The araoid guard Xamireb holds the fp of the tent open for us. I roll my shoulder and crack my neck, the aches of the battle finally starting to catch up to me, then duside after Quell.

  The tent is the size of a rge room, and several rugs and pillows cover the ground. No chairs, though. There’s a leather map spread over the ter of the floor, around which the pillows are arranged. Quell takes a seat on one of the pillows, politely sitting on his legs and folding his hands in his p, while I unceremoniously colpse into a pillow across from him. God, it feels great to be sitting on something other than sand.

  Xamireb and Ear follow us in, standing quietly at either end of the tent. None of the others do, however, which is just as well given the size; they must be posted around the four outer walls in case, I don’t know, I try to abduct the prind make a run for it, or something.

  Well, given there already was an abdu attempt on the prionight, I guess that’s not the most unreasonable to have.

  Quell sits in an unfortable sileer the first two guards take up their station. I’m starting to wonder if he’s also waiting for the st guards to file in when he looks abruptly up at me.

  “About earlier—testing your cim. I really am sorry,” he says. “I wasn’t thinking—”

  I snort. “Clearly.”

  “—I wasn’t thinking about you when I ran toward the creature,” he tinues. “I just didn’t want to get shipped bae. Not with Liz still out there.”

  I fold my arms, sizing him up. Well, an apology is a start. “Liz is your sister, right? Princess Felicity?” Even as I ask, my thoughts go back to álvaro, and my heart twists within my chest.

  Quell nods, removing his fractured gsses from his nose. He moves like he’s going to wipe them on the front of his shirt—which is coated in sand—theo thier of it and tucks them into a pocket with a sigh.

  “It’s true I’m not a fighter. But that doesn’t mean I’m useless,” he says. “She ’t be far, and we ’t afford to sit around and wait. We o be searg for her now. In fact, I’m sure this most ret attack was unched as a way to slow our pursuit.”

  I’m curious how giant cactus monsters be u the enemy. But as much as I hate to admit it, his words strike a nerve.

  “Look, I’m sorry for your sister,” I say. “My brother’s missing, too. I want to be out there looking for him right now, but instead I’m stuck here with you.”

  I g the guards, w how much I should say around them. Ear and Xamireb are staring stoically ahead, as if ign our versation. But I don’t trust them not to snitch, so it’s best if I keep anyone else from finding out about my otherworldly ins. Zeyaelid, that spider demigod, had asked for her abdu of Hans to be kept discreet, but there were too many withere for me to believe no one will say anything. If there’s ohing I know, it’s that you ’t trust people to not be selfish or stupid. If it’s not o’s always the other.

  “You’re really stuck with me, then?” Quell asks with a ed look. “You’re forced to protect me if I’m in danger?”

  “Seems that way,” I admit.

  “What kind of magic is it?” he asks.

  Echo? I ask.

  [A user’s Role is a seeded parameter of the neurare work only referred to as the System, which spans all fields of ara studies.]

  Well that’s useless.

  “I don’t know what the magic is, or where it came from,” I say. “All I know is that if I don’t stick to its rules, it starts driving me mad.”

  Quell looks horrified. “That sounds like a curse.”

  I hadn’t thought of that. Is it a curse? It doesn’t feel like ohis System is all crete and numeric when I’d supposed a curse would be more… I don’t know, spooky and wishy-washy. But if he’s right, then maybe other people in this world might actually know how to ha. “Do you think so? I get it removed?”

  “Possibly.” Quell taps his . “I’ve read of several cases of the Lifespring Oasis removing magical ailments. It would be as good a pce to start as any.”

  “Really?” Finally, it feels like something might be going right. I’m tired of being yanked around by every hing I’ve entered. The Role Requirement, the Bloodlust, the Aegis—I just want my damn autonomy back. “What’s the Lifespring Oasis? Where is it?”

  Quell ughs. “You really aren’t from around here, are you?”

  My gaze flickers nervously to the guards, but they’re still staring straight ahead. Luckily, Quell seems to catch my look and the hint.

  “Ah, right,” he says. “Someone from Valenia probably isn’t very versed in our history.”

  It sounds like a weak cover to me, and it probably is, but I guess that’s what we’re going with for now.

  “The Lifespring Oasis,” Quell tinues, “is an opening into The Lull—an other-dimensional source of life ara. It radiates nature and healing magic, which permeates the surroundi to create an oasis of greenery and, well, life. The Gilded Desert boasts the rgest animals in the world due to the Lifespring’s influehat’s where the likes of that carrion cactus e from.” He nods toward the tent fp. “But the Oasis doesn’t just augment the pnts and animals in the area, it also perform incredible acts of healing and sing. Pure, trated life ara break down all kinds of adverse magic. It’s why I think it would be a good pce to pursue a solution to your curse.”

  “That sounds great,” I say. A healing oasis in the middle of the desert. Maybe it could also do something about the codepe demon shield I’ve gotten saddled with. And if álvaro’s anywhere around here, it might draw his attention, too.

  But even as the proposal is lifting my spirits, Quell’s face is sched in a grimace.

  I narrow my eyes. “So why do you look like you’ve just eaten a sock?”

  “There’s a bit of a hitch,” Quell admits. “The Lifespring is tested ween us and the Moonfall Dynasty. That is, between the Duneshade Kingdom and Moonfall Dynasty. It’s sort of a big source of fri between our two tries, actually.”

  Oh great, a border dispute. Just what I wao get mixed up in.

  Quell cps his hands together. “Good news, bad news. The good news is, the Lifespring Oasis is already our destination. Bad neere going there to iigate rumors of a Moonfall occupation which, based on the events of tonight, appear likely to be true. Other bad news: Liz’s abdueans they will likely try to send stand I bae, where we’re far from the battlegrounds and out of immi danger. And if you have to stick with me, that means you’ll be heading there, too.”

