“Do you think I care?” she scoffs. “You think you’ll trick me into revealing my bleeding heart? Not all of us are so weak.”

“Fine,” I say. “No, I will not be helping you find the ark of Heart.”

Her eyebrow arches up in disdain. “Then what are you doing here? You will not beat or torture the answer out of me, girl. I’ll die rather than reveal anything to you.”

“That’s what I thought you’d say,” I reply, looking at Nadir.

He’s not in love with my plan but conceded it was kind of the only option we had.

“So we’ve brought you something I think will convince you.”

“What could you possibly—”

Her words cut off as I dig into the pocket of my tunic and pull out the ark of Aphelion. I’m banking on the notion that Cloris doesn’t know I stole the others from Zerra, worried she’ll demand the rest from me too. How often does she converse with her goddess, and why hasn’t that goddess found me again?

Last time, Cloris told us Zerra was dying because everyone was using their magic with impunity and draining her. Cloris had part of the story but not all of it, which leads me to believe she isn’t as in with her goddess as she thinks. It also makes me think Zerra is feeding different truths to different people, hoping to prevent anyone from having leverage to use against her. Perhaps she’s more clever than she seems.

Cloris stares at the ark in my outstretched hand and then at me. “You’re giving this to me?”

“In exchange for the knowledge of how Nadir and I can bond,” I say.

She’s trying to keep her cool, but the manic light in her eyes gives her away. She wants this so badly she can taste it.

Cloris inhales a sharp breath and straightens her shoulders.

“Our bargain was for the ark of Heart.”

“Which is currently somewhere in The Aurora in the hands of the king,” I say. “You said you’ve been searching for all of them, so I’m offering you this one.”

I study her face. There’s nothing to suggest she knows I have the others, only that intense longing for the object cradled in my hand.

She shakes her head and peers up at me. “I want this and the ark of Heart for the knowledge you seek.”

I suspected this would be her ask. Give an inch, and they always ask for a mile.

“Fine,” I say, tucking the ark back into my pocket. I take Nadir’s hand. “Then we’ll be on our way.”

We turn to leave, but she calls out as I predicted she would. “Wait.”

“What?” I ask.