Page 189 of Ash and Feather

“Fine,” my sister said, after a long pause. “The Hollows await—lead the way.”

I moved much more quickly through said Hollows—more confidently—than last time. Because I was stronger than I used to be, yes—but I also had all the insider information my sister had provided me with, in addition to the disguise of her appearance.

As we passed through the wards meant to keep divine magic out, Antaeum provided help, too.

A shimmer went through the air so quickly I would have missed it if I’d blinked. I didn’t understand what was happening at first, not until I took a moment to stop and catch my breath…and I realized how easily I could do so.

The unbearable pressure I’d fought against during my last trip through this place was no longer a problem.

The dagger had negated it.

A positive sign of greater things to come, I hoped.

As we approached Ederis, my sister and I went in opposite directions. She would stick to the outskirts of the city—areas I was less familiar with, anyway. We wouldn’t cross paths again until Mairu’s magic wore off, and we both had plenty to do between now and then.

I had a map in my mind—one Savna had helped me construct; that was all I needed from this point. It guided me to the places where she thought I was most likely to run into the targets we’d chosen. Many of the ones I sought were rebels I’d known, at least in passing, from my younger years. And I rarely forgot faces.

My disturbingly exact memory, along with my sister’s instructions, provided enough guidance; within the first two hours spent darting from one point to another along my mental map, I managed to speak to seven of our targets.

From these chosen leaders, ripples began to spread.

Soon I was beginning to sense it—the stirrings of movement, the whispers of possible change. A nervous yet determined sort of energy was soon rising all around me.

I hoped my sister was having similar luck.

And I hoped she was safe.

But I couldn’t help but wonder…

What if we’d miscalculated?

What if there were far more rebels who wanted her dead than we realized? We’d assumed Andrel was the one responsible for ordering the attack in Altis. That no one else would act so brazenly, so brutally against Savna.

But what if we were wrong?

What if they tried again while she was here, and I wasn’t there to save her this time?

“You’re alive,” came a sudden voice, just as I started to duck into the shadows of a building to collect myself and calm my racing thoughts.

I turned toward Andrel with the same cool, unhurried confidence my sister would have used. “Surprised, are you?”

His face split into the wide, charismatic grin he usually reserved for winning over the more reluctant rebels. “Thrilled,more like. I heard what happened in Altis. I thought you were finished, for sure.”

Of course you heard,I wanted to snap.You’re the one who ordered it to happen.

But he would only deny it, and I would risk revealing too much before I was ready to reveal it.

So instead, I calmly recited the words my sister had suggested I use if and when I encountered him.

“We have traitors in our midst, as we feared,” I said. “I spotted a member of Lensa’s inner circle leading my assassination party—the one who shot the first arrow, as a matter of fact.”

“An arrow she’ll sorely regret before the end.”

“I plan to make her regret it,” I agreed.

Andrel started to walk, indicating for me to follow him.

The divine dagger at my waist shivered with power.

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