The door shut silently behind him as I crossed my arms. “So, you wanna tell me what changed in the span of less than an hour? Because earlier, you were fine with helping those people.”

Time opened his mouth, but the familiar tingle at the back of my neck flared. I narrowed my eyes and snapped, “Without lying, if you don’t mind. I can sense it now, remember?”

His jaw clicked shut and he grimaced. “I should never have explained what that sensation meant…”

“Boo-hoo”, I snorted. “You have to tell me the truth now. Too late to backtrack. So, what’s the real reason? Because, let’s be clear, if it's not fantastic I’m going to help those people.”

Between the chance of finding a general and the suffering those people might be enduring, there was no way I could turn a blind eye. Silas’s top commanders were our best shot at gathering intel–aside from the journal safely stashed in my bag–and we needed every lead we could get.

Time stood motionless, the weight of his indecision etched on his face. I waited, unflinching. This was too important to let slide. Finally, exhaustion gave way to reluctant resignation.

“I have a deep and painful history with Dawnmoor,” he said, voice low and tight. “The last time I was there, I swore never to return.” A blade of grief sliced through his expression.

“Dawnmoor has the resistance leader and your new friend. That should be enough.”

His honesty was progress, at least. I relaxed slightly, though my arms stayed crossed. “Okay, trauma’s a class A bitch, I get that. But what about the general? You said it yourself–this is our only lead.”

Time’s lips thinned, but he said nothing. I pressed on. “Silas said his generals have incredible powers. What if this one wipes out the resistance? Doesn’t that still lead to the apocalypse?”

I’d managed to take down the army earlier and the general wouldn’t be alone.

Time sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I considered that as well…”

“And yet you still want to avoid it? What the hell happened there to make you this averse to the place?” I half expected him to dodge the question–it was clearly personal–but after a long silence, he turned away. His expression locked into a blank mask.

“Karma and I lost a child there.”

Fuck.

The words hit like a punch to the gut. Of all the answers I’d braced for, that wasn’t one of them. Sympathy twisted in my chest as I scrubbed both hands down my face. This just got a lot more complicated.

I couldn’t ask him to return to the place his child died. That would be cruel. But could we really risk leaving the general unchecked and starting the apocalypse in our absence?

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

“Well…fuck.” It was all I could manage.

“Yes.” Time’s voice was grim, his scowl deepening. “Fuck sums up the situation quite well. Though I could offer dozens more colorful descriptors.”

The tension in the room was suffocating as I mulled over our options–or lack thereof.

“How about we ask Henry if he knows anything about the general near Dawnmoor? Depending on what kind of power we’re dealing with, maybe the resistance can handle it.”

Time hummed, noncommittal. “And if the general’s power is one they cannot face alone?”

The million-dollar question. Unfortunately, I could only see one compromise.

“You’ll stay in the nearest town to Dawnmoor. I’ll help them take down the general, gather any information I can about the apocalypse, and come back for you.”

His expression twisted with displeasure, “The entire reason I took human form was to remain at your side.”

I huffed, crossing my arms again. “And I can’t leave those people, especially with a potential apocalypse hanging over our heads. It’s too big a risk. This is the only way to meet in the middle, so take it or leave it.”

Frustration radiated off him, but after a long, tense silence, he nodded. “If your aid is required in Dawnmoor, I will wait in Latica. The walk is several days, but this arrangement satisfies everyone’s needs.”

Relief washed over me. At least we had a plan. I gestured to the door. “Alright, glad that’s settled. We were heading that way anyway, so it works out. Let’s find Henry, ask about the general, and tell them the plan.”

Time followed without complaint, but when we reached the hallway, I pulled up short. The charmed guards were still staring straight ahead, and Henry’s soldiers hadn’t yet arrived.

“Dominicus said to meet them at the main gate tomorrow, but he didn’t say where to find them in the meantime,” I muttered.

Time grunted. “If we wait, the soldiers should pass through soon. We can ask them.”

That wasn’t a risk I was keen on taking. “What are the odds they’re still in the dungeon?”

He glanced back the way we’d come from. “Low, but not impossible. There must be countless prisoners still being freed. Shall we return?”

I nodded. “I think that’s our best bet. I don’t feel like chancing one of the soldiers assuming we’re allies of the king.”

The walk back to the dungeons passed in tense silence. When we descended the stairs, I scanned the people milling about. They were from every conceivable race and age group, all scrunched together like sardines.

A flash of familiar wings caught my eye. I called out, “Dominicus, is Henry still here?”

His wings twitched in surprise before the crowd parted to let him through. When he reached us, he furled his wings carefully in the cramped space and nodded. “He’s in the final area of the dungeon. Most of the prisoners have been freed.”

His sharp gaze flicked to Time, narrowing with suspicion and dislike. I couldn’t blame him–my feelings toward Time hadn’t been charitable before knowing why he’d voted to leave Dawnmoor to Henry.

That said, his reason was intensely personal, so in place of explaining, I stepped between them, speaking quickly. “We’ve reached an agreement. If you need help freeing Dawnmoor, I’ll go, but he’ll stay in Latica. I need to ask Henry about the general stationed nearby, though.”

Dominicus relaxed slightly, a shadow of a smile curling his lips. He gestured to a corridor of cells. “He’s that way. I hope you’ll join us on the journey.”

I nodded and followed his directions, caught between wanting and not wanting to go with them. There were people who needed help, but depending on the general’s power…

We might be in for a rough ride.