Page 92 of A Dawn of Gods & Fury

“Right.” I fish through the Prime’s skirt pocket like a corpse-robbing thief until my finger catches the chain. I hand it to him.

“Thank you, Your Highness.” His fingers fumble with the clasp to replace it around his neck. He has such rich, innocent eyes.

They would have killed him the moment I left here.

“Let’s go.” I hesitate at the door. “I hope that the next time we cross paths, you’ll see me as the ally that I am.” Barro’s body slumps against the table, his blood leaking into the grain. Solange was right. We could not have left him alive. I know his kind. He would have claimed the role of Prime, ring or not.

“My advisors insisted I kill the entire guild council and start fresh with casters I can rely on to help fight this war, but I refused because I think you all know the right path. Don’t make me regret that choice.” I let my words hang as we leave the guild tower.

The dungeons below the towers are not quite as bleak as the ones in Cirilea, but they’re far smaller and they are packed. “There are so many of them.” I scan the terrified faces. A stench of cold sweat lingers in the air.

“And Lorel would have burned every last one.” Raising her voice, Solange announces, “Queen Romeria, the new ruler of Ybaris, has come to free you.” She waves at the guard to unlock the doors.

Cautious scribes eye me as the doors swing open, no one rushing to move.

“You can stay here if you’d like, but I can’t guarantee your safety. If you come with me to Ulysede, you’ll have warm beds and food and an entire library to study. Your Master Scribe is there waiting.”

A low murmur erupts.

A young girl of no more than fifteen stares at me through bright blue eyes.

“Do you know where the nymph scripture stone is?” I ask.

“You mean the lines on the wall? Yes, Your Highness.” She caps her words off with a curtsy.

I smile. “Perfect. Take me to it.”

“This is it?” Solange sneers.

“Yes, Second. Unless there is another stone wall of scripture that I am unaware of?” the young scribe stammers, her furtive eyes darting from Solange’s blood-covered face.

“No, this is what I was looking for.” It looks like the ones in Ulysede. “You’ve honestly never seen this?”

“I had better things to do than lurk under the guild towers, staring at walls.” Solange grimaces at the low stone ceiling as if it might close in on us at any moment, trapping us here. “As I do now.” A not-so-subtle hint to get a move on.

Taking a deep breath, I trace my fingertip over the curved lines as I’ve done so many times before. And sigh with relief as the familiar and welcome laughter rings in my ears.

“It is as you expected?” Solange asks.

“Yes.” At least I hope so. There’s only one way to know for sure and, once I pass through, I can’t come back.

How often did Gesine stand in this very place, tracing these curves?

Wondering about the past.

Hoping for the future.

When this is all said and done, someone will write a book to immortalize her. I will make sure of it. “I need every scribe here to hold another’s hand,” I say. “They cannot let go or they’ll be left behind.”

“I will see that it is done, and you are through, and then I will meet you in Argon,” Solange promises.

“Are you sure?” The guild seems stunned after the deaths of their Prime and Second and in no rush to revolt, but as Solange once warned, there are plenty of casters and motives still within these walls.

“I am the highest-ranking guild leader in Mordain at the moment. I cannot abandon Nyos in this state. Besides, someone must meet His Highness at the dock to tell him you are safe, and it cannot be Fatima.”

She’s right. He’ll believe the worst—that the guild sent a young Shadow out there while they tie me to a pyre. Besides, she’s not asking my permission. “Tell Zander I’ll see him as soon as the scribes are in Ulysede, safe.”

“I would hurry. Argon may have received word about Ybaris’s new queen, but if the guards discover who is under those Shadow uniforms, they will not hesitate to attack.”

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