Rysdan and I discussed multiple ways of entrance into the library. Some of them required us to dress as guards, others needed us to get gernades and blow the top off. Both were terrible ideas.

"I need help," I whispered to the voice in my head.

"Don't we all?" the voice said back sarcastically.

I held in from scolding. "How would you break into a building to, say, find information?"

The voice took a while to answer. I could almost see how it was rubbing its head at such a foolish question. "And why would you want to break into this supposed building?"

"Let's say we're redecorating."

"Of course. Redecorating while you stab people. Sounds like a typical thing to do, right?"

"Will you help me or not?"

"Fine. Give me a few minutes and I'll give you some advice."

After that, the voice went quiet. Stupid thing. Just when I needed it most and it decided to leave me miserable.

"Anymore ideas, Rysdan?" I inquired, hoping he'd be more helpful than a certain voice in my head.

He leaned back against the fabric of my tent and crossed his arms. We'd been trying to plan for a few hours. Outside, the sun was setting, and the moon and stars finally decided to make themselves known.

"Seeing as you can barely keep a dagger in your hand, we're going to have to sneak in somehow." He rolled his shoulders back and leaned forward. "And no explosions."

"Fine." Then what else? Dressing up would do us no good. Besides, Rysdan was supposed to be the expert and sneaking around, not me. How come he was extra quiet now, of all times?

We stayed quiet, both of us silently thinking. Silently scheming. Odaya's guards were armed, and Rysdan said that they all knew each other, therefore meaning that if we dressed up as guards, we'd be caught soon.

"Help me out, stupid voice!" I yelled in my head to it. "Please."

No response. Great. How busy could that thing be?

"We could always try climbing through the chimneys." Rysdan didn't look too confident about what he just said.

And I wasn't in the mood to toy with Odaya's highly trained guards. "What's bad about that idea?"

"I don't know where the guards are stationed. They could be standing at the fireplace. Imagine how awkward it would be if we just fell out of the chimneys and onto logs while guards stare at us like we're crazy." Rysdan groaned. "Do you have any ideas?"

"No," I simply stated.

He rubbed his eyes with his palms. "Damn."

"Indeed." I sighed. We needed—

No, I needed to get into the library. There had to be more in there if Odaya was willing to lie to Prodos. A book? Magic? Someone she kidnapped in Entorre and dragged into this country? Who knew? But I planned to find out what she was hiding.

Maybe Rysdan knew more information than he was letting on.

"So... what happened between you and her?"

Rysdan looked startled that I'd ask. He shook his head, implying that he didn't want to talk. At least, I though until he glanced at me again and softly blinked.

"I thought I loved her," he began. "She was the daughter of my father's adviser in Northern Thaeleck. In Bairin."

Bairin? That was the region that Diana was stationed at. She said that the Wall of Cadice had been in a critical state after Kandose attacked it many times. Everyone in Bairin had to evacuate to lower regions of Thaeleck after an attack caused a surge in magic levels, killing Lord Antile Selorn and his two daughters.

I blinked. Selorn. Rysdan Selorn. I didn't recall Lord Antile Selorn ever having a son.

I hesitated to ask one question, but eventually, I pushed. "Are you related to Antile Selorn?"

He cleared his throat and looked down. "My father slept around a lot. He accidentally had me and forced to work in the citadels while my mother was forced into the alcoves, dealing with magical illnesses."

"So she knew magic?"

Nodding, he continued. "She was known to help people that had gotten blasted by the Wall of Cadice. My father didn't marry her because people thought she was a witch of sorts, and my dear old father could never ruin his reputation by tying his bloodline to that of a 'witch'."

I never heard that Lord Antile Selorn had ties to someone who could use magic. After Cadice outlawed magic eons ago, all magic was sucked into the Wall, and magical creatures ceased to exist. At least, that was the story Manea had always told me. Who knew what parts she left out?

"Odaya would sneak into the citadel occasionally, bringing me food and nice clothes, along with some company." Rysdan took the fake amulet out of his pockets and placed it on the ground. "She listened to me. She even managed to get my mother into the citadels to talk to me. I never... I never felt like someone could ever help me until Odaya."

It felt like instinct. In seconds, my hand was around his, holding tightly, not bothering to let go.

The smile I got in return from him caused my eyes to burn. Never in my life had I seen dark eyes that could look so beautifully deranged. The pools on the outline of his eyes said enough.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," I whispered, putting my hands around his neck. "Only if you're comfortable."

"You deserve to know," he stated.

