Nomi lounged in the back of the cart, her eyes focused on Rinerva while she listened to the words without truly hearing them. Her attention was split between the upcoming mission and a host of bad memories that had been haunting her for the three days they had prepared to leave for Zylichor’s Plight.

  She sighed softly under her breath, and blessedly, her brain allowed her to tune back into the conversation.

  “—priority is keeping ourselves alive, then the townsfolk,” Rinerva stated, her voice cutting over the rumble of the cart wheels. “If any of us die, we lose the resources to keep the town safe. So, if it comes down to saving one civilian or saving yourselves, remember: you can't help anyone if you’re dead.”

  “Right. Then what are our groupings going to be?” Talos asked.

  The air in the cart suddenly felt too thin. Her pulse hammered against her ribs, a frantic rhythm she tried to smooth over with a forced breath.

  “I was planning that with Zeil,” Rinerva began. She examined Nomi with a look that was too damn familiar. Nomi had never been sure why, but the Rethnian noble always seemed to want to kill her. She had chalked it up to jealousy, but that key never quite fit the lock.

  “Nomi. Talos,” Rinerva said sharply. “If the two of you are assigned together, can you manage to stay focused?”

  Despite the personal animosity, Rinerva always made the most effective tactical decisions, without failure. She knew they were the strongest pair, even if she hated it.

  “Mm. Asking me to behave with a handsome young man like Tal?” Nomi’s eyes fluttered toward him, half-lidded and teasing. “I can if he can.”

  Still, her hands were cold. A part of her was terrified he would say no.

  “...Yeah,” Talos murmured, not looking at her. “I’ll work with Nomi.”

  “Excellent. Then it will be the two of you on the perimeter. Lillik and Agon will take the eastern sector, and I will hold the center of the city myself.”

  “Again, Rinerva, I worry about leaving you alone,” the Spider interjected, her multiple eyes twitching in unease.

  “Out of all of us, I’m the safest working alone. It’s easiest for me to disengage. We can’t risk you or the heavy artillery getting picked off in an alleyway.”

  “Old Blood is too damn strong to die,” Agon grumbled, leaning against the wall of the cart where he barely fit under the canvas canopy. “And she can rotate to one of the groups to sleep. But no matter what, this will be an uphill battle with a company of only five mercenaries.”

  Nomi felt herself tuning out. The static in her head grew louder. Her own Coven had sent five people, too. They’d expected to group up with the other Circles. It should've been enough. It should have been—

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  “Nomi.”

  She knew that voice. It cut through the noise like a razor. She blinked, the world snapping back into focus as her eyes found Talos. The reflex was instantaneous—a smirk pulling at her lips before she even realized she was doing it.

  “What is it, darling?”

  “...Don’t call me that,” he started, the rebuke automatic. But he paused, studying her face, and let out a small sigh. “You alright?”

  “Course.”

  It was an easy lie. But the others were too distracted by the looming city walls to notice the tremor in her voice.

  She hated lying to him, even about the little things. But she told herself she didn't have the right to lean on him anymore. Not after what happened. She tensed, realizing her hand was stubbornly clinging to the edge of his cloak, her knuckles white against the dark wool.

  “You think we’ll die?” Talos asked quietly.

  “Not all of us. But this isn’t what you’re good at.” She hummed, forcing herself to unclench her fingers and release him. She poked his chest—a weak deflection. “Despite how you act, you’re too soft, y’know. You need to put yourself first sometimes."

  “I’ll be fine.”

  “Just because you can heal doesn't mean—”

  “You’re with me,” he interrupted, his voice flat and certain. “I’ll be fine.”

  “...That’s exactly what I mean, I thought you grew up in Reth? You’re too damn soft. You’re gonna get taken advantage of.” Nomi’s mind finally aligned for the first time since she heard this rotten city’s name. Since Rinerva listened to the death throes of an already doomed hellscape. He wasn’t shutting her out. Finally, after three months of being iced out. “Again.”

  “Probably. But prove me wrong.”

  “I will.” Her reply was instant; before she managed to force the teasing smirk back onto her face, a more genuine smile took its place, and her finger hooked on his cloak again. “You know I was born here?”

  “Yeah. You told me that.”

  “Mm. Lucky my family swapped Covens, hm? I think I’m much more fun as a fox.”

  Talos shifted, just slightly, but she could see the corners of his mouth tilt up, as he turned his attention to Agon and Rinerva bickering.

  “—Think it’s worth the risk? You’re risking a damn lot when you know a matriarch is here.”

  “I’m well aware of the risk. And I’m well aware of the reward too. So long as we don’t challenge the matriarch before we cut apart the coven, it’s manageable. You know this just as well as I.”

  “...Aye. I am aware.” Agon rubbed a massive hand over his face, dragging the skin down in exhaustion. “But you’re betting on this… thing just waiting?”

  “I don’t gamble, Agon. We’ll make it waste time. While the main group scouts for the Coven’s resources, Talos and Nomi will be aggressive. They will draw attention, bleed the hive, and then fade into the shadows.”

  “Against creatures that excel at finding people?”

  “I’ve consulted the experts,” Rinerva countered smoothly. “By utilizing echo stones, we can guide the Bats to where we need them to be—and keep them away from our skirmishers when they need to recover.”

  “And if they get caught?”

  “Then they die.”

  Rinerva’s voice didn't waver. Her eyes were hard, reflecting the dull light of the passing lanterns.

  “That is the risk of the contract. I stake my life on these plans just as I stake yours, Agon. Do not forget that.”

  Agon stared at her... “Fine, Old Blood. We’ll play it your way.” The cart lurched forward, the city gates of Zylichor looming out of the mist like the jaws of a beast waiting to be fed.