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Lukas looks around the walls of his fine prison. He can only think of one place. To tell Suki of it is oathbreaking. He will be betraying one of the great secrets of the Mortingales in these fine rooms, just as Red Wolf had.

“I know a safehouse,” he says. “It is where the Mortingales hide in this city. Tell the Hare to go to a pot shop called The Happy Swineherd. And mention he was sent by a friend of Inga. Can you do that?”

Suki nods, “Inga? Yes, yes I can.”

“Get him to go there.” He pauses. “Will it put you in danger to do this?”

“Perhaps,” she says. “I will be careful.”

Lukas shakes his head. “No. Careful is not enough. You must go too. If Atticul finds out who you are he might use you. You must flee when you have delivered this message.”

“And leave you here?”

“There is no way out for me until the Ascension,” Lukas says grimly.

She laughs, as if thinking this a joke, before stopping and staring at him. “Lukas?” she says cautiously. “What are you planning?”

“I cannot tell you, Suki,” Lukas says, voice hard. “If he thought you knew anything about me it would put you in danger.”

Suki reaches out. She touches Lukas’s face. It makes his breath catch. She is so like her. So like her.

“She would not have wanted this for you. She loved you so. She would not want you to be a martyr. You were her little prince.”

Lukas breathes in hard. “I know. I know I was. But she is gone. I must find my own path.”

“But must it be this path? Now I have found you again?”

“It must.” Lukas takes hold of Suki’s wrist, letting her hand stay cupping his face. “I am sorry I left you. I never looked back.”

“You were a child. She would want us to help each other.”

“Suki, you are helping me.”

Suki blinks. “You promise?”

“I promise. Get the Hare out of the palace.”

Suki nods. She leans close to kiss Lukas on the cheek. And she leaves.

When she is gone, Lukas goes over to the wall where he heard Marko scraping. He taps on it with his hook three times.

18

DAMON

They are tacking up horses outside of Ceruleum Bride House, making ready. Damon watches the preparations from a stone bench in the stableyard.

Harok has his great beast, Embox. Damon, another broad backed stallion that will easily seat him and Lyr. Elric, Kerik and Perl all have their own steeds and there is another for Doroth. Two additional beasts will come with them to carry supplies for the journey.

Damon hopes it will be enough to get them to Attar in time.

He knows he should be attending more closely, directing what is being done, but he cannot. His mind is boiling with rage.

Elric had come to him as he was making ready. He had thought it would be more of the same demands. Why did he leave Lukas behind? Why has he not yet rescued him? He has no answers. But he knows he must face Elric. Must face Elric again and again until he has won Lukas back.

Damon is a soldier. He has made choices like this before. Left men behind before. Chosen who would live and who would die. Who he could save and who he could not. He has been soaked in blood since the age of 14, and yet…

And yet…