The basilisk huffed, muttering under his breath about how “best buds don’t keep secrets” before returning to his snack, pouting with every chew. Cerila just rolled her eyes, and thankfully, seemed to decide against violence.

I made a mental note to ask Rathe what his vetting process entailed.

Potential bloodshed avoided, Leaf strutted out from her sleeping basket and chirruped. “Your help would be appreciated too, Leaf,” my mate crooned, giving the beast a scratch at the apex of her tail. She snuffled happily in response, arching into the touch before curling back into a ball to sleep.

Silence fell over the room, no one having anything else to say. In truth, there wasn’t much else that could be said. Not yet, at least. I wished I had more to go off, more time, more resources. It frustrated me beyond belief to have so little to work with, but until we discovered the intricacies of the plot, all we could do was be ready to take action at a moment’s notice and make judgments as we progressed.

Only one factor was certain: If I had anything to do with it, whether this ended in war or amicable resolution, my father would not stay on the throne. Whether I took his place or not, the people would be free of him.

We would all be free of him.

“So that’s it?” Luca filled the lull, glancing at everyone before returning his gaze to me. “We gather our troops and wait to see what happens?”

“Precisely.”

* * *

“I don’t want to leave,” my mate grumbled as he stuffed piles of books into his backpack. They weren’t the tomes he had arrived with or the ones he’d purchased at the market, so either Zadok had gifted him half of his library or Luca had developed light fingers. Perhaps both. “But I know we have to.”

I paused in my own task of folding our clothes to thread my fingers through his curls, smiling softly. “We will come back as often as you wish, pet.”

He glanced up at me. “You promise?”

“I promise.”

With a nod, he returned to packing, a musical hum vibrating in his throat. A plant appeared out of nowhere and was added to the bottomless bag alongside his mini archive.

I huffed a laugh.