we do?” I asked, my voice wavering as I looked at Kalon. “How do I find my friends, if they’re out there somewhere? We should head out and look for them!”
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” he replied. “Especially if we don’t even know where to begin our search.”
“We’ll head back to your house! If Kalla’s scouts were able to pick up my brother’s scent, I should be able to do the same. We could follow the trail until we find Tristan. He’s probably with Valaine and my people, anyway.”
Kalla shook her head. “I’m afraid I agree with Kalon on this. It’s too dangerous for you to go back into the imperial city.”
“I still have some invisibility pellets left. We can use them,” I said and shot to my feet, eager to get moving and go after Tristan.
“It’s too risky, child,” Kalla insisted. “Even with your magic tricks, the entire city is looking for you. Just because you’re unseen doesn’t mean you’re unheard. Or that one of the better-trained gold guards won’t catch your scent. Believe it or not, I have your best interests at heart. Besides, I still have my scouts, remember?”
I settled back into my chair. My knees felt weak as dozens of terrible scenarios darted through my head, making me increasingly worried for Tristan and the others. Kalon took my hand in his, squeezing gently in a bid to reassure me. It helped, but it wasn’t enough. I needed a way to get my brother back. Nothing else mattered.
“What are you suggesting?” I asked Kalla.
“Let my scouts go ahead,” she said. “They can find the right people, ask the right questions. The city and its surrounding areas have good eyes and ears who will not speak to the Aeternae, especially those in armor, but they will talk to our people. They’ll recognize my sigil on the scouts’ belt buckles and know they’re helping me.”
“They can eventually get us a more accurate location for Tristan and your team,” Kalon replied, nodding in agreement. “Yeah, that might work.”
“So what do we do in the meantime? Sit here and do nothing?” I grumbled, leaning back in my wooden chair, one boot firmly planted against the metallic base of the round table in front of me.
“No, we try to figure out a way to get the Lady Supreme to understand that the Darklings are bad, and that whatever it is they’re trying to do is not for the good of the empire,” Kalon said. “Had they been right this whole time, they wouldn’t have had to resort to working in the shadows and killing innocent people. Don’t you think?”
It made all the sense in the world. However, the challenge ahead of us was perhaps too complex for the three of us to overcome. The Lady Supreme had all the power in the empire. If Danika so much as suspected the Darklings might be right about Valaine, it put Tristan, Valaine, and everyone else who protected her at great risk.
Kalla was right. As was Kalon, for that matter. Going out there right now, while the soldiers were likely combing the imperial city and its outskirts in search of us… it wasn’t a good idea. Maybe Kalla’s scouts could yield better results. It was the better plan, but it tore me apart on the inside not knowing where Tristan was or if he was safe.
My brother was one heck of a fighter, but I was supposed to protect him. I’d spent my whole life watching his back, and it felt awful to not be able to do the same now.
Tristan
“This is the Nightmare Forest,” Ansel said as he led us up the narrow dirt path. Massive trees rose on both sides, tall and darkly threatening, their branches reaching over the road and casting wide, unyielding shadows.
It was beautiful, but it was also deeply frightening. I’d seen a lot of crazy and terrifying things in my life—places and people alike—yet there was something about the Nightmare Forest that made it stand apart from everything else. This was a strange place, indeed.
“How do you know we’ll find your brother here?” Valaine asked.
We’d been walking for hours, ducking out of sight whenever people passed by. The farther we got from the imperial city, however, the fewer travelers crossed our path and the better I felt—having left the turmoil, the lies, and the misunderstandings behind.
“He always told me that if I was ever in trouble, if I ever needed a place to hide away from cities