But he did not think his father would approve of the voices he heard and the visions he saw either. Would they make him evil in his father’s eyes? After this long in the jungle on his own, Cruze decided he did not care what his father’s opinion would be. He had his own ideas on the subject.

“On the coast, we will be a vulnerable target for the next hurricane. This is not a world in which one finds help,” he said.

“So then what do you suggest?”

Cruze was unsure what to make of the girl, the marked one—he had heard the others call her Jael. She looked at him with an expectant glare and asked, “Well? Do you have a suggestion or are you only here to tear apart ours?”

Cruze straightened to his full height and said, “I suggest you keep surviving.”

Aurora did not recognize the building to which Kiran led them. It was only one street over from the palace walls, and appeared to be well kept. An intricately hand-painted sign hung over the door declared it THE MERMAID TAVERN. Aurora had little experience with taverns, but this one seemed nicer than most. The building was well painted and quite large—two, maybe even three floors. The inside was dark, but Kiran avoided the front door, leading them through a side alley and around back instead. He nodded to Ransom, and the man stepped up to the door at the back and gave a few hard knocks.

There was no answer, and Aurora looked around nervously, wondering how long they had until the Locke soldiers would be crawling the streets looking for them. The storms had undoubtedly bought them some time, but the longer they spent out in the open, the more vulnerable they were.

And it was all her fault. So many things were her fault that if she let herself think about them, let her mind wander in that direction, she feared she might collapse in on herself. So she treated the thoughts like she would a meddling soul and blocked them out.

Ransom stepped up to the door again, this time knocking repeatedly until they heard movement on the other side. A lock clicked and the door swung open, revealing a haphazardly dressed Zephyr on the other side. She had replaced her rebellion gear for another one of the long, draped and flowing dresses that flattered her shape, but she appeared as if she had pulled it on in a hurry.

“Bleeding skies,” the woman muttered. “Inside now, before anyone sees you.”