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Marek and Nilik couldn t be gone. They couldn t leave her life empty. She couldn t go to bed tomorrow
night alone, wake up the next day alone, and the next day and the next, stretching out until the day she
died. They couldn t be gone.
Alanka fell silent, or maybe her voice had been drowned out by the shrieks in Rhia s own mind. The
sounds shifted and sloshed, then her world tilted like a capsized boat. She grabbed the wall and felt it
slide past.
Rhia! Damen caught her under the arms. She opened her eyes to see the floor much closer than she d
remembered it.
Alanka dashed for the hallway, shouting for Zelia. Damen helped Rhia sit on a nearby chair.
The Otter healer rushed into the room. Let s get her into one of the beds.
No! She couldn t lie helpless while her husband and son were carried off. She shoved Damen s arms
away, then staggered to her feet. I have to find them.
I ll get some valerian, Zelia said. It ll calm her down.
Don t you dare calm me down. Rhia wanted to claw the sympathy off the faces around her. I m going
after my family.
There might be another way, Galen said. We ll send a bird message at daybreak to Velekos. If it
arrives in time, the Velekons can stop the Descendants.
Rhia s mind raced. It took a full day to sail to the bayside village. The kidnappers would arrive tomorrow
night. If the pigeons didn t make it in time for the Velekons to save Marek, she would go herself, even if
she had to swim the Southern Sea.
Less than an hour later, Rhia paced the floor of Arcas and Galen s kitchen, resisting the urge to look over
Arcas s shoulder as he worked at the table. She twisted Nilik s shirt around her fingers, binding them so
she wouldn t smash every object in Galen s house.
Why would they take our babies? she asked the Hawk. To torture us?
I think they have a plan. If they just wanted to hurt us, they would have taken older children who are
easier to care for and less likely to draw attention by crying.
So what s the plan? she said.
To study our people s abilities, I think. At the stove, Galen poured three mugs of steaming chicory. If
Filip can gain magic, then maybe the Spirits reside in a place, not a person, which means our people
might lose power in their land. If so, the Descendants no doubt wonder what would happen if one of us
spent his whole life in Ilios.
They re using our babies to experiment on us? Her skin felt covered in centipedes.
Galen rested a hand on Rhia s shoulder. It means he s not in immediate danger, which gives us time.
She took a mug of chicory from him, grateful that he understood she needed something to keep her alert,
not to soothe her. Alanka said the boat she saw was small, probably not seaworthy. So the kidnappers
will stop and change ships in Velekos.
And if they dock at night, Galen added, Marek can turn himself and Nilik invisible to help them get
away.
Rhia thought of the other two Asermon infants on board. Would he leave them behind to save himself
and his son? Spirits forgive her, but she hoped he would.
If the Velekons don t stop them, she said, I m going to Leukos.
He held up a hand. We ll send others. You re our only Crow.
I m also Nilik s only mother, Marek s only wife. I m going.
You have no experience in this sort of operation.
Neither do you, but you d go if they took your son.
They looked at Arcas, who didn t blink at their mention of him. His dark blue eyes stared through the
wall in a Spider trance as his thick hand moved the sharpened charcoal across the parchment. Tall, broad
and dark, he still held the demeanor of the Bear Spirit he d coveted all his life, the Spirit who never
appeared at his Bestowing.
Galen turned back to her. I can t keep you from trying to save your family. But be sure to take support.
You ll undoubtedly receive many offers of assistance from other Asermons.
She knew it had nothing to do with neighborly generosity. Because they think Nilik s the Raven baby.
It could be.
She shook her head. I ll take those I know are helping because they love us, not because of some
prophecy. That way I ll be sure of their commitment.
Nevertheless, I ll make sure the Velekons know the importance of the child they ll be rescuing
tomorrow night.
How s this?
They turned to see Arcas, out of his Spider trance, holding out the parchment. Rhia took it and wanted to
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