Evin reached the edge of the stairwell before he realized Jorick hadn’t followed. He spun on his heels. “Well?” he asked. “Come on.”

“But you said we needed her for the book and her magic,” Jorick said.

“Well, I changed my mind,” Evin said. “And you don’t like her anyway. Don’t you want to save your dad?”

“But the book. …”

Though Evin hated to admit it, Jorick was right: they needed Bet. Evin took in a few deep breaths and let himself calm down.

“All right,” he said after a moment. “Yeah, sorry. Stay here and guard the stairs. I’m going after Bet.”

Evin headed east into the ruins. He passed the shattered remains of the old stone gazebo and the brass bell as he walked, then rounded several walls and a few pillars. It was so dark now, and he could barely see his way around the destroyed buildings. He strained his eyes and tried to focus on his other senses like Marten had taught him—rogues often had to sneak through dark places, after all—but that didn’t make it any easier.

The night was eerily quiet, save for the distant sound of the river’s rushing water. Then, as he ducked underneath an arch, Evin heard Bet’s voice coming from up ahead.

“I told you,” she said in a hushed whisper. “The ormyrr wasn’t going to be any threat anyway, so I took care of it myself so we could move on.”

Evin stopped, unsure of what he’d just heard. He strained to listen.

For a long moment, Bet didn’t say anything. Then Evin heard her sigh. “I understand. Yes, we’re well on our way. I promise this will cease to be boring very soon.”

It sounded as though she was talking to someone. He snuck forward and crouched behind a row of scrubby bushes that had managed to grow between the old stone roads. Peering between the branches, he saw Bet sitting cross-legged in a group of wildflowers with her back to him. Her conjured ball of light hovered in front of her.

Evin strained his eyes, but he could see no one else.

There was another long stretch of silence.

“All right.” Bet stood and brushed off the back of her robes. Her satchel lay open on the ground, and a book—one larger and thicker than A Practical Guide to Monsters—lay open among the flowers.

She gathered up the book and the satchel, then headed back toward the copestone. The ball of light followed behind her like a faithful puppy.

Evin lowered himself to hide in the shadows of the bushes as she came near. Bet didn’t notice him. Staying low to the ground, he watched her ankles as she wove past all of the fallen arches he’d struggled not to stumble over on his trek to find her.