* * *

“So nice to see you again, my dear.” Tohon said, sitting across from me.

I glanced around his forever garden. Nothing was different. Greenery glowed with life and steam curled from the teacups.

Tohon gestured to the chair opposite of his. “Sit down and rest. You’ve been so busy. Tell me what you’ve been up to, my dear.”

Perching on the edge, I reached for my cup. Warmth soaked into my fingers. “Why bother? If we’re...linked as you claim, then you already know.”

He laughed. “True. Lots going on—Sepp dead, Wynn frozen, and the Skeleton King captured. Just marvelous. You saved me a lot of time and effort. Revenge can be tiring work.” He sipped his tea.

“Since I saved you time, can you tell me what happened to Zila?”

“Ah, the lovely Zila. Such a dear child, giving her life for mine.” He gazed out the window.

Ah, hell. Pain ringed my chest, squeezing tight.

“I just couldn’t watch her die,” he said.

Poor Zila, left alone in her final moments.

“Oh, my, you do have a low opinion of me, my dear. I shared my life magic with the girl. She’s alive and well and living like a princess. In fact, I’m going to adopt her so she will be a princess.”

I stared at him. Did he just say...?

“Why so shocked? You could be living like a queen right now if you hadn’t been...corrupted by nasty Kerrick and his goons.”

Recovering, I jumped on the opening he’d given me. “So you’re saying I’d be here at the castle with you instead of on the road?”

“You’re really not cut out for deception. It’s sweet that you want to know my location, my dear.”

Time to wake up. I pinched the skin on my arm, drawing blood with my fingernails. Nothing.

Without warning, Tohon stood and put his hands on my shoulders. I startled.

“Look out the window,” he whispered in my ear.

The rolling valleys and farm fields of Sogra Realm transformed into forest surrounding a large ruin. Toppled stone columns and the remains of three once magnificent buildings littered the ground—their interiors burned and their walls shattered. A handful of smaller structures had also been destroyed.

“You’re at the Healer’s Guild headquarters.” A surprise because it was located in Pomyt Realm and not Vyg. “Why?”

“It all started here. Fitting that it should all end here.”

KERRICK

“I’ve been thinking,” Flea said from behind him as they rode Huxley. “That a small group, no matter how talented, won’t be able to get near Tohon even if we know where he’s hiding.”

Kerrick agreed. “He’s probably surrounded by his dead soldiers and a dead-ufa pack or two.” He suppressed a shudder. Ufas were bad. Dead ufas haunted his nightmares.

“So why does Avry think we can get to him?”

“Because he needs to be stopped.”

“I get that, but if we can’t reach him, we can’t stop him.”

The hard knot in Kerrick’s stomach that had formed when Avry had told him of her dreams tightened. “Tohon won’t kill Avry. He’s had ample opportunity in the past.” Another painful jab twisted his guts. “She can reach him and use that reluctance to her advantage. And it’s our job to make sure she does.”

“Oh...but that’s suicide.”

“Yes.”

“No. We won’t be doing that.”

Kerrick glanced back. “We won’t?”

“You’re not thinking clearly. If all he wants is Avry, then she can just ride Hux right into the enemy camp and no one will touch her. No. He wants everyone. So we should give him everyone.”

“What are you suggesting?”

Flea explained his idea. “...and we can’t tell Avry. This bond thing between them can’t be good. We should assume what she knows, he knows.”

“She’ll be angry if she finds out we’re keeping secrets.”

“Better to be angry than be Tohon’s.”

“Good point. Flea, you’ve come a long way from the boy we rescued.”

“I’ve been paying attention, listening to you, Avry, and Prince Ryne discuss strategy and follow the logic.”

“I missed it this time.”

“You’re acting more like Belen, being all Poppa Bear about Avry. Not a bad thing.”

But not a good thing, either. He’d let his emotions make decisions, which was the reason Belen hadn’t been in charge of their group. “Duly noted.”

Flea chuckled.

“Now what?”

“Oh, I’m just thinking about how the sparks are gonna fly between you two.”

“I’m glad I can provide you with some entertainment,” Kerrick said drily.

* * *

Anxious to reach HQ, Kerrick kept their stops to a bare minimum. Flea dozed in the saddle, leaning forward on him. The boy could sleep all he wanted once they arrived. But calling him a boy wasn’t quite right. Flea might be young, but he’d matured since accepting his magic. While glad Flea no longer refused to use his power, Kerrick lamented the boy’s loss of innocence.

Expecting to be a day ahead of the others, Kerrick stopped Hux in surprise when he spotted Coffee and Tea outside Victibus. Not able to enter any of the buildings without expending lots of energy, Kerrick sent Flea to find the others. While he waited, he unsaddled the horses and groomed them.