Dominicus rested a hand on his sword, his gaze narrowing. “Do we get an explanation for your sudden appearance?”

Time barely spared him a glance, shrugging. “I am a companion who will be joining your journey to undo the king’s wrong. Is that not enough?”

Dominicus’s expression darkened, and I winced internally. That was painfully vague.

Evidently, Dominicus agreed. He squared his shoulders and turned to me. “Do you have an actual answer?”

Time shot me a warning look, his eyes sharp. I sighed. “He’s my companion…another Chosen of Karma.” I mean, she’d chosen him as her husband. “Sorry for not mentioning him earlier. He’s not exactly a front-line fighter, so we planned to introduce him once we were safely out of here.”

Close to the truth, but not nearly the whole story.

Thankfully, it satisfied Dominicus. His hand fell from his sword, and he turned toward the unconscious guard slumped on the ground. “As you say. Are there any others?”

I shook my head. “Not that I’m aware of. But we should focus on getting out of here. Henry, what’s the plan now that the king is dead.”

Henry stepped closer, Maya cradled securely on his hip, her face pressed into his neck. “Now that we’re found Maya, I’ll order my forces to storm the castle. Everyone inside will be questioned to determine their loyalty.”

That sounded promising. Still, I couldn’t shake the memory of the report I’d found earlier. “When I was going through king bast–”

Henry cleared his throat pointedly, giving me a sharp look. I frowned, confused, until he nodded toward Maya. She peeked out from his shoulder, her wide eyes full of curiosity, and I bit back a laugh. Right. Watch my mouth when the small one is near.

“My bad. When I was checking the king’s desk, I found a report–probably from his general. It mentioned a town that was recently occupied, with soldiers stationed there. With the king gone…”

Henry’s jaw tightened. “The people will be in danger.” The grief that flickered across his face was almost tangible as he glanced down at Maya.

“You know the town?” I asked.

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He nodded, his voice heavy. “It’s Dawnmoor. Our home.”

The air in the room shifted. Time froze, his expression briefly cracking before he turned away, schooling his features into impassivity. “That is quite the difference,” he said, his tone clipped. “Nearly the entire way across Nexus. Perhaps, Nikolas, we should leave this to the resistance leader. There are other matters that require our attention.”

I raised an eyebrow, snorting. “You’re suggesting we leave those people? I thought the plan was to free the oppressed. And if one of Silas’s generals is there, I’d like to stomp their as–”

Henry hastily covered Maya’s ears, glaring at me. I coughed, amending, “--stomp their butts into next week. What’s changed?”

Time’s scowl deepened, but he refused to meet my gaze. “That was before I knew the town in question was Dawnmoor. The distance is impractical.”

His tone was neutral, devoid of any emotions, but I felt it again–that familiar itch at the back of my mind. He was lying.

I didn’t push, though. Not here. Henry’s frown deepened as he studied Time, while Dominicus’s expression wavered between reluctant agreement and disapproval.

It was Dominicus who broke the silence. “While he’s correct that our quest is critical, we can manage both. Dawnmoor is as good a direction as any, and we can gather information and help others along the way.”

Henry’s tension eased. “I agree. There’s no reason we can’t pursue both goals.”

Time drew a sharp breath, clearly ready to argue, but I stepped between him and the others, plastering on a forced smile. “I need to talk to my companion before making a decision. But if there’s a way to help people while fulfilling Karma’s will, I’ll do it.”

That seemed to satisfy them.

Dominicus gestured toward the adjacent cells. “We’ll leave at first light. You have until then to decide. Meet us at the main gate if you’re coming.”

With that, he disappeared into the next room, Henry trailing after him. The resistance leader hesitated, offering me a small, uncertain smile. “I hope you’ll join us. But either way, thank you for what you’ve done for Nexus.”

Before I could respond, he followed Dominicus, leaving me alone with Time. I turned to him, trying to decide where to start. His face was an unreadable mask, but tension radiated from him.

“We should move on,” he said abruptly. Without waiting for a response, he brushed past me, heading toward the exit with his head held high, as if he hadn’t just suggested leaving an entire town of captives behind.

They would have Henry even if we didn’t step in, but earlier he’d wanted to save them. What had changed?

Confusion and frustration simmered as I grabbed his arm, stopping him short. “We need to talk.”

His lips thinned, but he nodded. “Not here. There are too many listening ears. The king’s office should suffice. It’s likely soundproofed.”

I released him, following silently as he led the way back. He’d better have a damn good explanation for his sudden change of heart. Because unless he did, there was no way I was abandoning those people.