Amaris made it into Yelagin just after the two o’clock bell. Compared to the events of the glen, the burning stars, the smell of the lake, and the cool night air should have been a relief. She appreciated none of it. After the silver spikes of adrenaline had worn off from her fight with the beseul, she was left with nothing but heaviness. It was the burden of remorse, of the way Malik had looked at her, of the disgust that Ash had shown her, and the weight of the sleep she desperately needed on her eyelids. Of course her fellow reevers hadn’t known the layout of Yelagin or its establishments well enough to tell her where they’d be going. She’d hoped that their oath could carry the weight between them in moments like these when their faith in her had faltered.

She hadn’t been sure she’d be able to experience relief, but its soothing waters washed over her the moment she caught a glimpse of Nine and Fourteen. The hearty mares were tied to a post with a few other road-weary horses on the first tavern at the edge of the water just as she began to enter the town. She edged Cobb toward the familiar beasts and began to dismount when the tavern door swung open.

Relief had been short-lived as her veins filled with shock once more.

She jolted in her saddle at the sudden rush of bodies and noises, pulling the reins tightly as she stopped Cobb short of the chaos. She blinked back the mayhem as two recognizable shapes sprinted from the threshold, running through the yellow rectangle of light cast by the open door. Ash and Malik spilled out into the street, clutching their belongings, the cries of angry men and screams of a barmaid following close behind them. Ash saw her the moment he hit the pavement.

“Go, go!”

Amaris gaped at the sight, then urged Cobb forward, cantering over the hill and away from the furious mob. The boys were on their horses behind her within moments, their steeds urged into gallops as threats to never return and vulgar curses from the mouths of the men chased them past the city. They slowed their horses farther down the road when Amaris widened her eyes and whirled to them from where she sat in her saddle.

She could barely choke down her surprise as she demanded, “What the hell was that?”

Malik, who had been smiling from their harebrained escape, seemed to remember that he was angry at her. “I should be asking you the same.” He scowled.

Ash said decidedly, “Let’s talk about it in the morning after we’ve had some sleep.” The glower in his voice made Amaris’s gut twist. She wasn’t sure she wanted to hear what conclusion they might reach in the morning.

“You still want to sleep after that?” Malik was aghast.