"I don't—"

"Believe me," he said, his hands going to back to the amulet, "you'd hate me if I didn't tell you."

"Hate you? Why would I hate you?"

His eyes shot up to mine, and tears came from his eyes. Seeing someone cry—seeing someone like him cry—made my heart ache.

"I met... Ashe soon after. He came to visit Knight's City in Bairin with—" He stopped. While his voice stopped, the tears didn't. His throat bobbed as he finished. "With Manea."

My mouth turned dry at the mention of my dead sister's name. Slowly, my hands fell away from his neck, and this time, I couldn't control the way my tears came down.

"Is this some kind of sick joke?" I fumed.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. I just thought... You know what? Never mind." Rysdan got up from the ground and was about to walk out.

"Sit down," I ordered. "Sit down and explain. What the hell does this have to do with my sister?" I grabbed his hand and pulled him back down. "No, stop. What's this have to do with Manea?"

"Nothing—"

"Liar." I refused to let go of his hand. He would not get away—at least, not without telling me.

He sat back on the ground, lowering his gaze yet again. "Manea used to be one of us."

"But how? You kidnapped her, didn't you? Just like you did—"

"She was the one to start Kampa," Rysdan put out. He shifted again, this time his shes were bloodshot. "I promise you, Valarya. Ashe would've never killed Manea. He'd give the entire world just to protect us. He'd kill, he'd lie, and do everything for us, but he would never kill us, no matter the cost."

My breaths became hollowed. How the hell? How the hell? This was impossible. Manea would never...

Manea would do something as stupid as this. She'd be the only one of my sisters to do something like this.

I remembered those night Manea would ask me to lie for her. She always told me she was sneaking out to see Nicholyn. That devious little... little. I couldn't even complete the damned thought. How could she betray our family like this? Helping these low lives, no matter?

She lied. She constantly lied over and over again. She told me lies for years, and I believed them! Father would've executed her immediately if he found out.

My heart dropped.

If he found out. Does that mean he already knew what Manea had done? Did he... No, Father would never get Manea killed.

Would he?

Saints. What had Manea gotten herself into with these snakes?

I rose off the ground, trying my best to not cry, or scream, or shake the world itself.

How could she? She threw away her family for all of this. She threw away everything to help these people.

Rysdan grabbed my wrist. "I stayed when you asked me to. Please. Please hear me out. I promise you—"

"Shut your mouth! How could she help a bunch of worthless rats? How could she choose you all over her own family?" The world tilted every time I opened my mouth. My legs felt like they'd give out at any second.

"Excuse me—"

"No, let me finish." I held onto my arms, this time the world turned bright scarlet. "She chose you all. She sacrificed her life, her family, her country, her loyalties. Everything! Just to help feed people? What kind of idiot do you take me for? My sister would never degrade herself to your level—"

"And I suppose you think you're superior than us, right?" Rysdan hastily got off the ground.

"I'll always be the Princess of Thaeleck. And you'd be nothing without my family—"

"Shut your mouth," Rysdan snapped. "You got everything handed to you. You wouldn't know what work was if it came and introduced itself to you, and you know it."

"At least my family knows their loyalties—"

"Your family can kiss my ass." His eyes bore into mine, but this time differently. There was fire in them, and never in my life was I able to look at fire without wincing.

I snapped my gaze away from his eyes. "Says the man who needed Ashe Knightley to help him," I bit back.

There was silence. Deep, terrible, unending silence. I felt my bones go cold, my eyes trying to find something—anything to look at that wasn't Rysdan.

"You're quite confident for a girl that follows her poor old daddy and mommy. The day they die would be a wonderful day for the world, and maybe then you'd figure out your loyalties, Princess Valarya."

I winced at his words. Looking at Rysdan's eyes again, I could see no remorse—no fear for what he'd said.

"Who are you loyal to?" he snarled. "One day you choose to hate your father, the next to worship him. Some days you mourn your sister, the next you're reprimanding her for her life." Rysdan took one step toward me. It was all it took for him to finish. "Some days you choose to listen to us, and others you decide that you're a god and deserve to be worshipped. Here's a little thing you need to know," Rysdan added, his finger twining a strand of my hair, "you will never find anyone who genuinely approves of you, Valarya. And you know it damn well. Good luck."

At those final words, he stormed out of my tent.

I sank to the ground, not wanting to move or cry or do anything. Instead, I chose to be pitiful and stare at the basin at the other side of my tent.

A million things went through my head every day, but now, Manea was all I could think about.