Page 32 of No Greater Sorrow

Aleja watched Violet’s stomach rise and fall with each breath. Silence spread through the tent, broken only by the occasional flutter of the librarians’ books. Nobody moved until Violet’s lower lip twitched in discomfort and the Dark Saints all leaned forward slightly.

“Oh,” Val said unprompted. “You’ve already slipped into their minds.”

Violet hesitated before answering. “I drank from an Unholy Well once. It contained a Remnant that… lodged in me for a while.”

Orla’s eyebrows raised, but Val seemed to take this information in stride. “Fascinating. That was what I sensed in you. It will make this splendidly easy.”

“Why?” Aleja interrupted. She was ignored.

“Tell us what you see,” Nicolas asked Violet.

“I think this is an Astraelis camp. There are winged lions, the ones you call Thrones, kept in enormous pens. It’s like I’m seeing through a lot of eyes at once. I can’t focus on anything.”

“You’re connected to the Authorities now. Their minds are such a jumble that they shouldn’t notice us if we’re careful. Try to keep your emotions steady,” Val said.

“What do I do?” Violet asked.

“Can you sense me?” Val replied.

“Maybe. There’s a glimmer at the corner of my eye like someone is reflecting light in a mirror.”

“Visualize approaching it. Then, I want you to think about death,” Val continued.

“Easy enough for me,” Violet told him, with a soft snort.

Aleja frowned, wondering if she should have volunteered to do this in Violet’s place to spare her friend another wound.

“Think about lying in a cool grave. Think about the animals that will eat your flesh, the buzzards that will crack your bones open, the worms that will slither in to devour whatever marrow is left. The Authorities must be aware of the Messenger’s intentions for the Third. You just need to find the right thoughts.”

“It’s like scrolling through a camera reel. All these memories, preserved and orderly,” Violet said.

“Good,” Val breathed. “I’ll stay back, lest your fellows accuse me of manipulating what you see. Dig deep and dig silently. See what you can find.”

Another silence followed.

“I know why they haven’t attacked,” Violet finally said in a tremulous voice. “There is no reason to fight us if they can kill the Second. It means no loss of life on their side. No destruction of their realm. One strike and they’ll be done with the Otherlanders forever. There’s so much hate here. Ithurts.”

“Details, Violet. We need details,” Nicolas said.

Violet curled her hand around the bones, as if she meant to keep them. “They plan to lure the Third to them. They’ll have the means to trap him soon. The Authorities don’t know all the details—the Messenger doesn’t tell them—but Val… he was the mastermind behind the plan.”

Nicolas moved so quickly that Aleja hardly perceived the motion. The light in the room dimmed. His wings, which had been glamoured away, returned and filled the space with an additional layer of darkness.

“Wait, wait!” Val stammered. “It’s true, I’ll admit it. The army was pressuring me to produce results. I proposed what I did only because I thought it was purelytheoretical. I never expected the Messenger to carry out the plan. Once I realized what she was capable of, I came here—I swear.”

“We know the Messenger is your mother. And since she believes you’re dead, I see no reason for her to be mistaken any longer. Taddeas, make sure our prisoner is properly bound,” Nicolas ordered.

“No!” Violet called out. “He’s telling the truth. The Authorities don’t trust Val. They’re glad he’s gone; they know they don’t need him. They already have a Dark Saint in captivity who can carry out his plans.”

“Merit. That’s why I couldn’t find him. I searchedeverywhere,” Orla said. Soft concern crossed her features.

“Where is he?” Nicolas snapped in a voice sharp enough to cut through bone.

“I don’t know. I can’t tell…”

“She confirmed that I wasn’t lying, see? Now, pull Violet out,” Val said. “Much longer and they’ll realize she’s there.”

Violet’s fist clenched around the bones in her hand. “No. There’s more. If I just keep digging…”

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