“Father?” I called into the dark.

“Nor?”

My breath left me in a rush as I hurried to his cell. The door was wooden, but there was a small window inset with steel bars. As I reached the door, I saw his fingers stretch through the bars, and I immediately grasped them in mine.

“Nor,” he said. “I can’t believe it’s really you.”

I could only see his dark eyes and a bit of his proud forehead, but even that glimpse was enough to make me gasp. His skin was lined in a way I’d never seen before, and there were dark circles under his eyes. He had aged ten years in a matter of weeks.

“Are you all right, Father?”

“I’m fine, child. And you? How did you end up here?”

I caught him up on everything that had happened since I’d last seen him as quickly as I could. “I’m going to get you free,” I assured him. “Do you know which of the guards has the keys?”

He shook his head. “They never bring torches when they come, so I can’t see them. They don’t speak, either.”

“Oh, Father.” I squeezed his fingers in solidarity. “How terribly lonely.”

“Have you seen your mother? How are Zadie and Sami?”

“Everyone is fine. The Varenians were all freed when I came.” All except us, I thought bitterly. “Zadie and Sami are doing very well, Father.”

“That’s all that matters,” he murmured.

“You matter,” I told him. “Don’t give up on me.”

“Listen to me, Nor. We’re running out of time.” He lowered his voice. “Sometimes, when Ceren was away from the castle, his control over the stones would slip. The Varenians were able to dig a tunnel leading to the outside while they mined. I suspect it’s the one you escaped through before. Promise me if you have a chance to go, you’ll take it. I’ll be fine, knowing you are safe.”

I kissed his fingers in gratitude. If Father was correct, that meant we had a way out. But if he thought there was any chance of me leaving without him, he didn’t know me at all, and I told him as much.

“How did I raise such a determined daughter?” he mused, his tone a mixture of pride and resignation.

I smiled, feigning cheerfulness. “I should get back. I’ll come and visit again as soon as I can.”

He squeezed my hand and released it, and suddenly the thought of leaving him was too painful to bear.

“Nor?”

It was Ceren, calling down the corridor for me. I turned back to Father. “I love you so much.”

“I love you, too, Nor. Just knowing you’re close by makes me stronger.”

“Me, too,” I whispered. I knew that I would defeat Ceren, somehow. Because even if love was my greatest weakness, it was also the thing that made me strong.

29

The next day, I was invited to meet with Lady Hyacinth for tea. I had no desire to see her; she’d been part of the plan to use the Varenians to dive for pearls, and I had a feeling she was behind the bloodstone mines. But she was also the head of Ceren’s war council, which meant she of all people would know his plan of attack.

I had to be careful with how I approached her, though. She was as deceptive as a stingray—soft and placid most of the time, but fully capable of whipping her stinger out at any provocation.

“Lady Nor,” Hyacinth said when I entered her chambers. As usual, her natural beauty was obscured by her severe facade. She wore her hair pulled back tight against her skull, and her dress had long sleeves and a high neck, exposing only her hands and face. Her eyes were lined heavily with kohl, a style uncommon in Varenia that made her look even more fierce.

“Lady Hyacinth.” I dropped into a polite curtsy, surprised she had used a title when gods knew no one else had bothered.

“Welcome back.” She gestured to the three other women in the room. “I’d like you to meet the better half of King Ceren’s war council: Ladies Lyra, Dree, and Poppy.”

I studied the women with interest. I vaguely recognized two of them from my previous time at New Castle, though none of them had attended Hyacinth’s tea parties. The third, Poppy, was completely unfamiliar. It was interesting that half of Ceren’s war councilors were women, when he had made it very clear how little he respected them. “A pleasure,” I said, taking the offered seat. “May I ask why I was invited today?”

“You may ask whatever you like,” Hyacinth said with a high, musical laugh that was clearly fake. Several of the others chuckled, too, but I kept my expression neutral. “Sweet girl. Don’t you remember what the first rule of warfare is?”

I remembered what she’d told me all too well. “Know your enemy.”

“Exactly! Such a smart one. I always thought King Ceren was underestimating you. I was hardly surprised when you escaped. I wasn’t even surprised you stabbed the king.” She came to stand behind me, placing her hands on my shoulders. I could feel her long nails—kept that way to show she was above manual labor—pressing against my skin through the holes in my knit wrap. “We are all very fortunate you didn’t manage to finish the job.”

The other councilmembers were watching me for a reaction, and I wondered what qualified them to advise anyone on warfare. Given their soft hands and smooth skin, they hadn’t spent much time outdoors, let alone fighting.

It was difficult to ascertain how much the people in New Castle knew of what had transpired between Ceren and me. It was no secret that Ceren had kept me in the dungeon and bled me repeatedly for “research,” but I couldn’t imagine him telling everyone he’d been drinking my blood. It wouldn’t do much for his image to admit that the person who nearly killed him was also the person who had made him strong.

“It wasn’t for lack of trying,” I said finally.

She barked a mirthless laugh. “No, I suppose not. We were all shocked by his miraculous recovery and the discovery of the bloodstone vein. I must say, your people are so hardworking. Even the elders and children.” She pushed away from my chair and walked back to her seat, then steepled her fingers, clicking those awful claws together.

I glanced at the other ladies. “How did you become members of the war council?” I asked, figuring I might as well find out whatever I could while I was here.

“I was raised in Galeth,” Lady Poppy said. “I came to Ilara when I was still a girl, but King Ceren finds my knowledge useful.”

Lyra lifted her chin. “I have something of a knack for design and building. I’m helping with weaponry.”

“I learned strategy from my father, who was general of the king’s guard before Prince Talin,” Dree explained.