“He doesn’t need it, Avry.”

I approached the young man. “If I’d been smarter, I could have cured him.”

“He was part of the learning process. Without him, you wouldn’t have cured thirty others.”

I glanced at Flea in suspicion. “Did Kerrick tell you to say that?”

Flea ducked his head. “He knew you’d be upset and I...” Now he met my gaze. “I was awful to you, Avry. I’m sorry. It just freaked me out and I couldn’t deal. At that time, refusing to use my magic made perfect sense.”

“And I pushed you too hard.”

“You had to, we’re at war.”

“What changed your mind?”

He gave me his lopsided grin. “Belen. Helping him, but even before when I caught a whiff of burned flesh...” Flea hugged himself.

“Yeah, horrific things can really motivate a person. Tohon’s dead soldiers convinced me to heal Ryne.”

“And not Belen’s school stories?”

I laughed. “No.”

“Quain owes me big!”

Trust the boys to bet on that.

“Are we friends again?” I asked Flea.

“Yep.”

My smile died when I returned to the task at hand. I approached Yuri and asked him to sit up. He didn’t move. I ordered him. Still nothing. It had been so long since I’d awoken him with my touch, perhaps he didn’t recognize me. Plus I’d avoided touching him since.

I pressed my fingertips to his forehead. “Yuri, stand up.”

He complied.

“Yuri, I want you to obey Flea’s orders from now on,” I said.

“How do we know if it works?” Flea asked.

“Tell him to do something.”

Flea set the lantern on the floor. “Yuri, pick up my lantern.”

Yuri walked over and grasped the handle, lifting the light.

“Wow,” Flea said.

“That’s one thing to go right,” I said.

“The first of many. Come on, Yuri, follow me.”

We returned to the surface to join our teams.

“How much toxin do you have?” I asked Saul.

“We’re out. Prince Ryne took the last of it when he left. I was hoping you had more,” Saul said.

I cursed under my breath. “I have two sacks left.” Rummaging in my pack, I withdrew them. “Here.”

“You keep one.”

My gut reaction was to refuse, but there was a chance of running into a dead patrol when we crept in from the west. “All right.”

After a quick review of the plan, we split up. Kerrick and I had said our see-you-laters last night, but I still hugged him tight. Then I hugged Belen and Flea, making them both promise to be careful.

My team descended into the tunnels and I asked Private Beau to take point with Quain assisting. Quain had found the maps for this shaft and they were tucked into his pack just in case Beau lost his way. I followed them while Loren assumed the rear-guard position. Beau’s squad, led by Sergeant Walmer, stayed behind me. Fourteen people total, including Private Red Hair.

While not under the most ideal conditions—hard rock, mucky puddles, damp air, clammy walls—our trip went well. Keeping track of the days proved the most difficult task since the lanterns provided the only light. And I had to be careful how much sleep powder I mixed since I didn’t want to waste time by oversleeping.

Beau stopped us about a quarter mile from the exit. “Do we want to make sure the way is clear before we all go?” he asked.

Good idea.

“We’ll go,” Loren said, volunteering Quain.

“No lanterns,” I said. “There should be daylight outside. Just take a peek and report back.”

“Yes, sir.” Quain saluted me with his dagger.

“The shaft veers to the right and there’s a steep slope to the exit,” Beau explained. “Just keep a hand on the wall.”

The monkeys nodded and soon disappeared into the darkness. Unable to keep still, I fidgeted with the straps on my pack and checked my knives. I counted seconds in my head, calculating how long it would take for them to travel a half mile.

When they failed to return by my estimate, I pulled my stiletto and mentally gave them another five minutes before we’d investigate.

To my vast relief, they returned with a minute to spare. However, their serious expressions meant bad news.

“Well?” I asked.

“The way out is blocked,” Loren said.

“A cave-in?” Beau asked.

“No, but something that’s almost as impenetrable.”

“Just tell us,” I ordered.

“The exit is blocked by thirty dead soldiers.”

KERRICK

He hated keeping secrets from Avry. But in this case it’d been vital to the success of their mission. And she had understood.

After Avry’s team left, Kerrick asked Flea about Yuri.

“It worked, but it might have been too subtle. It’ll all depend on what she remembers.”

“And where is Yuri now?”

“Back in his room.”

“Good.”

As he led his team through the bare woods, Kerrick marveled over the sheer genius that had brought them all to this point. Amazing. He also wanted to throttle that same genius for putting Avry through so much pain. But if everything went as planned, then it would be over for good and they could live their lives. Provided he didn’t go dormant in the meantime.