There’s also a small matter of my Taurian husband, but I’m tackling one problem at a time. Even if I can’t make our marriage work long-term, I at least owe it to him to be here for the Conquest Moon. He needs a partner, though he acts as if any woman wouldn’t be falling all over herself to get together with him and that mouth of his—

“Aspeth?”

I look up, startled. “I—yes?” I grab the page to turn it, pretending like I was paying attention. My fingers encounter Kipp’s slithery, sticky tongue instead and I squeal in horror. The slitherskin makes a choked sound, pulling back and putting a hand to his mouth with a wounded expression that reads How dare you. “I’m sorry,” I manage, embarrassed. “Could you repeat the question?”

“I asked if we were boring you,” Magpie says. Her graying hair is pulled back from her round face in a tight braid today, emphasizing a hint of cheekbones. She looks better than she has in the last while, though her hands still shake with tremors at times. Lark says this is a good sign, though. Hawk doesn’t agree. He’s still waiting for her to falter again.

“Oh, I’m not bored,” I exclaim, putting on my simpering noblewoman act and beaming at her. “I love Prellian pottery.”

“Excellent. Remind me of the piece we were just talking about and the common things to look for?” Her dark, heavy brows go up.

Um. I eye the page in the book in front of me. There’s a drawing of a fluted, thin bud vase with a rounded flare at the base. Looking at it makes me think of Hawk and the knot he’s supposed to get at the time of the Conquest Moon. I stare at it, trying to think of non-phallic characteristics. “Ah…”

“Leave her alone,” Hawk says, voice gruff at the back of the room. “You know Aspeth’s knowledge isn’t a problem when it comes to artifacts.”

I hadn’t realized Hawk was even in the library with us. He must have joined after we’d sat down. I glance over my shoulder at him and see his big form stretched on a bench near the wall, his hooves sprawled out in front of him, arms crossed over his chest. He slouches like a man of leisure, ironic given that his guild coat is taut over his thick arms….

“If she’s so knowledgeable, she needs to share with her companions.” Magpie’s expression is unyielding. “We don’t have time to waste. Not now.”

He straightens in his seat, hooves squarely upon the floor. Hawk leans forward, one hand on his knee as he studies Magpie. “What do you mean, exactly?”

“Remember when Lord Jent decided to go to war with that big coastal hold? And he called in a special request to the guild? We sent out teams of students fresh from the schoolroom and only half of them made it out alive, but that wasn’t a problem for Lord Jent because he got the artifacts he needed and quickly. We’ve a similar situation now. Lord Chatworth has asked for additional teams to be sent to the tunnels to look for artifacts. He’s going to war and he’s willing to pay top price to do so.”

I can feel the blood drain from my face. My entire body, actually. I’m just a numb lump of flesh, unable to move, to speak, to breathe.

Chatworth Hold is going to war.

I can guess who he’s going to attack. I want to shoot a panicked look to Gwenna but I don’t dare turn around to meet her gaze.

This is the nightmare situation I was dreaming of. Worse, even.

“What does that mean for us?” Mereden asks.

“Lord Chatworth’s younger son is paying for additional teams to head into the tunnels. This happens occasionally with the guild—sometimes a lord will need an emergency supply of artifacts. Whenever this happens, the teachers take any team of fledglings in that is deemed competent enough. It’ll give you an edge when it comes time for your final exam.”

“And we’re competent enough to go into the tunnels? As a team?” Lark sounds openly skeptical. I can’t blame her. I wouldn’t think of us when I think of competence, but maybe…maybe…maybe we can find something good, something big, and I can claim it for Honori instead of turning it over to Barnabus. Maybe I can find something big enough to change our circumstances. After all, it was the Sphere of Reason that established Sparkanos and the guild after the Mancer Wars. If there’s one artifact like that, there are bound to be others.

Maybe this is where I need to be after all. If we find something big, I can do my best to make sure it doesn’t fall into Barnabus’s hands. He must need additional firepower of some kind if he’s paying for more artifacts. He needs an edge over my father in some way and is counting on us to deliver it.

Okay. Okay. I can fix this. I can save the day still. I take a deep, shuddering breath.

“We’re not ready,” Gwenna states in a firm, reasonable voice. She sits behind me so I can’t see her expression, but I know she’s thinking the same thing I am—we can’t help Barnabus. We just can’t.

“It’s not like you’ll be going in alone,” Magpie retorts.

I glance up. “Hawk’s coming with us?”

She pauses. “A good idea, but no. He’s going to be needed for more retrieval missions, most likely. Just today, another team got stuck in the ruins of an old temple despite that area being off-limits. Idiots.”

Wait, he is? He mentioned the other Taurians had left the city due to the oncoming Conquest Moon. Why is he here with us if he’s heading out on an emergency mission? I shoot a look over to him but his face is impassive. “Isn’t that dangerous for him, too? The other Taurians are gone.”

“It’s not a dangerous area. They’re safe where they are. They just can’t get out.” Magpie shrugs.

“I’m training a retrieval team, too,” Hawk adds. “Since the guild is realizing it would help to have additional trained teams. Once they have their gear together, we’re meeting at the drop station and heading in. Hopefully it won’t take too long.” His expression is carefully blank, but I feel like he’s annoyed at being on call. I can’t say I blame him.

“Don’t you worry about Hawk,” Magpie says. “Just give his balls a good jiggle when he comes back.”

Hawk clears his throat.

My face heats. “Must you be so crude?”

“Only if I’m awake.” She smirks in my direction. “And we all know you’re giving his balls a jiggle, so it’s not like this is a secret.”

Kipp makes a hissing noise and I realize he’s laughing. I scowl over at him.

“So fucking pay attention in class,” Magpie says, leaning forward. “Because we’re going into the tunnels in a little over a week and you need all the information I can shove in your head.”

Over a week. It’s enough time to send a letter home. I need to warn Father somehow, to let him know that Barnabus is going to make a move against Honori Hold. But mucking hells, I don’t even know where Father is. Is he at court? At his mistress’s home by the sea? At our hold? Do I send out anonymous letters to all those places and hope I catch him? It feels foolish, but what choice do I have? Not warning him seems even more foolish. I have to tell him something. Perhaps I can hint that Father has a friend here in Vastwarren who is looking out for his interests. I don’t have to point out that it’s me. He wouldn’t recognize my handwriting anyhow.

I contemplate what I’m going to write through the rest of the lessons, lost in thought. It’s not like I need to know the shape of an urn that carries a particular spell, or what it means when a jar is found magically sealed (nothing good). I already know these things. I’m able to tune out Magpie and not feel too guilty. I’ve got bigger problems on my mind.

By the end of the day, I’m feeling relatively good about the message I’m going to send. I have the perfect, concise statement ready, and I’m mentally going through the rooms in the barracks that might have stationery I can purloin. Then it’s just a matter of getting it delivered. But when we arrive back at the dormitory, any thought I had of being in control goes out the window.