Sorena’s boots and pants were covered in dried mud and leaf litter.

But, that wasn’t what had Gray’s mouth hanging open.

Jessica’s expression was pure red fury. Her glossy black hair fell over her face in a snarled mess. Her shoulders - already formidable - seemed to have grown in her rage. Her chest heaved as she dragged her bloodshot gaze over Killian, over the room, as though searching for the next thing she needed to stab.

The sword at her hip was dark with old blood, and she had something dark and sticky covering her hands all the way up to her elbows.

‘Jess,’ said Killian.

She shoved past Killian, and dumped Sorena like a sack of flour onto the bed. Sorena crumpled, unconscious.

‘Your man,’ snarled Jessica, ‘took his room back. I want him out of there in the next ten minutes, or gods help you Killian, I will boot you and your little sorcerer so far out of this Hall, you’ll be in the next world.’

‘Right,’ said Killian. Much too calmly, in Gray's opinion, he took up his cap and sword. ‘Yes, ma’am.’

‘Your men have taken over my ladies dorm, too. Move them.’

‘Yes.’ He paused at the door, glancing back. ‘Watch him, Jess?’

‘Oh, I’ll watch him.’

Killian locked eyes with Gray for the briefest, coldest second, and then strode out of there.

It was clear, as Gray watched Jessica settle Sorena on the bed, that Sorena had gotten very far into the forest. Maybe even to the other side, where it came out near Sirentown. Some of the leaves crushed into the tread of Sorena’s boots were bright blue, from the Jettle tree that only grew deep in the forest. And there was a trail of sandy earth over the carpet. All the soil in and around Krydon, even the soil deep in the forest - to Gray’s knowledge - was dark and rich.

Not sandy.

Sorena had almost made it to the coast.

She was going to be deeply angry when she woke up.

Gray swallowed uneasily.

It was for the best that they got their own room. He did not want to be present when Sorena realised where she was.

Or, for that matter, as he became aware of Jessica’s steely glare burning into the side of Gray’s head, did he want to be around Jessica any longer than necessary.

As she strode over and stood before him, Gray, very unwillingly, lifted his gaze.

Her stare was angry, and she was looking into his eyes as though demanding for his soul to come out, as though she could see into him.

‘Where did Major Slate put your stat papers?’ she demanded.

‘I - I don’t know, ma’am,’ said Gray, forcing the words out past his thick tongue.

She rooted through Killian’s things as though each item had just spat in her face. Gray dodged a spare set of Killian’s socks, and a dogeared notebook, before she emerged with Gray’s stat papers clutched in her fist.

She held it up against the light. Examined it every which way. Read it over.

‘Your magic score is only twelve,’ she said.

‘I,’ said Gray, ‘ don’t do any magic, ma’am. I’ve never touched it.’

She fisted a filthy hand.

Gray’s pulse was loud in his ears.

You needed tests, exams, tournaments, battles, and competitions for your stat scores to go up. Ones approved or ordered by the crown. Of course his magic stat was twelve. Honestly, he was surprised it was above seven, which was the highest possible score for regular humans.

‘What can you do?’ she said. ‘Can you track?’

Gray winced. ‘No, ma’am.’

She raised a dark eyebrow.

‘Killian tried with me …’ said Gray. ‘If you want me to track your lost mages, I’m afraid I … I can’t. They - they’re concealing themselves …’

She stared at him, tapping her toe, the buttons on her uniform straining as she breathed in and out.

‘What magic can you do? Anything combative?’

‘No, ma’am,’ said Gray.

‘Elsa Keep,’ she said, reading off the stat papers. ‘Elona’s sister?’

Gray’s gaze slid to the side.

‘Look at me,’ said Jessica. ‘Elona’s sister?’

‘She,’ said Gray, forcing himself to meet Jessica’s gaze. ‘You knew Elona?’

‘I make it a habit of knowing all the king’s consorts. Eyes on me. Elona’s sister was your mother?’

Gray’s cheeks were getting warm, because he knew how the next words out of his mouth were going to sound.

‘I don’t remember,’ said Gray.

