"I heard he travelled the whole empire looking for witches and warlocks," I put in, voicing the words like a curious, ignorant kid "Is that true? Did he hunt them all on his own?" "He did," Lydia says, but not fondly or proudly. She sounds apprehensive, almost fearful "Gunther and I were in Vynx wh

Holy shit, Zen is getting executed. The woman at my side shoves me aside harshly. “If you want to look so bad why don’t you go all the way to the bell tower, beansprout!” She hisses irritably In a startling moment of clarity, I recall the tower I spotted a little way off the church. A bell tower.

I sprint down the stairs. Now that he’s seen me, I hope to hell Zen can make it to the church doors. I’ll go and get Sparrow. The city gates are close by. We can make it, we can— I still in my steps when the doors of the tower flings open, men spilling inside. I’ve only taken a single step back wh

But Zen looks away from me, shoulders dropping infinitesimally with a sigh. The sheer relief that washes over me at the small familiar action is unimaginable. “Very well.” He mutters quietly He lets go of my hand, gesturing for me to walk ahead. Silently, I start forward. Now my whole body aches,

“I’m not asking you to live, Sigmond.” I hold his gaze, my own fierce “Find me a way home and I’ll gladly shove you off a cliff.” Distantly, I’m surprised to find how much I mean the words. I’m tired of this barbaric place where they hit first and ask questions later. I’d do anything to go back hom