When I wake, the tent is empty. Quell must be sneakier than I give him credit for, or I really am as heavy a sleeper as álvaro says. I throw on a cloak, pull on my boots, and step out of the tent.

  Quell is sitting at the fire circle, poking at the embers with a stick. His face is lit with a faint e glow, and the sky is still purple; not quite night. It must only be four or five hours since we went to bed. When I head over he gnces up and gives me a small smile.

  “Couldn’t sleep?” I ask quietly, sitting across from him.

  He shrugs. “Hard to, what with everything that’s been going on.”

  “I dunno about that.” I yawn. “All the a these st few weeks mean I’ve been passing out about three seds after my head hits the bedroll. And judging by those bags under your eyes, I’d say you could use some more rest yourself.”

  He smiles and shakes his head. “’t fool you.”

  “Subtlety seem to be your strong suit,” I tease.

  His smile falls. “That’s more accurate than you might think.”

  I raise an eyebrow, waiting for him to tinue. He stirs his stick through the coals, sending up a flurry of sparks that quickly wink out.

  “stance is the best of us,” Quell says. “Most charismatic. Most powerful. He really was made to be King. Likewise, his illusion magic is breathtaking. Large scale illusions are his specialty. When he was thirteen, he cast a spell that made the entire pace look like a living tree: archways into branches, scaffoldings into leaves. I was only six, then, and I thought it was the most amazing thing I had ever seen.” He smiles. “It still might be the most amazing thing I’ve seen.”

  I recall the carrion cactus illusion stance created that first night: how vivid and real it had seemed. And not only that, it had produced sound. I wonder if I could have touched it if I’d tried.

  “Liz’s powers are more subtle, but equally strong,” he tinues. “Opposite of my brother, her powers are smaller in scale. Best used on herself, or small items. She’s great at attention to detail. Sometimes she’d weave an illusion to look like our mother, and use it to make the guards let us into pces we weren’t supposed to be.” He chuckles at that. Just like before, the smile slowly fades away.

  “Me, though, I never could never manage anything like either of them. I have the same affinity—it’s part of the royal bloodli my variant is weak.” He opens a hand, palm up, and a scattering of lights flicker from his fingers like miniature fireworks. “That’s about as good as it gets, really. The stro spell I have is Mirage, and all it do is make things a bit blurry. Because my real specialty isn’t making illusions, but seeing through them. I’m really good at that.” He ughs ruefully. “For all the good it do.”

  He pses into silence, tinuing to trace lines e through the coals.

  I give it a moment, but it doesn’t seem like he’s going to say anything else. “Why are you tellihis?”

  Quell sits back with a sigh, tossing the stito the fire pit. He takes his gsses off and pulls out a cloth, brushing a film of dust away. “I’m useless, is what I’m saying. stance was strong enough to fight off the Moonfall agents. Liz might have been captured, but she was clever enough to leave a trail and expose her abilities wheime was right. When the Umbral Bdes came for me, I just… it wasn't even a fight. It was over before I even knew what was happening. If you hadn’t rescued me, I’d have been gohout a trace.” He sets his gsses ba, frowning at the fire. “What am I even doing out here? What do I have to offer? I wanted so badly to help rescue my sister, but when it came down to a fight, I was only a liability.”

  “You are a liability,” I say, and Quell flinches, giving me an affronted look. “Every time you’re in danger, it puts me in danger. And since you’re a prince, you’re a target. You are a liability.”

  “Well I’m gd to hear there is a majority sensus,” he says bitterly.

  “And so are your siblings,” I add. “That just es with the territory of being born with a target on your back. But don’t fet the part you pyed irieving your sister. You found signs of her in The Coil. She left that trail of illusions knowing you’d be the oo see it. Yht a star drake to Darian’s crew when they’d lost their mount. Without you, we wouldn’t have found her.”

  Quell is quiet for a time. He looks at the fire. He looks at the stars beginning to shimmer through the cloudless night. He finally looks at me. “Why are y to make me feel better? You hate me.”

  I lean back, surprised. “Hate you? Why do you think that?”

  “Because I’m weak,” he cries. “And naive. And you’re bound to protect me against your will. Who wouldn’t resent someohey’re forced to serve?”

  “I don’t serve you, for the record.” I pick up a pebble and throw it at his shoulder. “I’m just here to keep your stupid ass from getting killed.”

  He betedly attempts to bat the pebble away, but it had already bouo the ground. I shake my head. Pathetic.

  But I’m still chewing on some of his words. “I did resent you at first,” I admit. “Or maybe it was the situation I resented. And I still am frustrated with it all. I don’t like being beholden to these magical rules I have no say in. Being forced to serve someone is demeaning. Having my free will wrenched away from me pisses me off. I want to be free of it all.”

  Quell listens to me with a miserable look on his face. I pick up another pebble and throw it toward the firepit. It hits a coal, which bursts into yellow sparks with a hiss.

