cistern, taking her back to a tender moment when life was sweet, gentle. It stirred a nameless thing within her, a flame that burned in her lungs. She watched as he summoned the fire. A star bloomed, inspired by his voice and his magic, and it floated in the air between them. She could see the planes of his face, limned in silver, and his voice grew stronger, braver.
She stepped into the water with him, and joined his song. Her voice soft where his was rough. She was his balance, his accompaniment. And the stars began to multiply; they gathered around them and lit their path, their reflections just as luminous on the trembling surface of the water.
Ivina would know they were here. She would hear their song, and yet they did not sing meekly. They sang to defy her, to announce their presence. They sang without fear, walking through the cistern. With each stanza Damon sang, more and more stars gathered until Evadne could see the mountain ceiling, white and glittering. She could see the pillars Euthymius had shaped, narrow and sleek, blooming from the floor like trees to uphold the dome, and she and Damon wove among them.
The resistance did not come until they had sung through the entire song, their voices circling back to repeat it.
Evadne felt Damon tug on their tether as he stumbled, losing his breath. He hunched over, and Evadne worried he was bleeding. His song was slowing, and she knew his magic was thinning. And yet the stars continued to unfold around them, incandescent. And Evadne continued to sing, her voice a guide for him.
Damon straightened and rejoined her in song, and they struggled to walk and sing through the frigid water, following the draw of the currents. Sweat began to bead her brow; surely, they were close to the first waterfall. In between breaths, she listened for it—the distinctive roar of rushing water.
“Eva! Eva, where are you going?”
Evadne stopped, shocked to hear a beloved voice echo across the water to her, cutting through Damon’s enchantment. She nudged past him to see Halcyon standing a few paces before them. Her older sister was decked in armor—it was brilliant, as if she was dressed in every color of earth and sky. She smiled, and her eyes were mirthful, as alluring as molten gold. Halcyon radiated strength and health and beauty; her hair was long and iridescently dark in the firelight, brushing her collar.
“Halcyon?” Evadne cried, astonished. “Is it truly you?”
“Yes, Little Sister,” Halcyon said.
“But I thought . . .” Evadne suddenly struggled to remember. Where was she? What was the annoying tug at her back? “But I thought you were somewhere else.”
“Where else would I be?” she countered with a laugh. The sound only heightened Evadne’s desperation to reach her, to throw her arms about her sister. “I have been with you all this time. Not once have I left you. Now follow me and let us go home. Let us return to Isaura.”
“Yes, I have longed for it, more than anything!” Evadne almost wept, the desire threatening to burst in her chest.
“Come, then! Follow me.” Halcyon invited, but she turned be-fore the words had fully left her lips, striding away into the darkness.
“Hal, wait!” Evadne was terrified of losing her. She rushed forward to chase after her sister, only to discover something was resisting her. It almost felt like hands on her waist, hands rushing along her arms, hands cupping her face . . . She struggled against them, but there was such gentle persistence within that haunting touch. “Hal! Halcyon!” Evadne shouted, dragging the mysterious weight behind her. Everything felt muddled in her mind, in her heart. It was dark, and yet there was light. She could not remember where she was. All she knew was her sister was about to abandon her. Halcyon at last paused, casting prisms on the stone pillars. “You are stronger than that, Little Sister.”
“Something is holding me back!”
“It is yourself, Eva. You have a sword at your back, remember? Unsheathe it and cut away the part of yourself that is hindering you.”
Her order bewildered Evadne. Why would her sister tell her to wound herself?
But Halcyon was not waiting for her to decide. Unusually impatient, Halcyon pressed on again. She was about to disappear in the darkness, and Evadne would not lose her.
She rallied her strength and dragged that encumbering weight behind her like it was a mere grain sack. She thought she heard her name, as