Page 107 of Blood Feast

Cassia helped him search the passing crowd as the night wore on. It was no swift task to move that many mortals, including elders and children, especially when they were unaccustomed to stepping. About half of the villagers were safely across when they encountered the elderly farmers and pulled them aside.

“I’m so glad we found you,” Cassia said. “We’re searching for Lady Miranda and hope you can help us.”

The farmwife pressed her hands to her chest. “Oh, that sets my heart at ease. We’ve been so worried for her since she disappeared. But you can make sure she’s safe.”

Regret bit at Cassia. She hated to use these people’s trust to hunt Miranda down.

But Miranda was part of the conspiracy tearing everyone’s lives apart. These people would also be safer when she was brought to justice.

Lio said, “You mentioned she has safe places where she can go into hiding. Could you tell us where any of those might be?”

The husband scratched his chin. “She never plainly said where they were, but her hints might mean something to you.”

Lio gave an encouraging nod. “Any detail could be valuable.”

“Somewhere abandoned,” the man said. “Forsaken, she called it. As if it were a place others feared to tread.”

Can you think of a place with such a reputation?Lio asked silently.

Tenebra is such a superstitious kingdom,she replied.That could refer to any marsh, graveyard, or field with a cross-eyed goat.

“Did she say anything else about this place?” Lio’s tone was patient, despite the frustration in their Union.

The woman rubbed her back as if it ached. “I got the idea it was quite a ways from Patria. It would take her weeks to come back. We worried about her, asked her if she had anyone like us there to look after her.”

Her husband put a supportive arm around her. “She told us no. ‘Nothing there but salt and bones,’ she said. No place for our lady, if you ask me.”

“I wish we could tell you more,” the woman fretted. “But she does keep her secrets. To protect us, you know.”

“It’s all right,” Lio reassured them. “You’ve been a great help, and you have our gratitude.”

“Please find her,” the man implored them before the couple joined the next group Mak and Lyros were stepping across.

“Salt and bones…” Cassia murmured.

Lio’s gaze sharpened. “Does that mean something to you?”

She glanced at Ben. “Later.”

By the time the last family made it over the river, night had turned into twilight again. Mak and Lyros pulled Cassia and Lio aside for a veiled consultation. Lio cast an uneasy glance at the knights who lingered nearby to see to their fallen comrades.

“We need to discuss our options,” Lyros said. “Do we want to risk staying with the knights and villagers during the day?”

Lio’s nostrils flared. “I would sooner spend the Dawn Slumber in Cordium. I don’t want Cassia anywhere near Benedict, especially while we’re all asleep and vulnerable.”

Mak shook his head. “Slumbering surrounded by Knights of Andragathos sounds like a good way to wake up with holy daggers in our hearts.”

“These knights have sworn fealty to Solia,” Lyros said. “They’ve fought with the Charge. I doubt they would try to punish us for heresy. I’m more worried about who else might find us if we sleep outside a Lustra site.”

“I agree,” Cassia said. “I can deal with Ben, but there’s no telling what enemies might ambush them if we linger. These mortals are already pawns in Kallikrates’s game with us. The sooner we leave, the safer they’ll be.”

Lyros nodded. “Unfortunately, we don’t have time to find another refuge before dawn. I’m afraid our only option is to return to the stone circle.”

Lio and Cassia looked at each other.

I’ll suffer it to keep you safe,he said,but I don’t want to put you through another night of Craving with the circle’s magic making it more difficult for you.

What a moment for a laugh to bubble out of her, if a slightly hysterical one.I would rather return to the stones of unholy lust than stay here and suffer through more judgmental, holy stares.

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