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‘As you wish.’ The water crested, then fell back. ‘What else do you require, Dobra’s daughter?’

‘Nothing else. I just wanted to know… things,’ I answered, biting my lip.

It was no use telling him I wanted to test the agreement. I thought I’d struck a poor bargain, but having access to such knowledge was worth any price.

‘Sana?’ Irsha strolled into the courtyard, shirtless and barefoot, with a dagger in his hand. ‘Are you… Why are you kneeling there? What are you doing?’

‘Talking to the spirits of my ancestors,’ I quipped and rose to my feet. ‘Go back inside. I’ll be there shortly.’ I used the horse trough to wash my face.

Irsha leant against the doorframe, deaf to my command. ‘So, what did the spirits of your ancestors tell you? Don’t hide it. I know that look.’

‘That the road is clear and Niersen’s troops are marching east. Arean must have convinced the Dark Empress to follow Rey’s plan if the king is consolidating the army. Let’s take advantage of this distraction.’ I looked up at Irsha’s profile. ‘We need to hurry. If Niersen joins his men, it’ll be much harder to sneak into a war camp than a half-empty castle.’

To his credit, Irsha nodded.

‘We will ride all day. Since we won’t have to worry about patrols, it should be faster. Perun’s arse, I wish we hadn’t left the warhorse behind. Tova’s pony can’t keep up.’ He sighed, then opened the door and gestured me inside. ‘Go to sleep. There won’t be many breaks tomorrow, so you need to be rested.’

‘I still don’t know how you plan to get into the castle. Don’t you want to talk this through?’

Irsha looked at me without saying a word. After a heartbeat, his lips curved into a smile.

‘Just follow me, Trouble. Thanks to Lily’s map, I know exactly where Niersen sleeps.’ The pride in his voice made me smile too. ‘She suffered so much, but that bastard never broke her. I dream of what I’ll do to him. It’s so vivid it scares me.’

‘I know that feeling, Blade. But when you unleash your wrath on him, don’t forget we still need his living body parts.’

He chuckled, a sound that sent shivers down my spine. ‘I won’t, Sana. You have my word.’

‘Yeah, that’s exactly what I’m afraid of,’ I muttered, lying back in our nest on the floor as Irsha wrapped his arms around me in a comforting hug.

‘I can’t help it, Trouble. I hate him. I’ve never hated anyone this much, even Jagon…’

I placed a finger on his lips. ‘Just promise you won’t let this hatred consume you.’

He nodded, but the ache in my chest refused to abate.