I stood apart from my noblesse, staring into the forest, listening. The dead still spoke, quieter now than before, and as I listened, it wasn’t Gesalac’s voice that rang in my ears but the farmer’s.

The light is coming, and she will cast out your darkness.

The words did not bother me as much as the way he spoke them—with the conviction of a follower who had been shown a glimpse of the future. What had he seen or heard that had given him such hope? And how would I destroy it?

“Are you all right?” Daroc asked, coming to stand beside me. I did not look at him as I answered.

“No.”

I had yet to feel calm since the betrayal of my noblesse, and I would likely rage until I returned to the Red Palace. I wanted to see Gesalac suffer at the end of a metal spear. I wanted Isolde to watch him die beside me, and after, I wanted to take her to bed.

I wondered if she had rested today. Would I be able to drink her blood?

My hunger for her made my stomach hollow.

“Gesalac knew of my childhood,” I said, and when I looked at Daroc, he stared back, surprised, and then his brows lowered.

“Who told him?”

“Only three of you know,” I said and turned my head to meet his gaze. “You, Tanaka…and Ana Maria.”

Overhead, the dark outline of a falcon flew into view, and we turned as Sorin shifted, landing in the clearing before us.

“My king, you have to see this.”

Daroc stiffened beside me, and I knew it was because of his lover’s expression. His eyes were wide, his breathing heavy, as if he had fled wherever he’d been.

Daroc took a step toward him but halted.

“What is it?” I asked.

“I…don’t have words,” Sorin said.

I frowned and thought only of the crimson mist, though that would hardly shock him. I exchanged a look with Daroc.

“Stay,” I said.

“My king—”

“Watch Gesalac,” I said, each word slipping between my teeth. It was as much a show of trust as it was a command. I trusted Daroc with my fugitive.

It took Daroc a moment, but he soon relaxed, nodding once.

As I mounted Shadow, Sorin shifted and flew north. I followed, watching as the falcon cut across the sky. It did not take me long to recognize this path—memories were attached to it, and they smelled like burning flesh and tasted of ash. Suddenly, I had no strength. A cold weakness consumed my entire body.

I knew where Sorin was leading me.