“We’re not leaving either,” Likh said just as stubbornly.

“We’re taking you back to the Willows,” I said quietly. “You and Khalad will be safe there. Now that we know the source of your blight, it should dissipate soon enough. You won’t be in any further danger.” I clenched my fists, my fears running a mile a minute. “I suffered none of the blackouts I had in Ankyo after I left. You weren’t the only one she’d been poisoning. I was meant to be a victim all along—not of the blight, but of madness.”

• • •

We stayed overnight at the Sea of Skulls, looking to regain what strength we could manage before our return to Ankyo, with plans to drop Likh and Khalad off at the nearest village. Likh wasn’t happy, though she appeared more amenable after Khalad had taken her aside for a more private talk.

Kalen, on the other hand, was a lost cause. “You already know my answer,” he growled, tossing more kindling onto the fire. “Where you go, I go.”

I couldn’t sleep, uneasy about what the next day would bring for us. “I don’t know where I’m going yet. The asha association could hunt me down for the rest of my life. You weren’t born for this, Kalen.”

“Last time I checked, neither were you.” He touched the tip of my nose with a calloused finger. “We’ll go to Istera, find a place away from the city like Lord Garindor did. Or Tresea, where the asha’s reach is paltry at best and everyone would much rather mind their own business. We’ll find our own house and garden.” He smiled. “They’re always looking for people who’re good with their hands, ready to do hard work.”

“I can sew,” I volunteered, hungry for this dream that he wove. “Enough for a livelihood, I think. And I know enough to treat the sick. I can use Illusion, change our appearances. They’ll never find us that way.”

He bent closer, brushed his lips with mine. His hands trailed to my stomach. For the first time that I can remember, his touch was awkward and unsure. “When we’re sure they won’t find us, if they do stop looking, I wouldn’t mind having some… They’ll be looking for a couple, not a family. If you would one day want to—”

My heart was full. “You’ll need to make an honest woman out of me first.”