  I frown. “That was more like good news, bad news, bad news.”

  “Well, yes, teically speaking,” Quell admits. “But maybe it could be good news, bad news, bad news, good news. This uuation we find ourselves is an iing opportunity.”

  I look at him skeptically. “’t wait to see how you’ll spin this.”

  “We both want the same thing, ultimately,” Quell says. “I don’t want to be sent bae when I’d rather be out here looking for my sister. And you want to get to the Lifespring, which is the intended destination of this pany. If you help me find Liz, then Duneshade’s resources don’t have to be split and we just focus on clearing the Oasis. Once we determi’s safe, both of us visit, and you’ll have a ce to rid yourself of this curse—and me—ond for all.” He spys his hands. “See? A mutually beneficial opportunity!”

  It does seem like the fastest path toward trying to get rid of this strange Role Requirement that has me saddled to him. More importantly, though, I desperately want an opportunity to look for my brother. Helping Quell search the desert is more likely to give me that thaing dragged away to some distant kingdom.

  “Alright,” I say. “We do have some on goals. I’ll help you find your sister if you agree to go with me to the Lifespring Oasis after.”

  His face brightens. “Of course! Thank you.”

  “But,” I add, “I want to make ohing very clear. I’m not going along with this because I have a choice. We’re not friends. And after the way you abused my curse—or whatever it is I have—I don’t particurly like you.”

  His face falls. “I really am sorry about that. I won’t take advantage of your situation again. I promise.”

  He better not.

  We pse into an uneasy sileer that. For several minutes, her of us say anything; a trend I’m more than happy to tihough from Quell’s renewed fidgeting it’s clear he wants to say something more. Luckily, we’re saved from the camity of small-talk wheent-fp snaps open and Prince stand Captain Darian stride in.

  “...never should have happened,” stance says, face dark.

  “In that, we’re in agreement,” Darian replies. “It was an inexcusable ht. One I io rectify.”

  Quell stands up as the others enter. “Did you learn anything about Liz?”

  stance waves a hand at him to sit back down. “The ambassador tio be tight lipped about tonight’s attack. It’s early yet, however. We will get something out of her eventually.” He takes a seat on a pillow at the head of the room.

  Hesitantly, Quell sits back down as well. “We ’t afford to wait for eventually.”

  Irritation briefly flickers across stance’s face. Then, he sighs. “I know.”

  Darian sits beside Quell, uionally (or perhaps very iionally) arranging the seating so I am alone on my side of the tent and everyone is fag me.

  “My scouts are searg for her trail,” Darian tells Quell. “For now, there’s nothing we do until they report back. It’s nearly sunrise and the camp is exhausted. The best course of a is to rest and then decide our move tomorrow.”

  Quell sags, but he doesn’t argue. The whole room feels tired.

  “Before bed,” stance says, “we’ve o matter to take care of.” He gestures to me. “You.”

  Yeah, saw that one ing.

  “My name’s Nye,” I say, realizing only Quell and I have teically been introduced. “I’m not from Moonfall, as I’ve said before.” I put a hand on my chest pte. “And yes, I know how it looks.”

  I hesitate, at that point. I don’t know how much I should say. There are demigods out looking for people like me, apparently, so telling them I’m from another world is a nonstarter. But I don’t know how else to expin my ck of knowledge of, well, everything.

  Quell seems to pick up on this. “Their tale is plicated,” he says, gesturing to the guards. “I think such versations should be held in private.”

  Well, it’s not just the guards I’m worried about, but I guess the fewer people within earshot, the better.

  “Sending the guards away seems unnecessary,” stance says.

  “It shouldn’t be a problem.” Darian flicks her hand, and the soldiers respectfully bow their heads and leave. “If the newer tries anything, I’m more than enough to hahem myself. No offense,” she says to me.

  I smile, tight-lipped. “A little offeaken.”

  staaps a finger against his knee impatiently. “The guards have been dismissed. Speak freely.”

  Those st words are definitely more of a and than a suggestion. But I’m still not sure what to say.

  To my surprise, Quell jumps in first. “They’re a victim of ic magic,” he says, and I think it’s safe to say all three of us are surprised wheurn to him. “Their body is from a Moonfall soldier killed itle. Whe carved out that crater, the body must have e in tact with an underground pocket of wild neancy arum. Si was still fresh, it likely became a vessel for whatever soul—or souls—might have been trapped ihe magic. You’re o this body, right?” Quell asks me.

  “Um, yeah,” I say. He sounds so fident, I’m almost vinced myself. Or maybe this isn’t far from the truth?

  Darian looks skeptical. “I’ve heard of souls trapped and held back from the afterlife—but such magic is not only forbidden, but exceptionally rare. How did your soul end up here specifically?”

  “I’m not sure,” I admit. “I think… I think I died.”

  It’s the first time I’ve said it out loud, and it’s like a kick to the stomach. It was easy to not think about with all the a going on. But now there’s nothing to fight. Nothing to distract me.

  I died.

  The others are silent for a moment, and when I look up, their expressions are soft and pitying. It summons a reflexive defensiveness in me, and whatever face I was making, I try to wipe it away.

  “It doesn’t matter,” I say shortly. “I’m here now.”

  stance slowly nods. “Ihe meics of how are not important to me, either.” Quell appears ready to disagree with this, but stance presses ahead. “Rather, there is something more pressing I wish to speak about. That shield of yours. What you tell me about it? I would like to see it.”

  Now this is something I’d like to get some ao as well. I go his owill sheathed at his side.

  “Sure,” I say, standing and taking a step back from the others. “It calls itself The Crimson Aegis.”

  Quell’s eyes go wide. “It’s called the what?!”

  [Crimson Aegis removed from Iory.]