Page 26 of No Greater Sorrow

After an arduous climb up a hill dotted with disembodied pieces of the statues, Nicolas pointed at broken walls ringing a distant tower. The tower was missing great chunks of stone; it was a wonder the structure remained upright when it most resembled a spine of ill-fitted vertebrae. Looking around, she was reminded of the battlefield Roland had taken her to in the Hiding Place—a garden of bones that shone pale blue.

Sheknewthis place. She was certain of it now, even though she couldn’t tell where she’d seen it before.

Aleja spotted light and crouched. Over the ridge, a group of Astraelis huddled over something bright. A Throne was the largest of them—a creature that was part winged lion with a dragon-like tail. It was accompanied by three Principalities wearing masks. This was undoubtedly a scouting party, one that would be armed and ready for trouble.

“Shit. What do they have?” she whispered. Her throat constricted as she tried to keep herself calm. She was not prepared for this.

“We need to find out. What do you propose?”

A part of her wanted to scoff, roll her eyes, and tell Nicolas thatheshould be giving orders. However, if she was going to take over for Taddeas someday, as she had promised herself, she would need to be able to make decisions regarding entire armies, not just a scouting troop.

“They wouldn’t have sent such a small party if they were expecting to be ambushed. We need to figure out what they’re after—or what they already have—without letting them know we’re here.”

“How do you plan on doing that, general?” He gave her a sharp look, silver eyes gleaming.

“I’m not a general yet. I don’t deserve to be called that. Soldier is fine.”

“All right, soldier. What is the first step?”

“Maybe a distraction? Something that will make them split up. If we can lure them away from the object, we might be able to use your shadows to steal it right out from under them.”

“Good. But if you use your magic, they’ll know it’s you right away. Any other ideas?”

Aleja floundered, examining the landscape again. More enormous mourning statues surrounded the crumbling tower. “We can assume they’re interested in the Third. What if we make them believe he’s in there? The illusion only needs to be convincing for a few minutes, especially if the scouting party is already jumpy. A small amount of flame and shadow in the distance would be enough. They’ll either retreat to avoid being seen or advance to investigate, but it will force them to act either way.”

Nicolas’s teeth flashed in the darkness. For a moment, he looked like a wolf, regarding Aleja with hunger. “Let’s get closer to the tower.”

They made a wide arc around the structure. At this angle, it appeared sadder and more improbable; something that would not have stood in a realm that obeyed the laws of physics. “I know this color. It’s ultramarine. Wildly expensive, before someone figured out how to synthesize it. Only the best Renaissance painters had access to the pigment,” she muttered.

“You know I appreciate this sort of discussion, but maybe now isn’t the?—”

“The painting of Orpheus and Eurydice in the palace. The artist must have seen this place. What you see of the underworld from the cave mouth looksjustlike this.”

“Because I painted it.”

Aleja wondered if she should be used to this by now—this feeling of disorientation with every new revelation.

“You’re telling me this now? You said it was your favorite painting, you little narcissist,” Aleja snapped, her hands flying to her mouth a moment later. At least, they were no longer in sight of the scouting party. She hoped the crumbling statues ringing the tower would be enough to muffle her voice.

“Nowreallyisn’t the time to talk about it,” he said.

“Fine, but this conversation isn’t over. Look, there are dried climbing vines all over the tower. If I can light a small blaze, you can do your work with the shadows.”

He nodded, and Aleja wondered if it was just the murky light, or if his eyes really did harden. There were two sides to Nicolas; the Knowing One and the man who’d become him, and it was still jarring to watch him switch between the two at a moment’s notice. “Aleja, I know you feel guilty about some of the things you had to do to find Violet, but if we’re caught, the Astraelis won’t show you any mercy. Promise me that you’ll?—”

“I’ll defend myself however necessary,” she said, as her hands erupted in flames. With a flick of her wrist, a small globe of fire dislodged from the whole and reached the brown vines. They smoldered with orange light. She hadn’t imagined it before. Her powerwassharper, easier to summon and maintain, easier to manage.

Just imagine how it will be when you complete the Trials, whispered her inner voice.

Nicolas raised his hands as well. As the climbing vines withered, he captured the dim light and expanded it, using his left hand to stretch the shadows into warped, humanoid figures. Even Aleja might have been convinced that the tower was suddenly occupied.

Something tore across the sky, and they huddled low as the Throne made a rapid circle around the tower. Its wings fanned the flames, but Nicolas sent another shadow to suppress them. As their magic combined, her fire turned black, and Aleja begrudgingly remembered that she and Nicolas could use their powers like two musicians who’d played together for so long that they’d formed a sort of wordless telepathy.

The Throne screeched, and the dead trees rattled from the shockwave. Two enormous people in winged masks appeared from behind a fallen marble hand. One was taller than any person Aleja had seen before, and though the Principalities usually donned six wings on their masks, this one had more than she could count. The mask spun slowly, wings chasing each other in perpetual circles.

“What the hell is she doing here?” Nicolas muttered.

“Who?”

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