Chapter 133

“Do you want to talk about what happened back there?” I asked as we crossed the road and angled east into the rolling grass.

Garrik Harvesten - that was Harvey’s real name - had given us what we needed. Directions to the Covenant’s fort. The two men who’d strung him up - Keel and Loam - were just brigands out of Esmori, drifting north in search of easier coin.

Not Covenant.

That was a relief and a problem. At least with them, I knew what I was dealing with - cruel, stupid, and predictable. The Covenant… we still didn’t know who they were.

Naevira flushed, her gaze dropping to the ground. Shame settled over her like a weight she didn’t know how to carry.

“We try to help people,” I said gently. “And a Weeping Gallows doesn’t help anyone. It kills them. And if someone survives…” I exhaled softly. “They lose something. Something important.”

She walked beside me, caught in herself. I could see the conflict on her face. Whatever had imprinted her on me wanted her full attention on me, steady and unwavering. But shame fought back, dragging her eyes away, breaking that focus.

“Someone important to me once said that suffering shapes us,” I continued. “That if we don’t remember it, we embrace the lie of what we want to be, rather than embrace who we are.”

I glanced at her. “I believe that. We’re not just the good parts. We’re everything - every choice, every mistake, every moment. The whole mess of it.”

I stopped and rested a hand on her shoulder, grounding her, drawing her attention fully back to me. “Don’t answer me right now,” I said. “Take time. A night. A week. As long as you need. But think about it - really think.”

Her eyes lifted to mine.

“Are you happy not knowing who you were?” I asked quietly. “Was it worth it - to lose your past, your memories, everything that made you you - just to be free of whatever pain you carried?”

I held her gaze. “Looking back on everything you remember, who would you be if I hadn’t… If you’d never met me. If you forgot about ever meeting me. Would you give all of that up again?”

The question hung between us.

I leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead, then stepped past her and continued down the path.

I didn’t know how much of that would reach her. Didn’t know how deep the imprint ran or if my words were still sinking into her soul and altering who she was. Didn’t know if she could even question it yet.

And I wasn’t going to **** it.

I didn’t want to shape her into something she wasn’t. Didn’t want to overwrite whatever she was meant to become.

But I did want her to think. To choose.

Some things had to be taught - set in stone. Don’t kill. Don’t steal. The basics that kept people from tearing each other apart.

But the rest… The rest had to be learned on your own. Who she was. Where she belonged.

And that wasn’t something I had any right to decide for her.

* * *

Two hours later, Naevira and I lay prone atop a low hill, watching the Covenant of Mercy from a distance.

The original fort was modest - three stone buildings wrapped in a whitewashed wall. Old, but well kept. The kind of place that had been abandoned or forgotten and then claimed again.

But that wasn’t what held my attention.

Behind it, something else had been built. A massive structure of smooth white stone rose from the earth like a monument to something that shouldn’t exist. It stretched nearly three hundred feet across at its base - a stepped pyramid carved with impossible precision. The walls climbed thirty feet before cutting inward, then rose again - four tiers in total - until it reached a height of one hundred and twenty feet.

It didn’t look assembled - it looked shaped, like it was a single block of stone. There were no visible seams. No joints. No sign of construction. Only the top tier bore windows, dark and narrow, like something that watched without being seen.

No doubt magic was involved in its construction.

I didn’t see a single entrance. Which meant the only way in was through the fort.

At the gate, men in white robes greeted arrivals and guided them inside. No heavy armor. No obvious guards. But it didn’t matter - getting close without being noticed would be nearly impossible.

My magic was pretty strong. I could easily turn invisible. Unfortunately that wouldn’t stop them from hearing me. My magic didn’t come quietly - I’d need to at least hum softly to keep a spell like that going.

And then there was Naevira.

I glanced at her beside me. I didn’t know what had happened back at the Gallows. Didn’t know how much of it had been her and how much had been something else. But when she spoke to Garrik she hadn’t seemed entirely in control.

But I couldn’t trust her anymore. I couldn’t take her in there. And I couldn’t leave her alone.

Would the Gallows in the bailey react to her? Would it call to her? I wasn’t willing to find out.

That left one option. The demesne. It was safe. Controlled.

It was also empty, except for maybe Elise. I couldn’t leave her there alone. Not because I didn’t trust her, but because she had never been alone before. For that I was going to need help.

I gestured, and we eased back down the hill, out of sight.

“I need to find a way in,” I told her once we were clear. “And I can’t guarantee your safety if you come with me.”

She looked at me, concern flickering across her face.

“We’ll go back to my home,” I continued. “I’ll introduce you to Ashlara, Mirri, and Serah. We’ll find you somewhere comfortable to stay while I’m gone.”

