"You can't come out. They'll kill you on sight," I whispered to Nox. I pushed her under the bed and dropped the sheet. "Stay there."
She kicked the bed. I smiled a little and kicked back.
Outside the window, the Eden soldiers were vanishing into a thick cloud of dust. Whatever they were fighting was strong—unnatural.
I sat and closed my eyes, trying to feel through the code. Something was wrong. Tangled. Like someone had reached in and tied it in knots.
Then someone shook my shoulder, hard.
"It's Priya! She's gone!" Corrin was standing over me, tears streaking his face.
"How?" I followed him out. The Eden soldiers were gone, as was the strange enemy.
Inside Priya's house, it was eerily silent.
"Someone knocked me down from behind," Corrin rubbed his head. "I tried to get back up, but they pressed something into my neck. When I opened my eyes, she wasn't here."
"Did you see your attacker?"
"No," he said, more tears falling.
I brought him outside and called out, "Did anyone see someone enter Priya's home?"
A sea of shaking heads.
Then Lyric sidled up beside me, her expression flinty. Gone was the trembling anger. In its place was something harder, colder.
"Classic move. Create chaos, then snatch someone. They zapped Corrin so he wouldn't fight. They don't want to hurt us—yet. We might still be useful."
"But they're supposed to be good," Corrin said, eyes wide. "They fought off the dust storm."
"They brought it with them," Lyric shrugged. "They'll be long gone by now."
"You said you knew Callix. How?"
She hesitated. Then spoke, quietly at first. "I was a recruit in Eden's army. Until this—" she gestured to her eye, "and they discharged me. Promised I'd get a spot again someday."
Her voice darkened. "I trained for years in Eden. I bled for their approval. I smiled through every insult. They promised me a future, even after my eye... and then they threw me out like I was broken gear."
She met my eyes then—hers glittering like flint.
"I begged," she added quietly. "I begged them to let me stay. That's what shames me most."
A pause. She straightened, brushing hair from her face like casting off old skin.
"But they made one mistake."
I tilted my head.
"They let me live."
"So you know where Priya might be?" I asked.
Her eye narrowed, and a slow grin crept across her face.
"Only too happy to show you," she said. Her voice had a new weight to it now—resolved and dangerous. "Let's show Callix how dangerous the 'infirm' can be."
Nox came running toward us.
Lyric gave her a look of instant approval, her grin widening.
"Want to cause some trouble?" she asked.
It turned out Priya was not the only thing that had changed in the village. Interspersed around the perimeter were several heavy crates, each one marked with a note:
From her Ladyship of Eden for outstanding performance.
I scoffed. But to my surprise, the villagers were already prying the lids open. Even Lyric was helping.
"Should we even touch the items?" I crossed my arms.
"It's free supplies," Lyric answered. "Might be helpful."
"Free food," said a young woman, holding up a can. I noticed most of her right hand was missing. With her left, she dug out can after can. All around us, villagers chattered excitedly about their gifts.
Nox sidled up and leaned her small body against mine. "I know they seem foolish... but they've never seen riches like this."
I looked down. Even she looked vaguely impressed.
"My family only ate this well when Hexa had a good raid... Even then, the food never lasted," Nox said quietly.
"They are smart," I murmured.
"Yes," Nox agreed. "That's why they're dangerous. The people will be thankful to them."
"And yet they still took Priya Ray," I said with a huff.
Nox nodded. "We will eat well tonight and be grateful for it."
"I don't want to eat a bite of this food." My voice shook. I thought of poor Priya, locked away somewhere.
My stats betrayed me, though. Hunger warnings were flashing steadily. Nox saw it and gently reached for my hand.
"I didn't like eating after my first raid," she said. "There was a girl in that village, about my age. So thin. So scared. Hexa knocked me around until I ate. Said they were already half-taken by the rot. So I ate to my fill—and a little extra for the girl."
"Do you know what happened to that village?"
Nox shook her head. "The Order of Eden came after us. We barely escaped. I've always wondered if they saved her."
"What Callix said about your family... You aren't rotten," I said quietly.
"Aren't I?" Nox's eyes shimmered with a strange light. "If I'd died that day, I'd have died a Quell."
"But now you live as your own person."
"Once a Quell," she muttered darkly. "I'll always be Hexa's heir. I can't escape that."
"Maybe not. But I have some ideas," I said with a faint smile. "Come on. Let's find a crate of our own."
We found one near my house. This one had a different note:
From her Ladyship to the great leader of this village. May you thrive.
Nox was already trying to pry the lid off. Together we heaved it open.
The first thing I saw made me cringe—white clothing, just like the Order of Eden wore.
"They had this specially made for you," Nox said quietly. She poked at it like it might bite.
I grabbed a fistful and flung it into the dirt. Nox added a muddy footprint for good measure.
Next came more useful items. A belt for clipping weapons, equipped with a dagger made of deep blue metal. Nox's eyes widened.
"That's really valuable," she whispered, tracing the blade. Then she read aloud, "Killer of Hexa Quell."
My stomach turned.
"I don't want it," I said, pushing it aside.
"Don't be ridiculous. This is the best metal in the Cradle. Ignore the inscription. We need this to save Priya."
We found cans of food, a fresh loaf of bread, and a circlet Nox gently affixed to my hair.
I blushed at my reflection in the shiny blade.
When we had gathered everything—leaving the white garment in the mud—we headed to the village center.
Lyric was already there, testing the string of a new bow. Corrin had found a boomerang and was tossing it lazily into the air. Others clutched food, glancing around uncertainly.
Lyric clapped her hands three times.
"The Order of Eden has gifted us these items today," I said gravely, stepping forward. "But they have also taken someone precious from us. I won't ask you to reject these gifts if they help us survive—but I ask for a moment of silence for Priya Ray, who we unwittingly traded for them."
Heads bowed. I felt the shame ripple through the crowd.
"We don't stand for kidnapping in this village. We are makers—not takers. So I am going to find Priya and bring her safely home."
A murmur of voices rose.
"I'll need a small team. I am appointing Lyric as commander of this mission—she knows the Order."
Lyric stepped forward, face serious. She stood at my side, tall and proud.
"Who will run the village without you?" someone called.
"I leave you in the capable hands of my young apprentice, Nox Quell. She is a Codewright like me. She will protect the village from the rot."
A few voices cried out.
"She's too young!"
"She's a Quell!"
"In name only," I said firmly. "Since her rescue, she has done nothing but prove herself."
Nox stepped forward, twitching with nerves. "I am honored," she said softly, eyes downcast.
The crowd quieted.
"She'll have support," I added. "Someone who knows the village."
The council pushed forward an elderly woman with a missing chunk of her nose and leathery skin.
"Rosa Syn," she said gruffly, looking Nox up and down.
"It's an honor to work with you, Rosa," Nox bowed.
A flicker of warmth crossed Rosa's face.
"Lyric, assemble a team. Let's take these weapons and use them. We leave at sundown."