Of course, Duke was not the only one among their group who suspected Roar had been untruthful about aspects of her past. Sly, who had somehow appeared on this side of the wall without Roar ever glimpsing her on the vine, stood leaning against the stone. With her arms crossed over her chest, and her eyes as sharp as ever, Sly scanned the abandoned city around them. Roar was relieved not to have those keen eyes on her for a change.

Ransom was the last to come down the vine, his large body moving with surprising agility. Roar supposed she shouldn’t be shocked—he was a hunter, after all.

Once everyone had cleared the wall, Jinx crossed back to the vine. With a brush of her fingers and a few whispered words of peace, the vine grew dry and brittle, and broke apart in the wind. After a few gusts from the storm, there was no evidence of their break-in to be found.

“We need to move,” Kiran said, stepping into the circle made by the others. “The Stormlings shouldn’t need much longer to take down this storm. We need to get to the Eye before people start peeking out of their shelters.”

She and Kiran had agreed that morning that the secret black market where storm magic was bought and sold should be their first stop. The Eye was the only place she knew she could get an honest accounting of what had happened to Pavan in her absence. It had taken some explaining as to why they should not search for her mother first. She had not technically lied when she told him she did not know her mother’s whereabouts, though it felt like one all the same. But she could hardly walk up to the palace gates, declare her identity, and ask after her mother without knowing what awaited her on the other side.

They moved on swift and silent feet through the empty city. Kiran with his long strides took the lead, and Roar stayed at an even pace with Jinx directly behind him. They darted around corners and through alleys, and she was struck by the realization that Kiran knew Pavan far better than she ever had.

She didn’t recognize their route, but as the homes and buildings grew more derelict, she sensed they were getting close. They turned onto a familiar street at the same time that the skyfire storm overhead reached the edge of the city. Roar craned her head back, watching the deceptively beautiful display of light as the skyfire rained down, shattering against an invisible barrier over the city. Shimmering silver-white light ran in what looked like rivulets over the barrier. They reminded her of great salty tears, as if the goddess were up there somewhere weeping over what her world had become.