I’d witnessed large-scale illusion magic when Quell had dissipated the mirage that lived in the sandstorm. It had been an impressive feat of magic that must have extended a mile around us in every direction, even if it was only to dispel the magic that was there.


    Liz’s illusions, while smaller, were equally impressive: the details that were in each wrinkle of cloth and skin were indistinguishable from the real thing.


    Watching Constance work is something else entirely.


    Those of us who won’t be part of the diversion stand on a dune overlooking the Duneshade soldiers. At first, Constance had argued their team should be as small as possible: only him, Liz, me, and (reluctantly) Quell. But it quickly became clear that Darian’s insistence on accompanying us was not a request, so Constance finally caved and agreed to allow a small group of guards to come with as well. Xamireb and Earnest are among the five guards selected to join. That’s ten of us total: a number Constance worries is too big and Darian worries is too small. Liz tells us she wouldn’t be able to handle much more than that anyway, so we’ll just have to make do. No one is thrilled and everyone is a bit jumpy, which I guess makes sense, given the coming conflict.


    Constance steps up, overlooking the troops. He inhales, raising his hands like a conductor, and when he exhales, light leaves with his breath, spiraling down the hill like a cloud of glowing embers. It swirls around the soldiers like eddies in a current, then pulls away from them, condensing into tight pillars of light. When the glow fades, there’s soldiers standing in their place. At least three times as many soldiers.


    Constance isn’t done, however. He turns away from the camp, facing an empty dune nearby. Once more he takes a deep breath and exhales an aurora.


    Moments later, a second, duplicate army has formed. He turns to another empty swatch of land, and does the same thing.


    With his third exhale, he slumps, lowering his hands.


    “There,” he says, turning back to us. From the way his chest rises and falls, he seems out of breath, though from his rigid stance, it’s clear he’s trying not to let it show. “That should be sufficient, I think.”


    “No shit,” I mumble. What had once been a hundred soldiers now appears closer to a thousand.


    “Is everyone ready?” he asks.


    “Yes, Prince Constance!” his guards reply. The rest of us are more subdued.


    We’re not carrying travel gear, or even food: the only consumables we have with us is one flask of water each. We’re suited up in as much leather armor as we can manage while maintaining mobility, and everyone is armed—even Liz, with a couple daggers, and Quell, who was reluctantly given a short sword that hangs awkwardly at his hip. The march to the Lifespring is only a couple hours, so there won’t be time or a need for a meal. After that we’ll be sneaking (and maybe fighting) our way through the city. And after that… Well, things will be over, one way or another.


    “Invisibility is more difficult than a change of clothes,” Liz says. “I’ll need to save the brunt of my mana for when we’re in the city. I’ll cast a general mirage for now, smudging our appearance against our surroundings, and switch over to a complete invisibility illusion once we’re within sight of the Lifespring. It will help if you all stay close.”


    Constance raises a hand toward his troops, whistling a signal. Then he turns back to Liz with a nod. “Let’s be off.”


    Similar to Constance, Liz’s magic swirls around us like embers.


    [Greater Mirage spell in effect,] Echo says. [Your appearance has been disguised.]


    When the lights fade, however, I only notice a faint haze around us. We certainly don’t look like we’re blended in with our surroundings. But I’d witnessed Quell perform a similar spell before, though his had been stationary, brief, and appeared to take a lot more out of him. Without another word, we begin to walk.


    In the couple of weeks that I’ve been traveling with this party, walking is something I’ve become no stranger to. But it was never silent: Earnest had always been chatting with one person or another, and then when Liz joined us, it had been the same. If I asked Quell about an animal or landmark, he was more than happy to provide an overly detailed explanation. It had felt comfortable, and even comforting.


    As the sun rises higher, our march takes place in silence. There’s an oppressive air around us. I’m unfamiliar with the extra soldiers who flank Constance, and it just feels weird for the group I’ve become so accustomed with to abruptly have new members. I glance at Darian, wanting to speak with her, but not knowing what to say. I hadn’t actually sought her out after trying on the armor she got me. I’d stopped outside her tent, hesitated, and then walked away. She and I haven’t had a chance to talk since before the Oasis.


    After an hour, we pause to drink and catch our breath. Well, mostly Quell needs the break, but Liz is breathing a little hard, too, and no one complains when Constance suggests the pause. Of all of us, he seems to be the most energetic, the most eager to be moving on. His hand grips the pommel of his sword as he walks, as if afraid it might vanish if he were to let go. Maybe he’s more on edge than he’s letting on.


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    “Nye.”


    I wince when Darian approaches me. Fidgeting with my water flask, I give her a nod. “Darian. Captain.”


    A smile flickers over her face. “You’re shit at honorifics.”


    “Sorry.”


    She shakes her head. “That’s my line.”


    I blink. “You’re sorry?”


    She grimaces. “I’ve been wanting to speak with you, but things have been moving too quickly. If not now, then we probably won’t get a chance before… Well, whatever happens, happens. But I wanted to apologize for how I handled things in the Lifespring. As your commander, I failed you.”


    I lean back, too surprised to think of a response. I’d been expecting a lecture or reprimand. I hadn’t been expecting an apology.


