Cora watched with worry as Harry draped a black cloak over his shoulders, checking to make sure the dagger was secure at his hip.

Next to her, Iris fiddled nervously with a cloak she was repairing, threading her needle through the grey-black fabric in stiff movements. From the way she was acting, Cora could tell her conversation with Thalia hadn't gone well. She accidentally pricked her finger and muttered a curse under her breath. The slight raise of Harry's head on the other side of the living room was enough for Cora to know he'd heard her as well.

Outside, the sky was turning a cold shade of yellow—sunset was near.

The faint sound of steps was heard on the stairs, and then Thalia entered the living room. "It's time to go," she stated, giving Iris a long look—one she dutifully ignored. She sighed and neared Harry, and he stood up.

Cora watched them, nervously gripping her fingers, trying to spot anything that would tell her more about the mission, but it either was just as little thought-out as she'd imagined, or they were going to great lengths to make sure their mysteries wouldn't be discerned. They were talking in quiet whispers now, and she had to resist the urge to ask Iris if she could hear what they were saying.

Then, Harry walked towards her. He stopped in front of her and studied her for a long moment. "I'll be back soon," he said. "Don't get in trouble."

Cora gripped his hand harder. "Of course." Her throat tightened.

He gave her a long look, and then left. Thalia followed him, and Cora stood up and ran to the door.

"Harry!" she shouted, dashing after him and dirtying her shoes in mud. Before he could turn around, she crashed against his back and hugged him from behind.

His hand went to her joined ones immediately. "Cora..."

"Please come back," she muttered against his back. "Don't make me come find you."

Harry's tension broke, and he let out a light laugh. "Now, we wouldn't want that, would we?" Despite his attempt to make light of the situation, she couldn't find it in her to chuckle as well. All she could think about was the multitude of ways everything could go wrong. He intertwined his fingers with hers and made her let go, turning around to meet her gaze. "Cora."

"Just... please..."

He pressed a kiss to her lips. "I heard you." He looked behind her, towards the house. "Go back inside, now. It's getting cold."

Cora wanted to say a thousand things more but couldn't find the voice to say any, so she went back into the house and closed the door behind herself. Five seconds passed, and then the fay fire in the spheres above her head died out. Iris sent her a silent look, hovering in the doorway that brought to the living room, still sucking on the finger she'd pricked, and she knew they were sharing the same thoughts.

A knock made the wooden door tremble against Cora's back. Her breath stopped and she stepped back, her heart beating a little faster as she opened it.

To her disappointment, Thalia was standing on the other side, her dark wool cloak under her arm. "I changed my mind," she simply said, walking back into the house and throwing the cloak over a chair.

Iris threw her arms around her neck, mumbling a thousand thanks in her ear.

Cora's smile froze on her face. If Thalia was there, then Harry was alone—completely alone. Her heart beat louder in her chest, and she backed out of the room even before realising what she was doing. She couldn't let him go alone. She had to do something, and she had to be fast.

She didn't even need to stop to think of what she was meant to do—the plan came to her naturally, as if a part of her brain had been working on it for hours without her knowledge.

She sent a look out of the corridor window. The sun was now beginning to set; it would be harder to find her way with the coming darkness, but she couldn't risk being spotted.

She stepped into the kitchen; it was empty. From the other room, she could hear Thalia's hushed words to Iris. Somewhere above, Dwyn's steps moved down a hallway, too far away to stop her.

Her hand hovered over the handle of the kitchen window; the one that gave out to the side of the house, close to the tree line. She briefly wondered if Thalia knew what she was doing—would she even try to stop her if she did?

"Miss Cora."

Her breath hitched, and she turned around. Raven was standing in the doorway, a hard look in his eyes. She opened her mouth to feed him a lie, but he didn't let her speak.

"I can't let you go."

Cora glared at him. "I'm not asking for permission, and there's nothing you can do to make me stay."

Raven frowned. "He—"

"Harry wouldn't be happy to know about the crow, would he?"

His breath hitched, and Cora immediately felt guilty. Still, she forced herself to keep talking, because if threatening Raven was what she needed to do to ensure Harry's safety, she would do it with no hesitation.

"He already suspects something, I think. He's asked about it before. He wouldn't be happy if he found out about your... involvement, would he?"

"Miss Cora—"

"But he doesn't have to know," she continued. "I'm angry with you, I really am. I feel played and I don't like it. But I'll keep it a secret, if you let me go and don't tell anyone." She paused and gave him a long, serious look. "It's your choice."

He swallowed hard. "If something were to happen..."