Gray remembered the day when Elona had organised the false papers for Gray - it was one of the first memories he had, though he couldn’t remember exactly where they were. He knew it hadn’t been Krydon. He’d been sat on Elona’s hip while she talked with the scribe. And Alistair had caused trouble in the scribe’s office, pulling over a stack of books.

Jessica’s eye twitched.

Gray’s skin was getting damp. He couldn’t help dropping his gaze, just to rest his eyes for a second.

‘Eyes on me.’ Jessica stepped closer. Her stance, her gaze, was steel. ‘Elona’s sister was your mother?’

It was as though a hundred cold fingers were crawling over Gray’s skin. Jessica was doing something to Gray, and it was taking everything within him not to let the word ‘No,’ be ripped from his tongue, just as the griffin had wrenched words out of Gray against his intention.

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And Gray didn’t have the strength for any test of will right now. He was barely holding himself upright, let alone able to push back a very, very strong desire to throw truth out to this steely woman.

But, Jessica could see it.

There was hard realisation in her face, as she stared Gray down. She could see the desperate struggle within Gray, the mental battle to stop the words spilling out of him.

She was close now.

Gray could count the stitches on her uniform.

Gray’s chest heaved. What kind of fuckery was this?

‘Eyes. On. Me.’ She inched closer. Her jaw was clenched. ‘Elona’s sister was your mother?’

No.

The papers are false.

‘I have a sister,’ Elona had said to Gray, all those years ago, in the scribe’s office. She adjusted Gray on her hip and brushed his hair back with familiar affection. ‘You could be hers. You want to share my name? You like the name Keep?’

Gray gritted his teeth. He had to drop the eye contact, he didn’t care if she -

She grabbed his jaw. ‘Elona’s sister was your mother?’

And the words were coming up, and Gray couldn’t stop it. But, he had to.

He had to.

Otherwise he’d be getting others in trouble, deadly trouble.

‘You realise it’s dangerous for us to keep you?’ Barin had said to Gray, all those years ago. He’d dragged Gray away from a group of mages, through a bustling street - not Krydon, but northern - and he was fuming.

Barin had known, he knew everything, and that put him in a dangerous position, and Gray wasn’t going to repay him by spilling out information he was forbidden to share.

A groan ripped from Gray’s throat - deep and strange, and Gray’d had no idea he could make such a noise - and he wrenched himself free from Jessica’s grasp.

‘What are you doing?’ Gray gasped.

‘It’s a compulsion charm?’ said Killian from the doorway. Gray started, and so did Jessica - the damn man really, really needed a bell. Killian folded his arms as he leant against the doorframe, a sharp quality to his dark gaze. ‘Where’d you get one so strong? Baldwin gave it to you?’

‘It’s a vial of the fey queen’s blood,’ said Jessica, fishing a tiny gold vial out of her pocket. ‘Some mages have difficulty lying to certain higher-ups in fey society. Something to do with their Other blood.’ She swivelled her steely stare back onto Gray. ‘Sorcerers, too, apparently.’ She paused. ‘I almost had him.’

Killian’s face was drained of colour. ‘Where did you get that?’

‘I ran,’ said Jessica, ‘into trouble in the forest. There was a trade that I don’t wish to discuss.’

‘Fuck,’ said Killian.

‘Yeah.’

‘Gods, Jess.’

‘I know,’ said Jessica.

‘The fey queen’s blood.’ Killian was aghast. It was as though all his layers of masks had tumbled down in the sheer horror pulsing through the man underneath. ‘Did you trade your firstborn?’

‘I’m not discussing this with you.’

‘Why would you do this?’ said Killian.

‘Killian, I will pull rank-’

Killian was stepping forward as though approaching the edge of a crumbling cliff. ‘To question this kid? He’s nothing - he’s not worth - you didn’t even ask him the right question -’

‘No, believe it or not, it wasn’t to question this kid, but I have it now, and you better believe I’ll use it.’

‘Baldwin can’t help you out of this,’ said Killian.

‘He doesn’t have to.’

‘You’re better off returning it,’ said Killian. ‘Go back on whatever deal you made.’

‘I can’t-‘

‘You can. You must. I’ll go with you,’ said Killian.

‘There’s no point. It’s already going off. It’s only good for about twelve hours.’ Jessica shook up the tiny gold vial. ‘It’s not working properly.’

