Minimus caught up to them while they were making camp off to one side of the trail near a stand of trees. The sight of the little knight filled Cole with relief. He hadn’t eaten since a quick snack before dawn, prior to the duel. After a long day on horseback, Cole’s mouth was dry and his gurgling stomach felt like it had begun to digest itself.

The Halfknight led a second horse burdened with supplies including biscuits, sausages, cheese, nuts, and containers of water. Skye, Cole, Mira, Jace, Twitch, Dalton, and Minimus sat in a circle to share the food.

“Should we build a fire?” Jace asked.

“I don’t know,” Skye replied. “Brady was tended by Enforcers. They’ll send out search parties. We don’t want to draw attention.”

“The night is not cold,” Minimus said. “The food doesn’t require heating. No flames would be safer.”

“Where did you find all this?” Cole asked. “We weren’t expecting a feast!”

“I had to ride most of the way back to Blackmont Castle,” Minimus said. “Nobody lives out this way.”

“It’s true,” Skye said. “Hopefully, this will be the last place they’d expect us to go. Everyone knows to stay away from the torivor.”

“He has servants, though?” Cole asked.

“The Red Guard,” Skye said. “They’re the ones who must have taken Honor. If a member of the Red Guard is ever caught by legionnaires or the city guards, the penalty is death. No crime required. Members of the Unseen treat them the same way. They are servants of an ancient evil. You don’t come across them often. The chances increase as you get close to the Lost Palace.”

“I’ve heard of Trillian,” Dalton said. “People talk about him like he’s the scariest creature ever. But I’ve never heard who he actually is.”

Skye shook her head. “That’s because we don’t really know. People who go to the Lost Palace rarely return. If they do, they’ve joined the Red Guard and become Trillian’s devoted servants.”

“Haven’t you interrogated members of the Red Guard?” Jace asked.

“I’ve only ever seen one,” Skye said. “It was back when I was new to the Unseen. I didn’t get to talk with him, but I understand that he refused to answer any questions, even under torture. Frankly, I think most people prefer to leave the torivor alone. We don’t need to understand him as long as he stays put. Nobody wants to stir up that hornet’s nest. He’s the monster our parents scared us with to make us behave.”

“Go to bed or the torivor will get you,” Cole joked.

“Exactly,” Skye said. “Trillian has symbolized fear for generations of Ellowine children. Since he can’t leave the Lost Palace, the people of Elloweer keep away and try to ignore him.”

“And that’s where we have to go,” Twitch said.

“It’s where I have to go,” Mira corrected. “Nobody else has to follow me. I have to try to help my sister.”

Cole knew Mira’s current expression. It reminded him of when she had insisted they go after Carnag. He knew she would proceed alone if necessary.

But was that smart? Of course Mira wanted to help her sister, but what good would it do Honor if Mira got captured too? If people were scared to even go near where the torivor lived, it had to be bad news. Oster had acted like it would be suicide.

Cole frowned. If the mission was ridiculously dangerous, shouldn’t he skip it? If he got captured or killed, who would help Jenna? Cole glanced at Dalton, who appeared thoughtful.

Cole wondered how he would react if the torivor had taken his sister, or his parents, or Jenna. He reluctantly supposed he would do everything he could to help them, dangerous or not.

“I won’t leave you,” Minimus assured Mira. “I’m under orders.”

“I may be useless,” Jace said. “But I’m loyal.”

“Useless?” Mira exclaimed. “What about when you attacked the Rogue Knight? That was one of the bravest things anyone has ever done for me!”

“Yeah.” Jace chuckled darkly. “I really made him pay. He’ll never tangle with me again. Attacking him was the loyal part. Failing was where the uselessness came in.”

“Losing to the Rogue Knight carries no shame,” Minimus said. “I doubt whether any warrior in the five kingdoms could best him.”

“I didn’t just lose,” Jace said. “He didn’t even consider me worth fighting.”

“Be glad,” Minimus said. “Your attempt was valiant, but the fight was not fair. He was a seasoned warrior, fully armored. You were a lad with a short sword. You have a brave heart. That can be more important than size or strength.”

“Easy for you to say,” Jace replied. “You’re really strong.”

“None of us start out strong,” Minimus said. “And none of us have the exact same strengths.”

“Cole, thank you, too,” Mira said. “I couldn’t believe it when you came flying after us. How did you make the Jumping Sword work?”

“I don’t know,” Cole said, grateful to be recognized along with Jace but also embarrassed. “I was really desperate, and it just happened. I haven’t been able to make it happen again.”

“You found Dalton,” Mira said. “I know you two have other friends out there still. You don’t have to feel stuck with me.”

Cole glanced at his best friend. Did he want to expose Dalton to this new threat?

“Cole found me by sticking with you,” Dalton said. “We’ll try to help.”

Cole wondered if Dalton had been able to tell he was wavering. His friend was right—if they were staying with Mira, that meant standing by her through the good and the bad.

“We’re not leaving you,” Cole said.

“We’ve made it this far together,” Twitch added.

“That doesn’t mean we’ll keep surviving,” Mira cautioned.

“Don’t get me wrong,” Twitch said. “I’m not above running away if it comes to it.”

“I’m with you too, Mira,” Skye said. “Hopefully, we’ll never have to enter the Lost Palace. Maybe we can deal with the torivor through his Red Guard. Honor could be our only hope to stop Morgassa. Let’s hope Trillian will listen to reason.”

“Morgassa?” Mira said.

“You need to fill us in,” Twitch said.