As we walked through the palace halls, Alistair told me the story of Isadora's past. She had been a mercenary for hire, traveling the world and making a name for herself as an unbeatable fighter. But then, something changed. She fell in love with a man, a fellow mercenary, and they planned to retire together and start a new life.

  But before they could make their escape, Alistair had approached them with an offer they couldn't refuse. The old king had been threatened by a neighboring kingdom, and he needed the best fighters in the world to protect his people. In return, he promised them enough money to retire for good.

  Isadora and her lover had agreed and fought in the old king's name side by side with Alistair and many others. But upon their triumphant return, they realized that the old king's promise was just an empty one. They became understandably enraged. They felt trapped, and Isadora had blamed Alistair for their predicament. The two had fought to a standstill, only agreeing not to kill one another when the current king came forth and proposed the coup that had led to the current state of our kingdom.

  The old king had been a cruel and capricious fool. But our new king was wise and compassionate. He had paid Isadora and her lover handsomely.

  And then Isadora's lover had left her, stolen all their reward money and fled in the night, leaving Isadora stranded here with no money and a broken heart.

  "He just...left," Alistair said with a sigh. "No warning, no explanation. He disappeared into the night, and she's been bitter ever since. I think she blames me but I don't really know why."

  "That's rough," I said, feeling a pang of sympathy for Isadora. "But why did you offer them the job if you thought the old man wouldn't deliver on his promises.?"

  Alistair shrugged. "Desperation, I guess. The old king was desperate for skilled fighters, and I was desperate for a job. I didn't think about the consequences and it never occurred to me that he might refuse to pay up. He was a miserable old bastard. And now, here we are."

  "So why is she stuck here? Couldn't she just leave, like him?" I asked.

  "She doesn't have the resources," he replied. "After the job for the old king ended with his head in a basket, let's just say that her usual contacts didn't have all the work for her that they normally did."

  That made sense. Hard to trust a mercenary whose previous employer wound up dead. Then again, said employer did stiff her on the bill, so maybe that was an overreaction on the part of the other contacts.

  We reached Amara's room before I could finish processing Isadora's fate. Thalia was waiting for us.

  "How did it go?" she asked, her eyes flickering from Alistair to me.

  "We have a new ally," Alistair said, grinning.

  "Don't tell me. Isadora said yes?" Amara said, her eyebrows raised in surprise. I wondered how she could've immediately know that. "I didn't think she was the type to work with anyone."

  "She's not," Alistair said. "But she's willing to make an exception for us. For a hefty price."

  Amara looked thoughtful. "She's good," she said. "But she's also unpredictable. Are you sure we can trust her?"

  "I wouldn't say I trust her," Alistair said. "But I think we can rely on her to follow through on her word so long as we do."

  Thalia nodded slowly, still seeming uncertain. "Well, we don't have much of a choice at this point," she said. "We need all the help we can get."

  "Which is why I will help you," Amara said.

  We all turned to look at her, surprised. She hadn't spoken much since we arrived at her room, and I could see the determination in her eyes.

  "I may not be able to fight," she continued, "but I can use my knowledge of magic to aid you in battle. And my medicinal training will come in handy after the battles we face together, too. Also, it's not ready yet, but I have an idea for what we can use the flower for. Something that can hurt the shades. Let me work on it tonight a little more and we can discuss it more tomorrow."

  Thalia smiled at her. "Thank you," she said. "We could use all the help we can get."

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  "No, thank you. It's nice to feel useful. I need to do anything in my power to preserve my master's legacy," Amara said, a small smile gracing her lips. "He would want me to help. He would want the people of the castle, of the village, to be protected. I may not be able to do much, but I will do everything in my power to help you."

  Alistair clapped a hand on her shoulder. "We appreciate it," he said. "And we'll do everything in our power to keep you safe."

  The room fell into a comfortable silence as we all contemplated the upcoming battle. It was going to be dangerous and unpredictable, but we had a plan and new allies to aid us.