‘It’s working,’ said Killian. ‘He’s just a resistant little bastard. I told you.’

Jessica didn’t say anything, shaking her head.

‘Let’s take it back now,’ said Killian. ‘Come. Let’s go.’

‘Killian, calm the hell down,’ said Jessica.

Gray thought it was bold of Jessica to say this, when Jessica herself looked like she was about to split apart at the seams.

‘You’re about to bust out into wolf form,’ Jessica continued.

Killian stilled, his lips tight. He was utterly rigid, his dark eyes wide. Then, he shuttered his expression. ‘I’m not about to bust out into wolf form, thank you.’

He turned on his heel and tended to Sorena on the bed, keeping his back to the room.

‘Killian.’ Jessica’s face was blotchy red. Her arms were folded tight.

‘Your room is ready,’ said Killian calmly. ‘I’ll take Sorena for you.’

Jessica clicked her tongue. ‘Unnecessary. I’ll take her.’

‘Leave the vial here, then,’ said Killian.

‘I beg your pardon?’

He held out his open hand.

‘You’re going to try to return it to the fey, aren’t you?’ said Jessica.

Killian was completely immobile.

‘You can’t,’ said Jessica. ‘I can’t.’

‘Why?’

Jessica pursed her lips. ‘It,’ she said, her voice hard, ‘it wasn’t me that made the deal.’

Killian’s eyes were wide. ‘Sorena made the deal?’

Jessica cast a sidelong glance at Gray before giving a tight nod.

Killian let out a small, disbelieving breath. He spun on the spot. He strode over to the door. ‘PICKERING - Oh, rookie. What do you need, rookie?’

Russet edged towards the Major with a bunch of notes clamped in his fist. His cheeks were flushed, his uniform buttoned up tight. His sleeves were rolled up in the warmth, revealing his skull and bones tattoos.

‘We just got word, Major,’ said Russet. ‘Major General Darcy’s returning early. And the additional men and mages will be here tomorrow.’

Russet edged forward, offering the notes to Killian.

His rabbit-fast gaze darted between the three of them, and then landed on Sorena. His lips parted, just for a second, before he composed himself.

‘There’s - others coming, sir, ma’am. Colonel Zachary …’ Russet haltingly listed off a bunch of names and titles.

Ice crawled through Gray.

Russet chewed his lip, before finishing the string of names and titles with, ‘... and the Field Marshall.’

Killian crunched his shoulders back, his dark gaze hanging on Russet’s nervous face.

Jessica marched past him, holding her hand out to Russet. ‘Let me see, lad.’

There was a long moment of quiet, as Jessica read over the letters. She glanced up at Killian. She seemed to be having trouble working her tongue. ‘That’s a lot of big wigs and big egos for one little town.’

‘It’s because of Longwark,’ said Killian. ‘He’s slippier than an eel and a flight risk.’

Jessica clamped her mouth into a hard line, shaking her head. She thrust the letters at Killian. ‘It’s because I lost my mages.’

‘It’s because of Longwark.’ Killian took them, but didn’t read them. ‘They say this?’

‘No,’ said Jessica. ‘But, they don’t need to. I know why-’

‘Baldwin wants the jar,’ said Killian. ‘It’s me catching the heat, not you, I assure you.’

Jessica was stiff.

‘Baldwin’s coming?’ said Killian.

‘There’s no mention,’ said Jessica, her voice hoarse.

‘Rookie,’ said Killian, ‘run and tell my lieutenants to prepare their good uniforms for tomorrow. I want to present them. Pickering and Codder, too. And tell Pickering to come here at once. I want him standing guard outside this room. I have business in the forest this morning and no one comes near the kid on pain of death. Got it?’

‘Yes, Major.’

Russet fled.

Killian turned to Jessica. ‘You do what you need to here. Use my men if you wish to continue searching for your mages. Codder - the man from your room - is very good. I’ll only be gone a few hours. Then we can prepare everything here.’

Her jaw was jutted and her eyes were narrowed. ‘You’re going to negotiate with the fey and return within a few hours? You’ll never do it.’

Killian opened his weapon chest and strapped an extra knife to his belt. ‘Watch me.’