Page 44 of Secrets of Graves and Gold

I swallow thickly. Any appetite I had left has fled. “The people who are standing with the Order of the Wild can’t know who they’re really supporting, can they? They wouldn’t push for scourge sorcerers as our new rulers.”

I should certainly hope they can see through the degenerates’ lies, Julita says hotly. It’ll be their kids the fiends are carving up next. Great God help us, what if they’ve already started?

My stomach lurches with horror echoing her own. If the conspirators could get away with hiding their sacrificial accomplices right under the Crown’s Watch’s noses within Florian’s walls, how much easier would it be in a far-flung province?

Stavros’s mouth twists. “I’d imagine they’ve hidden the source of any powers they’ve displayed. They’ll be presenting themselves much as they did to new recruits like you supposedly were—as true believers who want to bring the country back into harmony with the wishes of the gods and unseat greedy despots who’ve abandoned real faith.”

Casimir swipes his free hand over his face. “And the people of the border provinces will have taken to that message much faster than anyone in the city. A lot of them are already inclined to see the rest of us as selfish prigs.”

“The king should be able to expose the scourge sorcerers,” Alek says. “He knows.”

Stavros sighs. “Maybe he’s tried. We don’t know what’s going on out there. But the conspirators have captured the people’s attention first. They can claim he’s telling tales to discredit them and protect himself.”

I wrap my arm around my churning stomach. “The members of the Order of the Wild might even believe they aren’t scourge sorcerers. I never heard any of them refer to their magic that way. And they don’t seem to think the All-Giver would object with another Great Retribution. Maybe they’ve convinced themselves that they’re different—that it’s acceptable magic as long as they aren’t outright killing anyone in sacrifice.”

Who knows how those sadistic psychopaths think?

And now they’re filling the heads of tens of thousands of people with their nonsense. How many ordinary civilians will march with them the next time they strike directly at the royal family?

Gods help us, where will we be if they manage to take over all of Silana?

Sulla has been watching the conversation in silence from her spot at the head of the table. She clasps her mug between her hands. Her knuckles have paled.

“It’s a long way from here,” she says evenly. “And all will end as it should. The entire army will be defending the king.”

The entire army other than the soldiers he’s sent to hunt me down.

“They aren’t providing a very effective defense, from the sounds of it,” Stavros says. “Guerilla tactics are difficult to stamp out. And we still need to defend our border with Darium, or the emperor will take advantage of the lapse to attack. If the conspirators spread our forces too thin…”

He can’t help speaking about the army as “we” rather than “they” even a year after losing his position. The frustration in his voice wrenches at me alongside my nausea at the thought of the atrocities the scourge sorcerers have committed.

The words spill out before I’ve thought them through. “We have to go.”

Every head around the table jerks toward me, including Sulla’s. Casimir’s grip on my hand tightens. “Ivy?—”

I sit up straighter, conviction swelling in my chest. “We know better than anyone what the scourge sorcerers are like. We know their attitudes and their tactics. And we have an ally who can identify other captured daimon.” I tip my head toward Rheave. “We could speak to people who are hesitant about the Order of the Wild, build up a local resistance, pick away at the uprising in ways the army couldn’t.”

Rheave perks up. “I’ll help you any way I can.”

Even Julita seems to liven up. I know many people in Nikodi, especially those living near our estate. I’d be able to help you make contacts and determine who’s taken charge.

Stavros’s stance appears to firm at my words, but his gaze darkens. “We’ll have to cross most of the country—if any of the soldiers catch you, they’ll kill you on sight.”

I gaze right back at him. “Then that’s a risk I’ll have to take. I’ve been risking my life to stop these psychopaths from the start. I’m not going to risk less when they’re hurting so many more.”

Alek taps his finger against the table, his shoulders rigid with tension but his tone abruptly invigorated. “We could solve both of our problems, couldn’t we? We already thought that dismantling the conspiracy was the answer. What would prove our loyalty to the king more than putting down the uprising? No one could argue that Ivy’s a threat if she’s just saved the entire country from a scourge sorcerer coup.”

Stavros pauses and then nods slowly. “We could request a royal pardon. The locals we collaborate with would speak up for her too.”

“For all of us,” I put in, in case he’s forgotten that there’s a bounty on his head as well. “But that’s not the most important part. We have to stop whoever’s leading the Order of the Wild—soon, before they destroy even more than they already have.”

Sulla’s voice breaks in, a slight quaver running through it. “You can’t.”

The mug trembles in her hands. As she sets it down, I stare at her. “Why not? We can’t wait while they take over the entire country.”

“It’s too dangerous.” Sulla thumps her fist against the table. “You haven’t been training even a week yet. It could take years to fully master your power, especially when you’ve gone so long without guidance. You want to help—what about the harm you could do?”

The question lances right through the middle of me.

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