nothing could stop Ephyra from flinging herself across the space between them. “Beru, we went after you, we were searching for you—”

“Ephyra, please,” Beru was saying. “Please, you have to—”

She cut off abruptly, her expression blank, her posture stiffening.

“YOUR SISTER IS VERY PERSISTENT,” the god said.

Ephyra froze, the god’s voice ringing through the cave like a discordant note.

“SHE DESPERATELY WANTS TO SPEAK TO YOU. BOTH OF YOU.”

Its gaze found Hector again, who was staring at Beru in horror.

“PERHAPS I WILL LET HER,” the god said. “IF, OF COURSE, YOU HELP ME.”

Ephyra stared at her, swallowing roughly. “What do you want us to do?”

“I BELIEVE IT IS THE SAME THING YOU WANT,” the god replied. “TO EXTRICATE MYSELF FROM YOUR SISTER’S BODY.”

Ephyra didn’t know how to respond, so it was Hector who spoke.

“You want to let her go? Why?”

The god tilted Beru’s head. “SUFFICE IT TO SAY, I WILL BE BETTER OFF WHEN I DON’T HAVE TO TAKE THIS FORM. AND AS YOU WERE THE ONE WHO PUT ME INTO THIS BODY…”

“You figured she could get you out,” Hector finished.

“I’ll do it,” Ephyra said at once.

Hector snapped his gaze to her sharply.

“I THOUGHT YOU MIGHT AGREE,” the god said, contorting Beru’s features into something like satisfaction.

It made Ephyra almost dizzy, staring into the face that she knew so well and having it look so little like her sister. Her vibrant expressions were flattened, the light in her eyes extinguished.

“When I brought you back,” Ephyra said. “I had something. A Chalice. It made me stronger.”

“YOU NEED THIS CHALICE TO SET ME FREE.”

“I think so,” Ephyra replied.

The god cocked Beru’s head, the gesture strangely alien. “VERY WELL. WE WILL GET THIS CHALICE.”

“I don’t know where it is.”

“Holy One, I know the location of the Chalice,” Lazaros said. “Pallas kept it, along with three other desecrations of your original holy form.”

“IN PALLAS ATHOS?”

“Yes,” Lazaros replied. “And may I humbly suggest that we leave this one behind?”

He gestured to Hector.

Hector’s eyes burned with fury, and Ephyra felt like she was glimpsing that murderous boy she’d met in Pallas Athos. “Don’t think I didn’t see your creepy little obsession with her when we saw you in the valley. If you think—”

“Hector,” Ephyra said warningly. She straightened her shoulders and looked at the god. “I have to disagree with your friend. Hector stays with us.”

Hector shot her a grateful look, doused in surprise.

“WHY?”

“Because they’re connected,” Ephyra replied, thinking quickly. “Their esha. It might help me to … separate out your esha from hers.”

The god appeared to contemplate this, although it was hard to tell.

“IF IT WILL HELP YOU,” the god replied at last. “WE WILL ALL GO, THEN.”