“Just stay here for now,” I said. Then to Danny, “There’s six patients, so let’s fill three syringes,” I instructed.

“What if more come in?” he asked as he pricked me with the needle.

“When these guys are fully recovered from the plague, their blood will also carry the cure. You can use their blood to heal new cases.”

“Oh, that’s good.” He filled the next two.

“Inject that into them while I go pack my stuff.”

“You’re not really going with her, are you?”

“Do you have another idea?”

Danny scowled. “Not right now.”

“Let me know if you come up with a plan.” I hurried to the next cavern.

Sergeant Gylon ambushed me with a series of questions ending with, “What should we do?”

“Wait until I leave with the enemy. If they renege on their promise not to hurt those in the main cavern, then I need you, your squad, and all the others to stop them. There are six more soldiers in the stage-one area and four in the stage-three area, although I don’t know how much they can help.”

“Why don’t we attack them now and keep you here?”

“There are too many of them and they have Sergeant Odd, Loren, and Quain literally by the throat.”

Gylon followed me to where I’d set up my bedroll near the entrance to the stage-three cavern.

“We’ll send a rescue party after you,” he said.

“Thanks, but you’ll still be outnumbered. Better to wait until Prince Ryne arrives.” I packed my things.

The sergeant talked to the four patients. Happiness swelled inside me for a moment as I marveled at the healthy color in their cheeks and seeing two of them sit up and grab their swords a mere day after they’d been on the edge of dying.

“Remember, lie low until I leave,” I said. Then I joined Danny. “Stay here.”

“But—”

“That’s an order.”

“All right.” But he didn’t sound happy about it.

I hugged him. “If Kerrick returns, tell him...”

“I will. That is, if he hangs around long enough to listen to me.”

“Make sure he waits for Prince Ryne. Even he can’t counter so many on his own.”

“I’ll try.”

I returned to the main cavern.

“Where’s the boy?” Wynn asked.

“Back with the plague patients. We isolated them.”

“All right.” Wynn made a sweeping gesture toward the cave’s entrance. “After you, Baby Face.”

I met Loren’s, Quain’s, and Odd’s gazes. Their anger, frustration, and grief was clear on all their faces. Not much I could do, I turned and left the cave. Wynn followed, but before she joined me outside, she called back to her men.

I caught two words—clean up—but it was enough to fill me with rage. Rounding on her, I said, “You promised.”

“I changed my mind.”

“Then so can I.” I lunged, wrapping my hands around her throat and zapping her with my magic.

Two soldiers grabbed my shoulders and dragged me off her. As I struggled, something sharp jabbed into my arm. I glanced down. A dart stuck into my bicep. The plague?

Wynn smoothed her shirt down. “It’s Death Lily toxin.”

Strange choice. “But I’m immune.”

“I know it won’t kill you, but it will make you more cooperative.”

Oh. As the toxin spread throughout my body, my mind disconnected and floated above my head like a cloud of smoke. If I’d been inside a Death Lily, I would have joined with the being’s consciousness, sharing thoughts. Instead, I remained intangible and unable to control my own body; however, my thoughts stayed clear—a small mercy.

One of Wynn’s men grabbed my wrists and tugged gloves onto my hands. He then tied them behind my back, effectively preventing me from any skin contact, which would have allowed me to flow into his mind and read his thoughts. Putting a hand on my shoulder, he guided me forward. My body obeyed and I walked beside him.

Wynn kept pace next to me. “Wow, it’s as if someone blew out your inner flame, Baby Face. Nothing left but an empty lantern. And I had to kill everyone. I can’t afford to leave any witnesses behind, and I’m sure that stubborn ox Odd was already planning a rescue party. Not that I couldn’t handle him and a few soldiers, but this is far easier. Besides, we don’t take prisoners.”

She’d used we again. Was she referring to her and Sepp? And why tell me all this? Perhaps she felt guilty over Odd’s murder. She had truly cared for him at one point. I hoped Sergeant Gylon and the others had saved my friends. And while I was glad Kerrick and Flea hadn’t been caught in Wynn’s trap, worry for them churned deep in my heart. Where were they? Had the Skeleton King captured them?

Mulling over all she’d told me, I avoided agonizing over my friends and Kerrick. I considered the possibility that Tohon was still encased in a magical stasis and this was an elaborate trick. For what purpose, I’d no idea.

Plenty of other questions circled my mind as we traveled that night. Why would Wynn come in and bother making that big speech if she planned to capture me and kill everyone else regardless? Wynn had the manpower. Perhaps she wished to gloat first. Too bad I had no control over my voice and couldn’t ask her.

The sun rose to our left. The direction surprised me. I’d assumed we headed northwest to Tohon’s castle in Sogra Realm. But the location of the sunrise meant we had journeyed south instead.