I barely got any sleep that night.

  I awoke early in the morning and paced around hallways and courtyards, trying to glean bits of information from anyone's conversation. Anything I could learn about the attacks, the Shades, the berserkers, the prophecy, it could all be useful.

  But there was nothing. What I overheard was either nothing I didn't already know, or it was just inane, boring, useless palace gossip and none of it concerned me in the slightest.

  Apparently there was a Lord Holden who was cheating on his mistress...with his wife? I know way too many details about that guy's personal life to ever take him seriously if we end up meeting somewhere down the line. Note to self, don't eavesdrop on the maids. They know everything about palace gossip, but none of it is useful to saving the world, sadly.

  Frustrated, and a little grossed out, I made my way to the training grounds again, hoping that physical exercise would help take my mind off things. Thalia was already there, practicing her swordsmanship with a fierce intensity. When I walked up she was dripping sweat and smashing the target with a practice sword so fast and brutally that the blade actually splintered on her next attack.

  She turned to retrieve another wooden sword, letting the broke one fall into a small pile of similarly broken weapons that littered the ground, and gave me a nod of acknowledgment before returning to her routine. There was something about the intensity of her anger that told me it would be better if I just gave her some space for a bit.

  I unsheathed my sword and joined her, feeling the familiar weight of the weapon in my hand.

  We worked in silence for several long minutes before her emotions came out in a rush and she wound up kicking the target dummy over and letting loose a howl of anger that startled a few birds from their perches far above.

  Wordlessly, I walked over to her discarded items and drew her sword, handing it to her handle first and quirking my eyebrow at her questioningly. Neither of us felt much like talking, and we both knew where our frustration was coming from. But the chance to distract ourselves with some light sparring was too good to pass up.

  She accepted the blade and nodded her thanks.

  I repaid the kindness by immediately going on the offensive; forcing her to think about me instead of the crushing weight of what was beginning to feel like an impossible task.

  We sparred for a while, exchanging blows, parries, and thrusts in such rapid succession that it became all either of us could think about. My mind was still racing, so I found myself being a bit more aggressive and reckless than usual. Thalia was quick to call me out on it.

  "Slow down, chosen one," she said, smirking at me as she blocked my attempt at a downward slash. "Focus on your form. If my great-grandfather ever rose from the grave, he'd hand you your own sword in five seconds flat."

  "Oh? Was he a great swordsman?" I asked, impressed.

  "No. He was a farmer," she answered with a sly grin.

  I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself, stepping back and resisting the urge to go on the attack once more to knock that grin off her face. She was right. I needed to clear my head and concentrate on the basics. I went through the motions, focusing on my posture, my footwork, and my grip on the sword. I could feel myself settling into a rhythm, my thoughts starting to quiet. The more the world seemed to fall apart at the seams, the better it felt to focus on what I knew. We continued to spar for a while longer, until we were both panting and sweating.

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  Thalia wiped her forehead with her arm and grinned at me. "Not bad," she said. "You seem more focused now."

  "As do you." I smiled back, feeling satisfied with the progress I had made. "Thanks," I said. "I needed that."

  We sat down on the grass, catching our breath. Thalia opened her water flask and took a long drink before offering it to me. I took a swig and handed it back to her.

  "So, did you have any luck getting information?" she asked, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

  I shook my head, feeling frustrated. "No, nothing useful. Just palace gossip. Bunch of rumors of illegitimate children, ladies getting frisky with their handsome bodyguards, and some lord cheating on his mistress with his wife."

  Thalia frowned. "Are you sure it wasn't the other way around? Normally lords cheat on their wives with mistresses."

  "Yeah, you'd think. Apparently this guy fell back in love with his wife after years of doting on his mistress. It's a whole thing and I don't really want to get into it right now. It's entirely unhelpful to what we need to be finding out, but nobody around her knows anything. Did you get a chance to speak with Amara by chance?"

  Thalia shook her head. "Not yet. She shooed me out of the infirmary the minute she saw me. I think she needs more time with the herb."

  I licked my lips. "We're stalled."

  "We are," she said.

  We sat in silence for a few moments, both lost in thought. I knew Thalia was just as worried as I was about our situation. We were running out of time, we had no clue what our next move was, and our enemies were growing stronger every day.

  "Maybe we need to take a different approach," I said suddenly, breaking the silence.

  Thalia looked at me curiously. "What do you mean?"

  "I mean, maybe we need to find allies," I explained. "We can't fight this alone. Maybe there are other kingdoms or factions that are willing to join us."

  Thalia nodded slowly, considering my proposal. "It's risky," she said. "We don't know who we can trust anymore. The kingdoms around us might be facing their own threats as well, and we don't know if they'll even be willing to help us."

  "I know," I replied. "But we have to try. We can't keep going like this, hoping that we'll stumble upon some solution by blind luck. No one around her knows anything, and we can't just sit around doing nothing and listening to idle chatter."

  Thalia sighed. "You're right," she said.

  We heard someone clear their throat behind us. My hand immediately went to my sword, but I relaxed when I craned my neck to see Alistair standing there.

  "You know, if you wanted information about the people who live here, all you had to do was ask."

  Thalia cocked her head, her eyes narrowing. "How long have you been there?" she asked.

  "Long enough to know exactly what the two of you are talking about," he said. "Amara would be willing to go with us, but she's the only healer in the palace right now. If she leaves and there's another raid, it'll be even worse for them. She might hesitate."

  "She should. She's right, she shouldn't leave this place unprotected," Thalia said.

  "We could bring Harlan here," I offered.

  "And what would happen to the villagers he's helping if we did that?" Thalia asked.

  I swallowed. There was a way, but I didn't love it. It meant leaving Thalia unprotected. "Listen," I said. "I was right before. We need to figure out a way to get more people to help us."

  "You go talk to Amara," I told Thalia. "Alistair can help me find a team and set out. But we need her onboard before we do anything else," I said. "Please do what you can."

  Thalia nodded. I knew she would try hard to get Amara onboard, but if she wasn't successful, I had no idea what our next steps would be.

  One thing was certain though. We would find no answers sitting around in this castle anymore. It was time to get out there and start saving the world.