  “But I’ve never hated you,” I say with a sigh. I pick up another pebble, rubbing its smooth surface between my fingers. “And I’m sorry if I gave you that impression. I guess I just figured it would be easier to keep you at arm’s reach. But I know none of this is your fault, and I shouldn’t have taken it out on you. Actually…” I flick the stone away. “I kind of rete to you.”

  Quell appears highly skeptical. “To me? What oh do we have in on?”

  “We’d both do anything for the ones we love,” I say. “Even though you khere wasn’t much you could do, you still did everything in your ability to find your sister. And I would give anything to know my brother’s safe.” I g over the darkeni. With every day that passes, I feel like he’s growing further away. Like I’m missing my ce to find him.

  “If he really is somewhere out there, is he okay?” I wonder. “Is he healthy? Happy? It’s the ‘not knowing’ that hurts the most. But there’s nothing I do. This desert is so vast and unfiving—and it’s only one small part of this world. What have I even doo try to find him? I feel so useless. Like I’m filing, aing no closer.” My heart aches, and my throat tightens. “I’m the older sibling. I was supposed to protect him. I already failed him once, and I ’t let it happen again.”

  Blinking against the sting in my eyes, I gnce back at Quell to find him watg me with a sad smile.

  “Maybe we have some on ground after all,” he says.

  “Don’t let it go to your head,” I warn him. I try to shake off the moment of vulnerability, and push forward a teasing smile instead. “We’re still just allies of circumstance.”

  Quell chuckles. “After that heart to heart I think we’ve at least upgraded to friends of circumstance.”

  “Friends are allowed to use niames,” I say. “I’ve heard Quill is—”

  “No.” Quell sits forward. “Absolutely not. Not you, too.”

  “It’s just so fitting,” I start before Quell throebble at me. I don’t even have to dodge, because it misses by about three feet. I ugh. Quell is smiling, too.

  “But you know,” I venture, “if you do want to be feel more useless, you start by helping around camp. We could use ara set of hands whe up camp each m and tear down the night.”

  Quell looks shocked. “Oh gods. Have I not… I didn’t even notice…”

  I snort. “Yeah, I could tell.”

  “I’m sorry,” he blurts. “I get distracted easily. Lose track of tasks. I ’t help it, I’ve always been like this, but—no, sorry, that’s not an excuse. I don’t want to be a nuisance.”

  He pulls a notebook and piece of charcoal out of his pocket and begins scribbling furiously.

  “What’s that?” I ask, bemused.

  “Notes,” he says, turning the page around to show me. “See? SET UP CAMP. It’s written now, which means it exists.”

  I ugh at that. “So it does if it’s not written down?”

  He looks at me sadly. “For me? Yes. Very often.”

  I shake my head in amusement. But hey, it’s progress. The guy is trying his best. My grin fades to a soft smile as I watch him make more notes in his book. An cozy quiet settles between us as he tio sult his notebook and I tend to the fire. Though her of us speak, just sharing the same space feels fortable and easy.

  It doesn’t take long for the rest to begin to rouse.

  “Good evening, you two,” Darian says as she steps out of her tent. All of the blood on her clothes and armor have been scrubbed away, nothio indicate the state she’d been in the day before. “Everyone well rested?”

  “Well enough,” Quell says, gng at me. I shrug. “How’s Liz?”

  Darian heads over to the star drakes to start pulling out some supplies for breakfast. “She’ll be out in a minute. Have you heard from Xamireb?”

  Ear steps out of his tent at that moment, too. “They’re doing well. Just tinuing to sleep it off.” He gives me a warm, grateful smile.

  The enviro is rexed as Darrian and Ear prepare the meal. Liz joins us soon as well, and then everyone is eating and chatting. It’s strange. I don’t think I’ve seen these people unwind since I first met them. But I guess it makes sehe worst is over.

  “Take some for Xamireb, too,” Darian tells Ear, passing him ara serving as he stands to go che his sibling. “They’ll he energy. We’ll begin riding back tonight.”

  “Yes, Captain.”

  “Back?” I look up sharply. “Back where?”

  “To the capital,” Darian says.

  “But we’re supposed to go to the Lifesprings,” I object.

  “No,” Darian says, “you and Prince Quell were supposed to apany Prince stao the Lifespring Oasis. But then you came after us. And we’re heading back to the Capital, where the princess recover safely within our borders.”

  Liz snorts. “Recover?” She throws a dramatid over her forehead. “Oh, this poor waif must needs return to the forts of the pace lest the hardships of the desert erode her sensibilities!”

  Darian isn’t amused. “You’re half-starved, and it’s not safe out here. There could be mroups of Moonfall soldiers looking for you.” She looks pointedly at Quell. “And you.”

  “But the Oasis is where we lift my curse,” I say, desperation edging into my voice. It’s also the most likely py brother to have ended up if he appeared anywhere around here.

  “There’s mages we talk to in the capital,” Darian says. “Besides, you seem to be managing the Aegis just fine.”

