At her announcement, I slumped against the back of the chair.

“We have all your companions now. And your sister is on her way here so we can keep a close eye on her,” Jael said.

“Jael, that’s enough.” Estrid seemed to mull over the news. “Was Belen that commoner they allowed in school with you and Stanslov?”

“Yes. He was supposed to be Kerrick’s bodyguard, but Kerrick treated him like an equal. Kerrick spent more time protecting Belen than the other way around.”

“Is that how you met Kerrick?” I asked Jael.

“Yes. And how I met Stanslov. We were in boarding school together. All the children born to the leaders of each Realm attended. As future leaders, it was supposed to teach us tolerance and cooperation of the other Realms. But all we did was make alliances and fight.”

“Which was a more accurate representation of how the Fifteen Realms interacted,” Estrid said. “Now, all bets are off.”

Silence descended as we mourned the past. Jael’s comment about the students being future leaders sunk in. Kerrick, a prince? Hard to believe, but Noelle had called him by that name. It didn’t matter. It wouldn’t change how I felt about him. And just how did I feel about him?

Jael said, “If you’re finished with Avry, I’ll take her down to the infirmary.”

“Not yet. Leave us,” the High Priestess ordered her daughter-in-law.

Jael gave her a curt bow and left by the same door she had entered. From the fire in her eyes, I knew she was angry. I wondered why she obeyed Estrid’s orders. She commanded the very air, while her mother-in-law had no magic. But then I realized that power came in many different forms, and Estrid commanded the army.

As if she could read my thoughts, Estrid said, “Avry, how about a compromise?”

Estrid used the same word I had with Inari, which made me wonder if she had sent an acolyte to spy on us. Wary, I asked for details. She explained her terms. I agreed. We shook hands. When I left, Inari appeared beside me.

“Can you direct me to the infirmary?” I asked her.

“Yes, miss. Do you wish to go now?”

“I need to change first.”

Inari looked strickened. “I…took your clothes to be washed. They—”

“Stank?”

“Oh, no.”

“We’re going to be together for a while. I’m not like the High Priestess and Jael. I want you to be honest and to call me Avry,” I said.

“They reeked and were stiff with dried blood, Avry,” she said as if reporting battle statistics.

“That’s a start. Where can I find some clothes that I can get dirty? I’m sure it’s a major sin to get blood on the robes.”

Inari led me to a laundry. They had a few extra sets of plain tunics and pants that the infirmary workers wore.

I worked in the infirmary for two weeks, teaching the caregivers how to bandage wounds, clean cuts, set bones and how to recognize and use medicinal plants. I healed those who wouldn’t survive without my magic. And even though I returned to my room exhausted and sick every night, I felt happy that I was able to help others without the fear of being executed. If I wasn’t in a bad situation, I would be quite content to stay here. This was my future before the plague ruined it, healing people. Too bad I would never have an apprentice to show my scars to with pride.

Also during that time, I half expected Kerrick to escape, arrive in my room and drag me away, claiming we wasted more precious time. While I didn’t care if we’d reach Ryne or not, my desire to leave increased each day.

Not because of the effort to heal her people, but because I learned Estrid’s strict rules for a pure heart, which included no music, dancing or any form of entertainment. No lying, swearing or violence against fellow acolytes. Laughing was bad. Also, all unmarried women must be virgins or they were sent to the monastery in Chinska Mare to spend the rest of their lives praying for forgiveness. If it hadn’t been for the timely arrival of Inari, providing a distraction, Estrid’s Purity Priestess and her four goons would have had spread my legs and inspected me. Although I would have passed, I still shudder at how close I’d come to being examined.

Noelle arrived in town at the end of the first week, but she refused to see me. Instead, she was assigned as Jael’s page. The magician delighted in taking Noelle under her wing. And Noelle went to great lengths to avoid me.

When Estrid was satisfied that I was true to my word, she had two of her personal guard escort me to the jail early the next morning.

Kerrick and his men each had their own cell. When I entered the block with my two guards, various expressions rippled through the guys. Loren and Quain didn’t bother to get up from their beds. An air of hopelessness surrounded them. Belen’s worried frown deepened. Flea jumped to his feet and hung on to the bars, grimacing. Kerrick’s gaze stayed wary.

“About time you joined the party,” Quain said.

“I see you’ve been lazing around here doing nothing for the past two weeks,” I said. “Unless there’s a tunnel you’ve dug hidden somewhere?”

“I wish,” Flea said. “I’m so bored, hard physical labor sounds like fun.”

“Well, then, gentlemen. Are you ready to go?” I asked.

Their reaction was worth the collection of extra scars I’d earned in Estrid’s infirmary. The monkeys leaped from their beds. Flea whooped. Belen transformed back into happy Poppa Bear. However, Kerrick remained the same.

My escorts unlocked the cells, returned all our possessions and led us outside. The guys reveled in the fresh air and sunshine.

“We can stay in town until the passes melt,” I said to them. “We’ll be safe behind Estrid’s front line.”

When we were a few blocks from the jail, Kerrick rounded on me. “This—” he gestured at the surroundings “—doesn’t come without a price. What did you promise Estrid?”

He still didn’t trust me. I decided to let him sweat for a bit. “Let’s see. I promised her that Loren and Quain will babysit her granddaughter anytime. That Flea would give her soldiers lessons on how to pick pockets and that Jael can use you for target practice. I offered to keep Jael company for that one.”

The others suppressed their grins, but Kerrick failed to find it amusing. “Avry,” he growled.

“Lighten up, Kerrick,” I said. “I just spent two weeks teaching her medical staff how to care for their injured and in exchange she let us go. Actually, you benefit the most from all this.”

“I find that hard to believe.”

Anger boiled. “You shouldn’t. I swore an oath, and I’ve stuck to it all this time. But you’re right. There is a catch. If I heal Ryne, I’m to tell him Estrid wants to join forces with him to fight Tohon. Does that sound bad to you?” I didn’t wait for an answer. “No, it doesn’t. It sounds like an ideal situation. Happy, happy for everyone.”

“Even you, Avry?” Belen asked.

His concern doused my fury. “No. Not me.” I walked away, heading in no particular direction. Estrid was scared of Tohon. Kerrick, too. If Estrid, who enjoyed being in charge, was willing to make an alliance with Ryne, that weighed heavier in Ryne’s favor than all of Belen’s school stories.

“Where are you going?” Kerrick asked.

I stopped. The guys had followed me. “To find a tavern. I need a drink.”

“Estrid has banned alcohol. She calls it the devil’s drink,” Loren said.

Quain gasped. “We can’t stay here! The next thing you know, we’ll be wearing those red skirts and promising our souls to the creator.”

“You’d look good in red, Quain. And you can show off those shapely legs,” Loren teased.

“Estrid provided us with fresh provisions,” Kerrick said. “There’s plenty of daylight left. We’ll head north toward the Nine Mountains as planned.”

The others looked at me, which didn’t make Kerrick happy. Although, as far as I knew, nothing made him happy. Having no interest in leading, I said to Kerrick, “Lead on.”