My shoulders tense.

“It was you, wasn’t it?” he says.

I say nothing.

“If it wasn’t you,” he continues, “it was Tycho, but he was unconscious and you weren’t. So.”

I stare at my hands. Blood has dried in the creases of my fingers, mixing with dirt and grit. “If you have figured it out, the prince will not be long behind.” I glance up at the grass and the stables. “We will have to move on. The innkeeper and his family are in danger by my presence.”

Though in truth, I have no idea where I will go, or where I will take Tycho.

“You’re the one everyone is looking for,” says Noah. “The magesmith.” He pauses. “The heir.”

He says it like he can’t quite believe it, but I nod.

“Did you know? That whole time you were trapped by the curse—did you know?”

“No.” My voice sharpens with anger, fed by the pain across my back. “You think I would have endured what I did if I’d known I had some shred of magic? Truly?”

He’s staring back at me impassively, and I sigh. My anger is not with Noah. “I did not find out until I took Lilith to the other side. She tried to bargain her freedom with the truth. Even then, I had no idea how to wield magic.” I pause. “I still have no idea how I did what I did in the courtyard.”

“When Lilith told you the truth … why did you run? Why did you leave?”

“Karis Luran had already spread doubt, the first day she came to Ironrose. I knew my existence would threaten the line of succession.” I pause. “I thought it would be easier if everyone thought I was dead.”

He’s quiet for a while. “Does this seem easier, Grey?”

I think of the shadows in Rhen’s eyes when we spoke in his chambers, the uneasy tension in his body when he told me about Silvermoon and everything that was at risk. “I did not consider that Rhen would fear magic more than he fears losing his throne. I should have.”

Noah snorts. “Fear makes people act in ways we’d never expect.”

“Indeed. He proved that last night.”

“Why didn’t you just tell him?” he says, but then he sighs without waiting for a reply. Anger threads between his words again. “Never mind. I saw what he was willing to do to get an answer, so I can only imagine what he would have done once he had it.”

“Emberfall is already in danger of civil war. An attack by Karis Luran may be imminent, especially now that Rhen holds her daughter prisoner.” I stop short as a flicker of memory breaks through the haze in my mind. Lia Mara beside me, helping to support Tycho’s weight as I release him from the wall. Did that happen? Did she escape? I cannot make the memory come together, and it likely does not matter anyway. I shake my head. “Rhen is trying to keep his country together.”

Noah says nothing. I shift my weight, wince, and put my arms back exactly as they were.

“You should return to Ironrose,” I say. “Now, while the hour is early. You will be seen as a traitor if you are found with me.”

“No.”

He speaks the word so simply. I turn my head to look at him, but his jaw is set, his arms tense where they rest against his knees.

“No?”

“I already told Jake that I’d rather be complicit in helping you escape than in what Rhen was doing.”

“Because of your oath?”

“Because it’s wrong.” He glances at me, and his voice is fierce. “Where I come from, people like me have a history with that … that kind of torture. I’m not going to be a part of it. I don’t care if that makes me a traitor.”

I study him. “Noah—there are already whispers of you possessing some magic of your own. If you flee with me …”

“Magic.” He snorts. “It’s medicine. It’s science. You know what’s funny? On the other side, I was judged for the color of my skin. For being attracted to men. Then I come here and no one cares about those things. Here, they question whether a healer is noble enough to be in love with a prince. They question how I can make a rash go away or break a fever.” He rolls his eyes.

A breeze sweeps between the barn and the inn, making me shiver. My heart begs for action, but I have no action to take—and I likely can’t do much anyway.

“How long will these take to heal?” I say.

“Weeks.” He pauses. “Maybe less. I’ll see if the innkeeper’s wife has some ginger and turmeric to bring down the inflammation.”

I lower my voice, though the hour is early and everyone is still asleep. “Why do they think we’re here?”

“They only saw me and Jake, and they know us. We said you and Tycho were injured in an assault on the road, and we needed to stop for the night.”

Innocent enough, and nothing that will arouse suspicion. I’ll need to find a shirt before anyone sees my back. “Tycho has … been through much,” I say. I glance over. “Did he wake last night?”

“Yes. Several times.” He pauses. “He kept asking if we got you out, too.”

I keep seeing the boy’s face in the loft at Worwick’s. I’ll keep your secret, Hawk.

I run a hand across my jaw. “I should never have involved him in this. In any of this.”

To my surprise, Noah laughs quietly. “You probably couldn’t have stopped him. That kid would follow you off a cliff.”

I inhale to answer, but thundering hoofbeats stop me. I’m on my feet before my body protests the motion.

“At least two horses,” I say to Noah. “Maybe more.” My hand automatically reaches for a blade, but I have nothing.

As if I could fight.

“Go inside,” I say. “Hide the others. I’ll take a horse. They’re looking for me.”

“You can’t ride! You can’t—”

“Go!”

We’re not going to be fast enough. The hoofbeats are nearly upon the property. Guardsmen will search the premises and tear through anyone who gets in their way.

A horse appears around the side of the inn, and I realize it’s all over. Of course they’ve sent men to prevent escape through the back. My hands are in fists. I can’t feel the pain in my back any longer.

“Grey?”

I freeze. It’s Harper—and behind her, on another horse, is Zo.

I don’t know what this means. I glance between them.

Harper swings down from the horse without hesitation. “I don’t have a lot of time. Rhen is meeting with his advisers. The Royal Guard will be looking for you at full light.” She fumbles with a saddlebag, then carries it across the clearing to me. Her expression is dark and full of concern. “Here, I brought you some clothes …” Her eyes flick down my body, and her voice trails off. “Oh, Grey.”

She cannot even see the worst of it, but I know there are two lash marks that wrapped around my rib cage. One parallels a scar I earned fighting Rhen in monster form, which seems fitting somehow.

She reaches out to touch my arm, her fingers warm and gentle.

When she tries to turn me, I hold fast. “No.”

Her eyes meet mine, and the pity there is almost worse than the humiliation of what happened. A moment of weighted tension hangs between us, broken only when Noah steps forward to take the saddlebag.