At the end of the third day, Ari called everyone into the main room for a meeting. We gathered around the hearth.

“We can’t stay here much longer,” Ari said. “Bruns has sent patrols to search for us, and we’re too close to the garrison. Any ideas?”

“We report back to Ixia,” Janco said. “They can come with us as...political refugees.”

“You can’t,” I said.

“Why not? The Commander needs to know what’s been going on.”

“He already knows.” I filled them in on Bruns’s and the Commander’s plans. “I’m pretty sure once they take over Sitia, Owen is going to kill the Commander.”

“Holy snow cats,” Janco said. “We’re screwed.”

Trust Janco to sum it up succinctly.

“We need to stop them,” Ari said.

“How?” Leif asked. “There are nine of us, and a million of them.”

“Ten.” Mara elbowed Leif.

“Oh no, you’re staying far away from danger,” Leif said. “When I saw you in Bruns’s custody, I almost died. I’m not going through that again.”

“You were shot in the chest and almost died. So by that logic, you’re staying away from danger, too.” Mara’s stubborn expression matched Leif’s.

“We can hide on the coast near The Cliffs,” Heli suggested. “No one lives there or would dare come there during the storm season.”

“Are we really going to hide?” Janco asked. “That doesn’t sound like us.”

“What sounds like us?” Ari asked.

“Being in the thick of things, causing trouble and—”

“Being captured and thrown in jail,” Zohav said. “Have you forgotten that they have magicians, Curare, Theobroma, weapons and garrisons full of soldiers?”

“Fisk and his people would help,” Zethan said.

“And Loris is dead,” Janco added. “I’m feeling pretty happy about that.”

“Ben, too,” I said, but unlike Janco, I didn’t relish the fact that I’d been forced to kill him.

“Are you sure? ’Cause these guys have a tendency to fake their deaths, and I don’t want any more nasty surprises.”

“Yes.”

“We could try to warn the Commander about Owen,” Ari suggested.

“If you can get near him, and if you can block Owen’s magic,” Leif said. “And then what? The Commander still wants Sitia.”

“The Commander doesn’t want Sitia,” Valek said from the doorway.

Relief poured through me, cleansing the worry away. I jumped up and rushed to him, wrapping him in my arms. “How do you feel?”

“Like I wrestled a snow cat and lost.”

Leif took charge. He made Valek sit down and eat. When Leif was satisfied, he allowed Valek to explain.

“I don’t think the Commander has any desire to rule Sitia,” Valek said. “But he’s probably afraid a rogue magician or magicians will take control of Sitia and invade Ixia. And with all the Sitian resources—magicians, Curare, Theobroma and the glass messengers—he knows he can’t win a war with Sitia. Which is probably why he agreed to the Cartel’s plan.”

“Why does it matter if he wants to or is forced to invade Sitia?” Leif asked. “He’s still going to invade.”

“It matters because if we give him a good reason not to invade, he won’t,” Valek said.

“And how can we possibly do that? There’s only ten of us,” Zohav said.

“For now,” Valek said.

Janco straightened. “You thinking of recruiting, boss?”

“Thinking about it, along with a few other...nasty surprises for the Cartel.”

“Sweet.”

Valek scanned their faces and then met my gaze. “It’ll be dangerous.”

“Suicidal,” Zohav muttered.

Valek addressed the group. “It’s your choice. Fisk can find you a safe place to stay until it’s over.”

“I’m in,” Janco said.

Ari nodded. “Me, too.”

“And me,” Zethan said.

Zohav glared at her brother. “I’ll help,” she said in a resigned tone.

Leif met Mara’s gaze. “We need to discuss it.”

She huffed in amusement. “Where you go, I go. It’s that simple.”

I suppressed a smile.

“No way I’m hiding,” Heli said.

“I’m already signed up,” Teegan said.

Everyone looked at me.

“You need to think of the baby,” Leif said.

“I am. And I don’t want to raise our child in a world controlled by two power-hungry megalomaniacs. So I will do whatever it takes to prevent that from happening.”

“And that would be a yes.” Janco grinned.

“What’s our first move, boss?” Ari asked.

“You and Janco go scout for a more permanent hideout. I’m going to need time to plan.”

Janco jumped to his feet. “We’re on it.”

* * *

Valek recovered his strength a few days later, but we still didn’t get a chance to talk about all that had happened while we were separated. Ari and Janco found an abandoned farmhouse inside the Stormdance Clan’s lands. We traveled to the site in small groups, each going a different way. Reuniting with Kiki soothed my soul.