Violet sat in a small clearing, breathing heavily. She had removed her waistcoat and was checking herself for injuries—anything hidden beneath the rush of adrenaline.
She seemed fine.
Not that she’d done a thorough check. Her mind was still reeling from what she had learned… and what she intended to do about it.
And whether she should find Astrid.
Rustle.
Violet’s gun was in her hand instantly, aimed toward the sound—
But she froze.
Astrid stepped into view.
“What are you doing here? How did you get here?”
Astrid silently held up an iron plate.
Violet’s eyes widened. She immediately grabbed the necklace at her throat and infused it with a pulse of aether.
How careless.
She lunged forward, grabbed Astrid’s wrist, and started running. With her free hand she pulled out a different iron plate, this one etched differently. It glowed purple when she activated it.
A subtle, invisible wave pulsed outward.
She didn’t wait to see the effect.
They had to move.
Astrid’s tracking plate might have led her here, but Violet hadn’t masked her aether remnants after the fight. If it had been an enemy instead of Astrid who traced her first
She would’ve been finished.
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“How did you find me so quickly?” Violet asked as they moved away from the Hall, circling back toward town. Deeper into the forest would only mean death.
“The explosion you caused,” Astrid replied evenly.
“That wasn’t me,” Violet shot back, offended.
Astrid studied her.
“Then who?”
“Two aether signatures. One aligned with the Halls. The other… unknown. Both fire users. The second had an artifact.”
They continued moving quickly.
“What were you doing there?”
Violet hesitated.
“I—”
“Then what happened?”
“They found us. They attacked.”
“No,” Astrid pressed. “What happened? What was the reason for that reaction?”
Violet exhaled sharply.
“They have a secret. One they’ll kill to protect. And they’ll hunt anyone who knows it.”
“Gods, Violet. Aunt literally warned you about interfering in things you shouldn’t.”
“I didn’t know it would be this bad! How was I supposed to know those officials were planning rebellion and mutiny?”
Astrid stopped walking.
“What?”
“That’s not even the worst part,” Violet continued. “Not compared to what they plan to use.”
She told her.
About what she’d seen in Kosmas Drivon’s scrolls.
Astrid went pale. For several seconds, she said nothing.
“We’re returning to the capital. Now.”
“No, Astrid. We can’t. Not after this.”
“Are you serious? This is far beyond us. We go home. We tell Aunt. She decides.”
“No, Asi listen. We can do this. They only have a rough search area. I caught something more specific. We could get there first.”
“No!” Astrid snapped. “Stop speaking like this. Has the thought of becoming an aetherist driven you insane?”
“No, it’s the thought of curing you!”
The words burst out of Violet, breath ragged.
“You wouldn’t have to suffer anymore. If your body could handle your aether properly… you’d be fine.”
Astrid went still.
That hadn’t occurred to her, not truly. That Violet might have thought of her first. Maybe it had been the first thing Violet thought when she deciphered the scroll.
Astrid stepped forward and pulled her into an embrace.
“Thank you, Vi. For thinking of me. Even now.” She pulled back slightly. “But this is too dangerous. It could get us both killed. Let Aunt handle it. She’ll find the place. Maybe even retrieve the scrolls and develop her own method.”
At that, Violet’s expression darkened. She looked down.
“Look, Asi… I think we should do this alone.”
Astrid’s stomach tightened. Something in her tone was wrong.
“Why? Why not let Aunt help?”
Violet stayed silent for a long moment. She drew in a breath
Before she could answer, the bracelets on both their wrists flared to life.
A spectral image forced itself outward from the stored aether within them.
“Violet… what have you done?”
Their aunt’s voice echoed from the projection.
