tair

en a fraction of an inch,

hunched on a sta

he sweat of horrific labor, dark strands of

urlap, her jaw clenched, her gaze fixed on the doorway with

ace clearly, I froze

. The sharp, proud s

ra in her youth.My heart hammered a

-six y

d since the Abyssal breach

gions of demons in his grief, while my sister-in-law, Barba

of Clan Stafford-had been swallowed by the dark, lost to

caught the air rolli

nt, synchronized beats. Swirling around their downy crowns was a faint

e, uncorrupted, anci

tide of my own tree spirit back behind iro

obsidian, locked onto mine. There was no terror in th

dragged the burlap higher, shielding the babes. "This is

I had ever used. "I am an itinerant healer of the upper sanctuaries. The

no business walking the gutter-ways of the Middle Reaches. But a

king it, the thick, pearlescent vapor of pristine, first-press Silverde

epths of the lower tiers, any elf

en were breathing in shallow, terrifying gasps. The desperate

r the weight of her desperation. "Please. I have three mont

epping to her side and kneeling on

apor into a fine mist that settled gently over the infan

iny cheeks as their starved spirit conduits

rom my sleeve, passing it over the infant's thumb. A droplet of crimson

hed the rough coarse cloth wrapped around the baby, and her e

hief Healer of the Great Council,I mean you or your younglings no harm,I onl

rystal toward her."Place you

could see the fear beh

old wall while keeping her babies tucked under her chin. "I owe no

p, flawed testing stones of the lower realms to decide." Th

hen slowly extended her bare, blood-stained left hand and pr

the crystal into her veins.

and dead, just like every cheap sto

ips. "See? I told you. There is no Tree Spiri

a sharp breath. My eyes widened as

ted-not the green of a Warden or the silver of a

tching an ancient, sacred leaf t

lling the cramped, freezing ward with the warmth of spring and

e-something ancient and va

d of the Sovereign..." I choked

ia

of Erasmus and Barbara, reduced to bleeding on a

to my arms, to call her niece, to summon the Gryphon

d her hand back. The blinding light vanished

oice shaking as her heart raced wi

cil Sigil from my robe, bit my own thumb to smear a drop of blood a

he glowing rune, my composed noble demea

her. Lowering my head and tilting my neck in

my lady. You are the

he corridor outside eru

ood shards rained across the stone floor as a stout, red-faced head medic

zing Warlord seal. "By order of Warlord Jake Ellis and the high house of Buck, every room, bed, an

empt. "You have fifteen minutes to drag your bastard runts into the

air turned to