“I won’t be gone long,” I added. “A day or two, at most. And you won’t be alone.” I held her gaze and gave her a smile. “I’m pretty sure Elise has some books in Elithae. You could read while you wait.”

She didn’t look convinced, but after a moment, she nodded. Reluctantly.

I knelt and dug a shallow hole in the earth. My cloak went inside, covered just enough to keep it from catching the wind or drawing attention from anyone passing by. A simple anchor.

Then I stood and took her hand. We stepped home. As long as I was there, the Gallows wouldn’t be a problem. And once we talked it through, I’d take her into the demesne properly - get her settled, make sure she was safe.

Then I’d come back alone.

* * *

Lilae, Issa, Brinja, Mak, and Tib sat in a loose circle around Mirri as she guided a half dozen eggs through the air. They drifted in a slow orbit, rising and falling in perfect rhythm - no gestures, no words, no visible focus. Just control, while Mirri continued to explain how it was done.

The five of them still had lessons every day. Between my four women, there was no shortage of things to learn - or ways to be pushed.

Every head turned as I stepped into the common room. It was a brief distraction and a welcome one.

“Alright, now you try,” Mirri said, only sparing me a glance. “Plenty of time to gawk later.” Her grin sharpened. “I wanna see those eggs dance.”

She rose and made her way toward me.

Behind her, three eggs lifted in front of each child.

Mak’s exploded almost immediately.

Mirri flicked her eyes back. “Clean it up and grab another. You’ll get it.”

I met her in the entry hall, pulling her into a hug and pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “I missed you.”

“I missed you too,” she said, her voice muffled against my armored shirt. At four-two, she barely reached mid-chest.

Her gaze shifted past me.

Naevira stood just inside the hall, turning slowly as she took everything in.

The walls were covered in paintings, set between woven tapestries - each piece distinct, each one made by someone in this house. Sculptures and keepsakes filled alcoves and shelves, every one carrying a story. Two chandeliers hung from the ceiling - unused in the afternoon light that shined in through the windows and caught on polished banisters and carved details.

It wasn’t quite royal - it was too lived-in for that. But it was rich in its own way - wealth layered with memory, shaped by the hands of the people who belonged there.

Mirri stepped back from me and approached her.

“You must be the famous Naevira,” she said in Elithae, her tone warm and easy. “I’m Mirri.”

Naevira pulled her attention away from one of Issa’s paintings, reining in her awe. “Yes,” she said. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Mirri glanced back at me, her eyes sparkling. “So what’s up, stud?”

“We found the Covenant of Mercy,” I said. “They’ve got a fortress. I need to get inside - make sure they’re not hurting anyone.” I paused. “But I can’t guarantee Naevira’s safety if she comes with me. And there’ve been some… developments.”

Mirri nodded without hesitation. “We’re almost done here. Serah’s with the little ones in their room, Ashie’s outside, and you know where Elise is.” She jerked her chin back toward the room. “Give me fifteen minutes to wrap this up, then you can tell me all about these developments.”

* * *

I laid everything out for them at the dining room table.

Mirri set out a plate of cookies and a few glasses of milk. Naevira held one in her hand, turning it slightly, but didn’t take a bite. Elise, on the other hand, was perfectly content - her toes tapping happily together under the table as she somehow managed to fit an entire cookie into her mouth.

“So,” Mirri said once I finished, leaning back in her chair, “you need a babysitter.”

My eyes flicked to Naevira. “Yeah.”

“And your plan is to just march in there, take a look around, and come back?”

“I was going to use a bit more subtlety and guile,” I said dryly. “But… yeah.”

She snorted softly, then glanced around the table. “What do you think?”

“The demesne is the safest option,” Serah agreed. “There’s space, and the library if she wishes to occupy herself.”

“No Gallows there,” Ashlara added. “You test what happens if she sees one with nobody in it?”

I shook my head. “Haven’t had the chance. And I’m not risking the one in the bailey. We could try the one in town first.”

Ashlara gave a short nod. “Good. I’d feel better knowing. Otherwise, I’m fine with it.”

Mirri turned to Elise.

“I foog goos shum felt ing ba bibary,” Elise said around her cookie.

She froze. Then quickly covered her mouth, cheeks flushing. After swallowing, she tried again. “I could use some help in the library.”

Mirri smirked. “Alright. Serah, you’ve got mornin’s. Ashie, you’re on lunch. Elise, afternoons. I’ll take evenin’s.”

Then her gaze settled back on me, sharp and knowing. “And you,” she said, “have a field trip before you go.”