Tension coiled my muscles, and I started looking around for something to use as a weapon before remembering the bow strapped across my chest. Then Caylus grabbed me, jammed his fingers into the wall, and shoved me toward it. Except the wall had vanished, and I stumbled into a dark space. He joined me, then slid the false wall closed, enveloping us in cool air and the scent of oak.

Footsteps thudded, dulled voices not reaching through the thick wood. Seconds stretched into minutes as I fought to keep my breath silent, my senses blind to everything save for the hard press of Caylus’s body against mine and the traitorous thundering of my heart. Then everything faded.

The false wall slid open. “They’re gone,” Samra said.

I let out a breath. “Thank you.”

She ignored me, her eyes locked on Caylus. “What in Duren’s name do you think you’re doing bringing Illucian soldiers to my ship? I ought to toss you into the sea.”

Caylus’s wide-eyed look made me think she’d do just that. “It’s a long story. Is there any way you can ship off a little early? Before dawn?”

“Those soldiers may come back if they don’t find us where you sent them,” I added.

“I’ve thought of that, thank you,” Samra snapped. I scowled, but she was already looking at Caylus again. “What are you doing here?”

Caylus stepped aside, putting me squarely in Samra’s line of sight. “She’s holding the only chance the Ambriels has of ridding themselves of Illucian control once and for all.”

I waved best I could with an armful of crow.

Thirty-Two

Samra woke the rest of her crew quietly. Everything was done quietly. The ropes and anchor were pulled up, the mast adjusted, the sails set. A half hour later, a favorable wind carried the ship out to sea, and Caylus and I sat in Samra’s quarters with her. As I took the chair across from her, Res in my lap, I nearly bolted back up.

Curled on the desk, a paw tucked over his nose, lay Gio. I blinked, the sight of the little white kitten from the bakery throwing me off completely. It was miles from Sordell to this port. How had he gotten here? I shook my head. That question didn’t even begin to cover how strange this was.

Samra’s gaze followed mine down to the sleeping kitten. “Aroch. He’s been keeping an eye on you for me.”

“How—” I stopped. I had enough unanswered questions.

Samra’s gaze dropped to the bundle in my lap. “Why is your vest breathing?”

Slowly, I unwrapped the cloth to reveal the half-asleep crow. Samra’s eyes flared wide, and she leaned carefully over the desk for a better look.

“How is this possible?” she asked.

“I found a surviving egg in one of our rookeries,” I explained.