Page 20 of No Greater Sorrow

“The Astraelis have been quiet,” he told her.

“Then, what the hell isthatthing?” Violet pointed at an extraordinarily tall man wrapped in meteorite iron chains accompanied by Taddeas with one of his axes drawn.

“Why are you moving him?” Nicolas asked. At the sight of an Astraelis in their midst, he had to force himself not to look up at the sky, in search of more enemy soldiers.

“It’s fine,” Taddeas said, sensing Nicolas’s urgency. “Red wanted to speak with him again. I’m taking him back to the galley tent.”

“It’s not fine. It shouldn’t be here. It’s going to kill us!” Violet snapped. Even Aleja jumped at the force of her voice. Nicolas had only known Violet a short while, but in that time, she’d been quiet and unobtrusive, moving like a moth through the palace in the night.

“He’s our prisoner. A defector from the Astraelis army. You’re in no danger from him,” Nicolas said.

“You need to get him out of hereright now.”

“Violet—” Aleja began, though she too eyed the Astraelis with her fists clenched despite what must have been unbearable pain in her shoulder.

“I swear, I mean you no harm. As the Knowing One said, I left my people’s army willingly,” Val told her, as his winged mask pulled closer around his face.

“He’s lying!” Violet shouted.

Val tilted his head. “Oh my. I think I see the problem.”

One of the healers rushed toward them, alerted to their presence by Violet’s shouts. The fey woman dropped her hands onto Violet’s shoulders, clamping down when she tried to wrench away. Nicolas caught the bit of fey magic imbued in the healer’s voice as she spoke. “You’re tired, miss. You’ve been through a lot. Come, let’s get you checked out.”

“Aleja, please,” Violet said, her eyes wild. “I know what I’m talking about. I saw into the Authority’s mind, remember? We wereconnected.”

Aleja glanced between them—always the peacemaker, his dove. “My shoulder is killing me, and if I don’t get some antibiotics on it, that’s going to be literal. Come on, Vi.”

Violet relented when Aleja took her other arm, and Nicolas watched them go, keeping his face passive to hide the ache of the separation, especially when Aleja seemed so… broken. Not for the first time, he felt a rush of anger toward the Second.

“Sir?” Taddeas asked.

“Go on.”

Taddeas nodded, but Val interrupted before he could be dragged away. “If you want proof of my intentions, that girl is it. The Astraelis are all connected to our leader in one way or another—the Authorities more than most. If you allow me to scry with her, you can see their plans for yourself.”

“She’s been through enough,” Nicolas said, making sure not to react to the news that Violet might still be capable of connecting to the Authorities—something that could either be helpful or extremely problematic.

“I don’t believe you understand the urgency,” Val said more forcefully. “The Astraelis are seeking the Third. If they find him and trap him before your army does, no one will be able to stop the Messenger.”

And every witch in the human realm will die, Nicolas remembered.

“The healers must tend to her first,” he said.

“Fine. But don’t delay longer than is necessary. It’s possible the Astraelis have already taken their first steps to capture the Third, and he remains blissfully unaware of their plans,” Val said.

“I’ll speak with her. Go confer with Red. Answer all her questions. Taddeas, if you suspect our captive is lying, show him how well you know how to use those axes.”

* * *

Aleja wonderedif it was odd she found the army camp beautiful. From atop the dragon, it was like looking down at a small gothic city, draped in dark banners.

Though the air was heavy with the scent of leaves rotting beneath the mud, the linen tents smelled of sandalwood, as if they’d absorbed incense smoke from the palace. The temporary wooden structures that held up the tents resembled the great arches that fortified cathedrals. Even the fabric draped over them was not without some form of embellishment.

The linen was old, and it had been in the sun for so long that its colors had blended into earthy splotches of green and brown camouflage. Yet when Aleja searched them carefully, she caught a glimpse of embroidered dragons, squat toad-like imps, and serpents whose bright eyes had dulled to subtle white points in the fabric. None of them were woven with a sinister air like the human depictions of Hell she’d spent years studying. Instead, the faded background was a garden that its inhabitants happily occupied.

The demons are on our side, Bonnie had once told her.

Aleja had expected Nicolas when the tent flaps of the medic’s tent shifted, but his appearance still sent a charge through her. His eyes briefly reflected the lantern light and she reminded herself that she was angry with him. That he had lied to her, again and again.

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