“How about the monkeys?” she asked, sweeping an arm out.

“No.”

“What about someone younger? Like that young fellow standing next to you?”

Danny had followed me into the main cavern. Oh, no.

“I wouldn’t let her,” Danny said, crossing his arms. “Tohon would kill thousands more than you.”

Wynn chuckled. “No love for the king, eh?”

“Not from anyone in here,” Danny said.

“Probably a good thing. Love is dangerous.” Wynn stepped away from Odd. “People do crazy, idiotic things for love. Take my sister, Cellina, for example. All her time and energy went into finding a healer for Tohon, despite the fact that Sepp and I liked Tohon right where he was.”

Not what I’d expected her to say.

“Surprised, Baby Face?”

“A little.”

“Well, you know what surprised me? That Cellina found herself a healer.”

Her words sliced right through me. Another healer? Mixed emotions—happy there was another, and terrified that Cellina had reached him or her first. “Who?”

“She tracked down that little girl who escaped with you.”

It would have hurt less if she’d stabbed me with her blade. “Zila? But she’s—”

Wynn pointed to Danny. “Younger than him, I know. But according to Tohon’s research notes, he hypothesized that the people injected with the Death Lily toxin will develop healing powers years earlier than those who are pricked by the Lily due to the amount of toxin that is injected. And he was right.”

Danny clutched my arm. Horrible scenarios played in my mind. Poor Zila. “Is she... Is Tohon...” I couldn’t say the words out loud. If I did, they might come true.

“Now wait. You’re jumping ahead of the story. Cellina failed to inform us of the little healer when she tricked Sepp and me. She agreed that the Fifteen Realms was better off without Tohon and we should allow him to die. Sepp touched Tohon and we retreated to give Cellina some privacy.” Wynn laughed, but the harsh sound lacked humor. “Imagine our surprise when Tohon comes striding out.”

“And Zila?” I asked.

“Don’t know. Don’t care. Sepp and I took off before Tohon could kill us.”

My mind swirled with all the information Wynn had dumped on me. Grief for Zila jumbled with the horror of Tohon’s recovery. “If Tohon’s alive, then why are you here?”

Wynn drew her sword. “Since you’ve caused so much trouble, killing you would make a lot of people happy.” She advanced.

“No,” Danny said, stepping in front of me.

The monkeys and Odd joined him.

“You’ll have to get through us, first,” Quain said.

“Aww, that’s so sweet.” Wynn snapped her fingers.

Her soldiers rushed in and subdued the four of them. Danny lasted the longest, as he zapped anyone who touched him. Atta boy. But they quickly caught on and trapped his hands behind his back.