Vivian
Vivian was looking at the map that Princess Sophie had provided when the princess herself came up beside her.
“What is it that you’re thinking?” Sophie asked.
They were making their way north, running quietly on the barges through the dark. The river whispered against the hulls as they slipped through the canyon, fugitives beneath the starlight—like thieves from a church, Vivian thought.
She turned and studied the princess, taking in the calm gold of her eyes and the pale shimmer of her hair. When their gazes met, Vivian sighed.
“I’m thinking that I should have thought this through better,” she said.
Sophie tilted her head. “What do you mean?”
Vivian gestured toward the back of the barge, where she knew the twins and Marissa were huddled together. “We never should have brought the twins or Marissa. We should have left them at the Zhou household. There’s no reason for them to be here.”
Sophie shook her head. “No. That wouldn’t have worked.”
Vivian narrowed her eyes. “And what do you mean by that?”
“My Insight,” Sophie said simply.
Vivian’s expression sharpened. Of course she had heard rumors of the royal bloodline—the Insight of the Imperial family, a magic born of divine favor that let them see what others could not. She had heard of it all her life but had never seen it in action. Never known if it was real.
“Explain,” Vivian said, her tone careful, cool.
Sophie’s gaze drifted back toward the others. “All of the people here needed to be here,” she said quietly. “I don’t know whether it’s because of the different trials, or the Moonsteel itself, or some other twist of fate—but you, me, the twins, Marissa, Elizabeth, even Anmei… we were all meant to be here.”
Vivian frowned. “That sounds convenient,” she said flatly. “Why on earth would we all need to be here?”
Sophie shook her head. “That’s not how my Insight works. It isn’t clear prophecy. It’s… impressions. Feelings. A whisper that becomes thought but rarely context. We were meant to go. We were meant to pass through that Gate. We got the Divine Moonsteel, we survived the trials, and we met a goddess. I have to assume all of that is connected.”
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Vivian studied her carefully. “Do you know why Ethan needs Divine Moonsteel?”
Sophie met her gaze with a firm look. “No. I don’t. I just know that he does. I know Ethan is… different. Important. And that if he doesn’t get what he’s searching for, something terrible is going to happen. But as for what he’s going to use the Moonsteel for—”
She paused, eyes shadowed by something like dread. “—I don’t know.”
Vivian turned back to the map. Moonlight washed across it in silver ripples, the paper trembling faintly in her hands as the barge cut through the current. The river ahead narrowed into shadow, and the wind carried the faint scent of rain and iron.
“I see,” Vivian said, considering this. “Well, now that we have the Divine Moonsteel, we’ve got to get it back to Ethan. And we have a very dangerous set of demon-touched orcs—and a high-level Murai—waiting for us. What do you think we should do?”
Sophie sighed. “Honestly? I’m not entirely sure. Trying to get it all the way up to one of the northern coastal cities is far. These barges are fast, but I can already tell they’re losing some of their speed—probably from decay in the arrays attached to them. We don’t have the spell-workers here to reapply them… unless you think you could handle it?”
Vivian shook her head. “Battlecasting is one thing. My mana use and application are as good as anyone’s, but these glyph arrays are delicate. If they’re not done precisely right, they could—” she hesitated, searching for the right word—“well, explode.”
Sophie nodded grimly. “I had the same thought. To be honest, most of my knowledge is theoretical. I’m not even that great at battlecasting—just theory. I usually have spell-workers handle the practical applications when I’m testing concepts. It’s rare that I ever have to use them in real time.”
“So what do we do?” Vivian asked.
“We trek out,” said another voice from just behind them.
It was Elizabeth. She stepped forward, her plain face and blue hair shining almost white in the moonlight. Her voice was soft but firm.
“If you look at the map, the mountains recede from the coastline and the river opens up here.” She pointed to a spot just north of their current heading. “We can disembark and make our way inland about twenty clicks north across these plains. There’s a central trading post, Berk, that acts as a rest point for the southern and northern regions. It’s one of many, but the closest to us.”
Vivian leaned closer to look. “And from there?”
“Just north of that—where the mountains get thickest—is the Kingdom of Eorzhar,” Elizabeth said. “I don’t think we have to go all the way into the mountains to be safe. We should be able to catch a flying carriage here, at Ikland. It’s one of the larger trade stations in the region. There should be at least a carriage or two available there.”
Sophie’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully. “Ikland… I’ve heard of it. It’s close to the northern ley crossings. Strong lines. That might give us a little mana protection from the chaos currents if we’re being tracked.”
“Then that’s the plan,” Vivian said, folding the map. “We head for Ikland. We keep the Divine Moonsteel hidden, stay off the main river path, and pray the Insight keeps us one step ahead of whatever’s hunting us.”
The women shared a look—grim, resolute, wordless—and the barges glided silently through the dark, the river carrying them toward whatever waited beyond the bend.