“Robb!” She gave a start and scrambled to her feet. “How’s Jax? Is he really . . .”

His mouth wobbled, and he shook his head. “He’s not good.”

She didn’t think she’d heard correctly. They were here so he could get better. Not because . . . not because . . .

Because Siege brought him here to die, that terrible voice confirmed in her head.

He went on, struggling to find the words. “Like the ma c’zar said, his light is—it’s gone. There’s no way to get it back—”

“There has to be a way,” she replied numbly.

“There isn’t, Ana.”

“Can’t they just hook him up to some sort of light-feeding machine and—”

“He’s not a Metal!” Robb snapped. “We can’t just magically transfer him into a new body, or replace his parts, or charge his battery!” He ran his fingers through his hair, turned away from her, and sighed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to . . . I’m sorry.”

“Oh, Robb.” She gathered him into her arms and pressed her face into his shoulder, and he rested his cheek against the side of her head, and they hugged each other for a long time. She didn’t think she could cry any more than she already had. There were tears in her eyes, but her insides felt numb, like a ligament that had lost circulation.

After a while, he said softly, “If we don’t stop the Great Dark, his death’ll be for nothing.”

“But we don’t know what to do, or where to look—”

“Koren Vey can help.”

Robb jumped, glancing around the garden. “Elara?” he called, rubbing his tears off his cheeks.

Both of their comm-links lit up with the signal. “Koren Vey can help,” she repeated. “They’re waiting in the ark.”

“The one down in the valley?” Ana asked.

Robb added, “Why would they be in a thousand-year-old shipwreck?”

“You’re just going to have to trust me, Smolder,” Elara replied evenly. “Meet me at the north gate of Zenteli—and swing by the Dossier for provisions. Lenda’ll ask if I take them.”

“Provisions? Why would we—”

“We’re going on a hike.”

Then both of their comm-links went dead. They glanced at each other.

Robb muttered, “I don’t know if I trust her.”

She took him by his mechanical hand and gave a tug so he knew she was holding it. “What do we have to lose?”

Goddess bright, she prayed, even though everyone thought she was the Goddess, and it felt a little weird praying to herself, help save Jax, so we can save the kingdom.

She pulled Robb with her toward the garden gate, where the Solgard let them into the Spire and down the front steps. They passed the Solani chiseling Jax’s name into the wall, and she tried to ignore it, but the tck, tck, tck of the chisel got under her skin.

Another name carved into her soul. Another person lost.

And she wished, like a thousand times before, it had been her name instead.