  I was about to thank her when the boy stirred in his cot. He looked much better than he had when he'd been attacked by the Shade, and I realized he was a little older than I had first thought. He cleared his throat and we all turned to look at him. "I want to help too," he said. I could tell he was barely able to keep his voice from breaking.

  Thalia knelt down beside him. "You've been through enough, young one," she said softly. "You need to rest."

  "No," he said, more firmly this time. "I want to help. The Shades slaughtered my family. I want to make them pay. I'll do whatever it takes."

  I could see the fire in his eyes, the determination to seek revenge for what had been done to him. It was a dangerous thing, but it was also admirable.

  "Can he?" I asked Thalia.

  She hesitated for a moment before nodding. "It's dangerous, but he could help with the smaller Shades. We would need to keep him out of the main battle, but he could provide a distraction or help with some of the weaker ones. With some training, that is."

  "Put a spear in his hands and the boy will be more effective than half the soldiers I've ever fought alongside," Alistair said suddenly. "There's a fire in his eyes most people lack. I say we point him in the direction of the nasties and get out of his way."

  The boy grinned, and I could see that he was already planning how he could be of use. "Thank you," he said, his voice laced with gratitude.

  Amara looked at him with something like pity mixed with warmth. Clearly she appreciated his display of bravery. "I'm sorry for what you've been through," she said. "But be careful. Seeking revenge can be a dangerous path to go down."

  "I know," he said, his eyes never leaving hers. "But I have to do this. For my family. You saved me..."

  He looked into my eyes.

  "I want to be able to save others , too, if I can."

  "What's your name?" Amara asked.

  The boy hesitated for a moment, as if deciding whether or not to trust us with his name. But then, he seemed to make up his mind. "My name is Luca," he said, his voice a little stronger now. "Luca Valtieri."

  "Luca," Thalia repeated, smiling at him. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Thalia, and these are my friends."

  I introduced myself, as did Alistair and Amara. Luca seemed to take in each of our names before nodding in understanding. "Thank you for letting me help," he said. "I know it might not seem like it, but I'm a competent fighter. From the way you found me..."

  "You mean alive?" I asked. "You fought a Shade and lived. I can tell you're more than competent, Luca."

  Luca smiled at me, his eyes sparkling with newfound confidence. "Well then, I won't let you down," he said. "I'll do whatever it takes to help you."

  I could see the determination etched on his features and I felt a sense of pride for him. He was just a child, a scrawny teenager, but he had a warrior's spirit, and it was that kind of spirit that would help us in the upcoming fight.

  "Alright, Luca," I said. "We'll need to keep you safe, but we could use your help. So far you're our only volunteer for this fight outside the four of us, so that makes you braver than most."

  He nodded eagerly, and I could see that he was ready to take on whatever the Shades had in store for us. We all stood up, ready to make preparations for the upcoming battle. We had a plan, new allies, and a determination to succeed. We were ready to face whatever dangers lay ahead.

  "We still need more people," Thalia said.

  "Isadora will bring some, and before we go out tomorrow, we'll scour the grounds again," Alistar said. "Once word gets out that the healer is coming with us, people will want to join us."

  Amara smiled. "You give me too much credit."

  "No," he replied. "The king doesn't give you enough."

  "Speaking of the king," I said. "I don't think he should be informed."

  Thalia raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"

  "The guy staged a coup against the former king. Justified or not, I don't trust him," I explained, thinking back to Alistair's story about Isadora and the old king. "And if he finds out that we're planning to attack the Shades, he might try to stop us. It's better if he doesn't know until after the fact."

  Alistair nodded in agreement. "It's too risky. We can't take any chances," he said. "We want to make sure this isn't sanctioned."

  Amara looked thoughtful. "But what if he finds out?" she asked. "What if he thinks we're going behind his back?"

  "We'll deal with the consequences if and when they come," I said firmly. "But for now, it's better if he remains unaware."

  "Fine," Thalia said. "But you're explaining this to him if–no, when–he finds out."

  I shrugged. Sure, I was thinking. If we make it out of this alive.

  But I didn't say anything like that, and when Alistair started talking about logistics, it was too late to stop him.