Ceres’ stunning smile and a freshly baked cake were more than I could ask for on our return to Sorentina. I had no idea what the heck Cherishing Day was, but hey, praise Saoirse.

I accepted the gift while Ravyn mumbled about the price of sugar and something about “ostentatious displays” beneath her breath. Ceres glanced from me to the rest of the party, and her wandering gaze froze on Tristan.

“It was true, then,” Ceres murmured. “Venecia hid him away.”

“Unfortunately,” I conceded. “Like I said, we have a lot of catching up to do.”

“Ceres!” Cannoli burst from behind me and weaved her arm through the hook of the [Magic Knight]’s elbow. “It’s so good to see you!”

A fangirl now and always.

Ceres laughed. “It is good to see you, too.”

Tristan appeared by my side, holding Desiree close to his chest. His stare wandered between Ceres, Cannoli, and me. “Um, is she someone I should know?”

Ara was close behind him, her hot breath streaming down my neck. “Another improper match upon this island, Matt?”

I sighed. “That’s Ceres. And she’s coming with us.”

“What?” Ara hissed.

I laid a hand on her shoulder and held one finger to my lips, like a parent hushing a child. “Hush now. Let’s get something to eat and talk about this.”

Ara swatted my hand to the side and shouldered her way past me. She’d clearly connected the pieces of the puzzle long before Tristan stood a chance.

“Did I say something wrong?” Tristan asked, clinging tighter to his cat familiar.

“No. Not you.” I glanced over my shoulder. We’d left last, so it stood to reason that everyone else had already made it. “Hopefully, the others are waiting for us.”

The tavern was abuzz with excitement. Seven girls from Catania mingled with citizens of Sorentina like old friends. Five others, Jazz included in their number, had staked claim to a booth in the farthest corner. Jazz watched the interactions in calculative silence, her golden stare never remaining in one place for too long.

Twelve. We were missing six girls. I looked in every alcove and checked every table. And I didn’t see Marianne’s face anywhere. The noise of those present dulled in my ears, replaced by hammering heartbeats. No, you’re overthinking it. Just breathe.

“Matt?” Keke called, touching my arm. “You okay? The color just drained from your face.”

“I-I’m fine. Can you hold this and find us a table?” I passed her the cake.

“Of course.” She nodded and looked over her shoulder, “Hey! Let’s go this way. I found a table.”

The rest of our party followed her, and somehow I convinced my legs to step toward Jazz. It was like moving twin sandbags across the room. My fingers and toes tingled, and the room suddenly felt cloyingly warm. Come on, man. Stop panicking.

Jazz paused her methodical surveillance to look up at me. “What do you want?”

“We’re missing a group,” I said.

“We are indeed. What powerful skills of observation you have, Matt.”

I frowned. “How can you not be worried?” The words that escaped were angry and cold. They sounded disconnected from my throat—like it wasn’t me speaking them.

Jazz narrowed her eyes. “Because I saw what happened to them.” She folded her hands on the table. Her fingers were coated with dried blood, and some flecked away with the movement. Dark red hunks of something were caked beneath her nails. “There was little more we could do without following in their footsteps.”

Maybe I’d noticed it the moment I’d laid eyes on her table, but as I looked at her companions, it registered at last that their eyes were bloodshot, and tears streaked the dirt on their cheeks. Two girls nursed large mugs of ale while two more held their hands clasped and their heads bowed as if in prayer.

No.

“Where are they?” I demanded. “Where’s Marianne?”

“Must all things be spelled out for you, fool?” Jazz hissed. “She’s dead. They’re dead. Piecemeal all, and in the bellies of the two Defiled that got to them first.” She stood and pointed at the table where my party relaxed. “Someone decided to throw rocks in their direction.”

Jazz may as well have knocked the wind out of me. But we’d seen where the rock had gone. The Defiled ran off, and it was a done deal. Keke did it to protect us all. She would never… I worked to replay the scene exactly as it had transpired over and over, focusing on the moment Keke escaped from me and chucked the rock. “That’s impossible. She threw it into a clearing.”

“A clearing near a dense thicket where those girls were waiting on my signal.”

“But we didn’t hear anything,” I argued. “Why didn’t we hear you fighting?”

“Because we led them away. The last thing we wanted was to attract them toward the other group.” Jazz’s anger lingered in her words. “Did you truly not have any distractions that would have masked our fighting?”

The slime. My limbs were numb, and my throat parched. I couldn’t think. Couldn’t breathe. “I—”

“Do you know nothing of combat, Matt? Was this really your grand plan of ‘saving’ us?” Jazz shook her head and laughed wryly. “Six of my finest warriors lost to an incompetent leader. What a waste.”

The others at the table flinched. One of the girls lost in prayer looked up at me with hollowed eyes. My stomach wrenched into my throat, and my hands trembled. “I didn’t… She didn’t…”

“Save your prattling for your own misguided girls. I have nothing more to say to you,” Jazz spat.

The edges of my vision clouded, and I couldn’t seem to catch my breath. Marianne… Everyone should have been safe. We were so fucking careful. So why…?

A soft hand touched my bicep. “Why don’t you come sit down?” Keke asked.

“Yes, feel free to regale to them your group’s impressive exploits.” Jazz flicked her wrist in dismissal.

“Matt, seriously, what’s wrong?” Keke gently shook my arm, then gasped. “Matt! You’re crying!”

Am I? I touched my damp cheeks. I didn’t have a name for the hurricane inside of my chest. Like a coil around my heart, squeezing relentlessly while it leeched off of my air. Goddammit. “Goddammit!”

The room quieted, and all eyes fell on me. Had I screamed? What did it matter? I pulled away from Keke’s grasp and forced my heavy legs to the stairs.

The next thing I can remember was watching the sunrise outside the inn’s window.