    “You asked me to stop you if things went south,” Darian continued. “And I intended to keep my word. But when the royals were threatened… When Liz was threatened… I prioritized my personal feelings over my duty. Instead of stopping you, I left you behind.” Her eyes slide away from mine, and her face is tight with shame.


    “Why didn’t you kill me?” I blurt out. It’s not what I thought I was going to say, but it’s the first thing that comes out of my mouth all the same. “When I was…” My face heats. “When I was threatening Quell.”


    Darian’s silent for a moment. She frowns. “In the moment I would have said it was because you were too close; attacking you could easily end up hurting the prince. But I’ve thought about this every dawn since. I think the truth is that I knew you wouldn’t hurt him. I wanted to believe that. And that belief held me back.” She looks back to me with a brief smile. “That instinct, I do not regret.”


    I nod, throat tight, tension releasing from my shoulders. “Thank you. Even when I asked you that, I didn’t want to die. I still don’t. I just… I don’t want to hurt people, either. Is it wrong to want both of those things at once?”


    She pats my shoulder. “It is the most right thing you could want.”


    “So,” I say hesitantly. “Next time…”


    “Let’s try to make sure there isn’t a next time,” she says, cutting me off.


    I shake my head. “I don’t know if I can guarantee that.” I touch the mask hanging at my throat. They’d given me a new one after I lost Darian’s. I notice she’s not wearing one; the others must still be keeping her secret. “It was the shield that forced the Bloodlust last time. It can’t usually do that, but the Lifespring made it more powerful; made it so I couldn’t fight back. And now that we’re returning to the Lifespring again, again with the intent of trying to use it to remove the Aegis… We need to be prepared for it to fight back. That’s all.”


    “Understood,” Darian says. “I’ll keep a close eye on you. If you notice the shield is about to try anything, give me a signal, and I’ll get you out of there and away from others. By whatever means necessary.”


    Including activating a Bloodlust of her own, she seems to be implying. But she’s shown she has more control over it than me. If both of us were in a Bloodlust and targeted the other as an enemy—what would that even look like?


    Hopefully I’ll never know.


    “Thank you, Darian,” I say again. “Captain.”


    She snorts, patting my shoulder again, then turns away to go check on Liz. As we’re all preparing to start off once more, Quell drifts over to my side.


    “Everything good?” he asks.


    “Yeah.” I force a reassuring smile. I don’t feel it—but I also feel a lot better than I did before. I hadn’t realized how much it had stung to think I’d lost her friendship. “Yeah. I’m good. You?”


    Quell lets out a breath, looking off into the distance. The Oasis isn’t far now, but it’s still obscured by the dunes. “I’m terrified, honestly. Last time we were just trying to scope out the city. Now we’re willingly walking into the enemy’s midst. Enemies who are on the lookout for us, I might add. And this ritual room… it’s an unknown, and that worries me. If Moonfall wanted to use it to strip the Crimson Scimitar from Constance, who’s to say it’s even safe? Should we really be using it on you?”


    He shakes his head. “I’d prefer time to study the spell circle first to make sure there are no adverse effects.”


    “Somehow, I doubt time is something we’ll have in abundance. But,” I add, just because he looks so put out, “I’ll see what I can do. Liz might be able to sneak us all in without a fight. And if it does come to one, I can probably hold them off.” It’s more confidence than I have, but my words seem to make him feel better.


    “Just… don’t do anything stupid,” Quell says.


    I chuckle. “I think you’ve got that cornered already.”


    He grins, jostling my arm, and I teasingly shove him back, nearly sending him careening into the sand. That does make me laugh.


    “You need to work out more.”


    “You need to be more gentle!”


    “Alright, you two,” Liz says, beckoning us over. “You guys can get back to flirting later. I’ll be casting the full illusion now, so I need everyone close.”


    Heat rises in my cheeks, and Quell also splutters. “That wasn’t—we’re not!”


    I keep my mouth wisely shut and stare pointedly ahead.


    “I have enough mana for this to last three hours,” Liz says. “It’s less than an hour to the Oasis. So as soon as it’s cast, we need to move quick. I’ll stay in the middle of our group; it will help provide the most stability for the spell. Constance, I’ll be pretty focused on maintaining the magic, so I’ll need you to guide us through the city. Darian—”


    “I’ll keep to the back, erasing our footsteps,” she says.


    Liz nods. “Good. Any last questions? Comments? Romantic confessions?” She looks around at us, but no one speaks up. “Alright. Then here we go.”


    She hisses out a tense exhale as she pushes her hands to either side, sparks flaring in her fingers, hands straining as if pressing against a wall. The faint haze in the air around us shifts, clears, and then warps, like looking through a distorted lens.


    [Greater Invisibility spell in effect,] Echo says. [Your presence is undetectable.]


    “It’ll muffle voices, but it can’t obscure anything loud,” Liz says, her forehead wrinkled in concentration. “So from here on out, keep chatting to a minimum.”


    We silently nod, and then we’re moving once more.


    The last hour passes far too quickly. All at once, we crest a dune and the Lifespring Oasis is there before us. We’ve been arcing around to the north, so the Duneshade army has long since disappeared behind us. But by the time we reach the east gates, Constance’s troops should already have engaged the western ones.


    As we march down the dune, I watch the blue sapphire at the center of the city, jittery with too many emotions to name, until it passes beneath the walls and out of sight.