Page 103 of Heat of the Everflame

“The man at the front—did you feel his magic?” His voice was strained, unsteady.

“Yes, I did.” I started toward him. “Luther...”

“He’s powerful, too. Perhaps the strongest Lumnos Descended I’ve ever felt, other than King Ulther.”

“Stronger than me?”

“No. You...” His hands stilled. “You’re in a class of your own. Ineveryway.”

It sounded more like a warning than a compliment.

I shrugged off my pack and set it on the table. “Are you going to tell Alixe or Taran?”

“Not unless there’s a reason they need to know.” He shot me a loaded look. “There’s an unspoken rule that those of us who can sense power levels keep that knowledge to ourselves.”

“Why?”

“Because information can be as dangerous as magic. That’s precisely what makes the Umbros Queen such a threat.” He lifted an eyebrow. “Why? Do you wish to tell them?”

I hesitated, then let out a heavy sigh. “Back in Lumnos, you and I agreed to give each other honesty. I confess, I haven’t entirely been upholding that.”

Luther looked away.

“It’s not because I don’t trust you,” I rushed out, guilt knotting in my stomach. “My entire life has been about secrets. Some I’ve kept, some kept from me. I went along with it because I thought I had to in order to stay alive—and because, until you, I had no one I felt safe enough to share them all with. Keeping things to myself has become second nature. I know you of all people understand that.”

I reached for him, and he tensed.

The knot inside me jerked tighter. “These past few days, I’ve seen how much these secrets are driving us all apart. Not just us, but Alixe and Taran, Teller, everyone we care about. Our pact for brutal honesty has to include them, too. The truth about my mother, the Guardians, the half-mortals... it will all come out eventually, and when it does, it’s going to hurt ten times more because we lied to them.”

“Withholding information is not lying,” he said, sounding almost defensive. “Taran and Alixe understand that I have to keep things from them. They trust me to tell them when the time is right. I feel the same way toward you.”

I gave a small, sardonic smile. “Because you were sounderstandingwhen I didn’t tell you my plan to sneak back into Arboros?”

He bristled. “That was different.”

“Was it?”

“Yes. I—I wasn’t—it wasn’t about...” He raked a hand down his face, his shoulders falling. “It doesn’t matter. You’re right. You need a group of allies you can be honest with. Once we’re in Lumnos, we’ll gather everyone together and...”

I frowned as his voice trailed off and his eyes turned distant.

This wasn’t Luther. He wasn’t a man who stumbled over his words and lost himself in thought. He’d always been confident, impeccably controlled. Even the rare few times he’d come unbound, each glimpse behind his walls had been focused, precise, a sunbeam through a magnifying glass. In those moments, his feelings—good or bad—had been knee-wobblingly clear.

But the man in front of me now... his mind was in turmoil, that much was evident, but thewhatandwhywere a mystery.

“Luther, what’s going on? Is this about Taran? I’m not pretending anymore—I really do think he’s going to heal.” I teasingly rolled my eyes. “I had a moment of weakness and asked Lumnos to save him. I suppose I’ll finally have to make peace with her after all.”

I’d expected him to look pleased, or at least relieved, but the misery hiding beneath his features only burrowed deeper.

He darted around me, heading for the door. “I’m going to find the Jaguar and ask him to book our passage. You stay here, get some r—”

He slammed against an invisible wall and staggered backward. He frowned and extended his hand. Though he was several feet from the door, his palm seemed to hit something, and a faint ripple wavered through the air.

“A shield,” he growled. “They’ve locked us in.”

Chapter

Twenty-Four

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