  “I mean Quell, not the shield,” I snap. Everyone looks startled by my outburst, and I have to take a calming breath. “But I am worried about the shield, too. It was going to kill the town guards before I stored it. I’m worried I might not have as much trol over it as I thought. I o get all this resolved as fast as I . Please.”

  Darian grimaces. “We’re a week’s ride from the Oasis still. It wouldn’t be much lohan that to get to the capital.”

  “I ’t wait that long.” I turn pleadingly to Quell. “We agreed. After we found your sister, you’d apao the Lifespring.”

  “I did,” Quell tells Darian. “As such, I’m honor bound to apany them.”

  Darian shakes her head in disbelief. “We always return to the Oasis at a ter date. But given the current dahat would be ill advised.”

  “We meet back up with stand his forces,” I say. “It will be safer with them, won’t it? Safer than the six of us traveling alone.”

  Darian’s eyes narrow. She’s probably not used to being questioned. Well, I’m not one of her soldiers, so she doesn’t have authority over me. Quell, oher hand…

  “We should meet sta the Lifespring,” Liz cuts in.

  Darian looks at her in surprise. I do, too.

  “The Umbral Bdes are pnning something there,” Liz says. “I don’t know what. But I overheard the name enough to know that was our destination. It seems the rumors of Moonfall activity around the Oasis were founded after all.”

  “If they wao take you there, then surely that’s the st pce we should go,” Darian says.

  “I don’t know.” Liz nibbles on a hunk of cheese. “There’s something moing on. They mentiohe Moonfall and Duneshade peace talks—they didn’t like them. I think this kidnapping attempt was ected, somehow.”

  “Then that firms it,” Darian says. “They are trying to start a war.”

  “Maybe.” Liz picks at the rind. “Though I’m not even sure if they were w for the , or operating as a rogue unit, to be ho. The teams were small and indepe. From the way they talked about you and stahey didn’t even know you guys had escaped.”

  “That’s what I thought,” Quell says, excited. “See? The Umbral Bdes might be ag on their own.”

  “A rogue fa?” Darias skeptically. “Not impossible, but… odd. And the simpler answer is that they are w for the .”

  I’m not following all the political intricacies going oween the different tries and fas, but with Liz on our side, we might be able to win Darian over. I sit bad let her and Quell do the talking.

  “But on the ce this abdu wasn’t on the order of the Moonfall Kings,” Quell says, “then we o be careful to not react to the as of individuals ae this into all-out war.”

  Darian frowns. “I believe you are seeing what you wish for, Prince Quell, rather than what is most likely. Prince stand I gathered signifit evideo implicate the ambassador in all of this.”

  Oh, crap. I fot about her. I’d barely had a ce to look at the ambassador that first night before she’d been dragged away.

  “Ambassador Ash?” Liz looks up, clearly distraught. “No. But she was so kind to us. Are you sure?”

  Darian gives her a sympathetic grimace.

  “She said she wanted peace.” Liz deftes sadly. “She seemed so sincere…”

  “People be traio seem so,” Darian says gently.

  Liz blows out a defeated breath, and my heart sinks. I thought the royals were onto something, but Darian is making good points, as much as I hate to admit it. Liz has folded, and Quell and I are on the losing side of this argument.

  Could we take a star drake and sneak off without them? Would we even be able to slip that past Darian?

  But Quell hasn’t given up yet. “No. Something’s still not adding up. Whether or not the Umbral Bdes were w for the , the Lifespring seems to be at the ter of all this.” He frowns, knug his . Then he abruptly sits up straight. “What if the rumors weren’t actually rumors?”

  “We already established that, Quill,” Liz wearily says.

  “No, no.” He waves his hand dismissively. “I don’t mean ‘what if the rumors were true.’ I mean, what if the rumors were iionally pnted in order to get us to e iigate the Oasis. This all started before we evehe capital, right? The reports of Moonfall sightings around the Lifespring were so mild and discreditable—exactly the perfect amount of mild and discreditable—that our parents felt it was safe enough to send us and treat the erip as political exercise. They were vinced Moonfall didn’t pose us any threat.” He points at Darian. “Part of their fidence was because Ambassador Ash insisted upon ing with us. Was she the oo suggest the excursion in the first pce?”

  Liz raises her eyebrows. “I don’t know.”

  “I’m not sure if she suggested it first, but the ambassador worked closely with Prince stance while pnning the logistics.” Darian swears. “Which is how they knew everything about our ente, including wheo strike.”

  Liz frowns, tapping her much like her brother. “Our abdu wasn’t an attack of opportunity; they were waiting for us.”

  “Exactly,” Quell says. “For them to have already been out here, they must have left Moonfall weeks in advance. But ohey captured us, they weren’t pnning to take us directly back to their territory. They were going to take us to the Oasis. Which means…”

  I’m starting to cat. “Moonfall might have already captured the Oasis.”

  Darian sighs, rubbiemple. “And Prince stance will be marg right into their hands.”