"I'm not planning on putting myself in trouble, I only want to keep him from doing it." Her words were tense. Now that she was saying it out loud, she could tell how not unfounded her fears were. Nothing in what Harry had told her of the plan made her presume he wasn't going to put himself in a difficult situation—knowing him, if everything had gone smoothly, he would've still endangered himself by trying to discover more.

"Let me come with you, then."

She shook her head. "Not a chance." She still didn't know if she could trust him—she didn't know what he was planning. Why would he come to her in the shape of a crow and not tell her his true identity if he had nothing to hide? "I will go on my own, and it isn't up for debate."

Something flickered in his light violet eyes. Sometimes, oddly, they reminded her of Thalia's—though she was certain he couldn't see quite as much as she did. "Fine. But if you aren't back by midnight, I'll come looking for you." A shadow washed over his face. "I'm going to lose my position in the house because of you."

"Fine by me." Cora opened the window and hopped out. The evening air was cold against her cheeks and her fingers went numb, but she couldn't risk stealing a cloak from the rack. If Thalia noticed it was missing, it would be the end of her.

Even though the sun was now gone beyond the pinewood and the sky had turned a cold shade of pink, there was still enough light for her to see where she was going.

She slid into the stables and spotted Saiph not too far from the entrance. The mare huffed and stared at her with deep, black eyes as she approached her, bringing her finger to her lips to tell her to be quiet. She immediately felt a little ridiculous for doing that, but then the bridles were in her hands, and she saddled her before slowly directing her out of the open door. She glanced in the direction of the house; Raven was glaring at her from the staircase window.

She hopped on and disappeared into the woods.

She rode in the shadows, trying to blend in with the tree trunks, hoping it'd be enough to avoid the attention of anyone roaming the forest. The coral light of the sky could hardly reach through the branches of the pines, and more than once she jolted, mistaking a shadow for a person. The woods around her were deeply quiet but for the gloomy hooting of some owl up in the trees, to the point that she started fearing she'd taken a wrong turn.

When she was about to turn Saiph around and change path, she reached the small clearing Harry had brought her to, once. There was no grass anymore, only cold ground and tall evergreens under a violet sky. She jumped off Saiph and tied her to a branch before stalking off towards the city. It'd be easier to slip by unnoticed on foot.

The sky had turned purple-blue when Cora finally saw the tall walls of Evandra in the distance, and she stopped in the shadow of a pine as she analysed what was in front of her.

Walking through the front door cold be dangerous, considering the royal guards were looking for her and the light colour of her hair made her noticeable. But Evandra—though it was the main city in the south of the Isle—wasn't particularly big, and if she found a way to climb up the walls she would see good part of it—and if Harry were spotted it would no doubt stir up enough chaos for her to notice from up above. This way, she'd only risk entering the city if she was needed.

It was a pretty good plan, Cora reasoned. The risk factor was low, and the rate of success high. And, maybe, she could do some spying of her own, while she waited for Harry to safely make it out of the gates. Now, she only had to find a way to get up there.

She walked alongside the wall, keeping her distance from the main gate, looking for anything that could bring her a little closer to her goal—a tree, a building, or even an unevenness in the stones that would make it possible for her to climb it. As a last resource she had her magic, though she didn't know how her water could turn useful in that moment.

"Who's there?" someone called out, and Cora immediately stilled, looking for anywhere to hide. On one side of her there was the wall, on the other the line of trees. With sudden fear, she realised she couldn't tell whether the voice was coming from behind her or inside the woods.

Her hand reached for the hood of her cloak, but she wasn't wearing one. Her hair was tied, but its light colour was unmistakeable. "Think, Cora," she muttered under her breath, pressing her back to the stone wall. If she'd been another fay, she could've hidden her presence with a glamour. But she was just herself, and wouldn't have known where to start to perform such an unfamiliar magic.

The voices drew closer, and she had no choice. If she stayed there she'd surely be discovered. She muttered a silent prayer—though she was sure no deity would be listening to it—and slipped into the woods.

She understood she'd made a terrible mistake instantly. Shadows of people moved in the distance, voice rising to the sky. She ran in the other direction, but the blonde of her hair was too noticeable in the pinewood's darkness, and shouts lifted behind her.

"Hey, you!"

"Stop right now!"

Cora ran faster. Her heartbeat thrummed in her ears; low branches hit her body. The cold air caught in her throat, slowly suffocating her. Her arms and legs ached, but she didn't stop. The guards kept chasing her, their voices grew louder and louder. She tripped over a root and fell face-first. She froze, in shock, the earth cold under her palms. Then she shot up and dashed away.

The voices seemed to come from all directions now, and she counted one, two, three, four different ones. Four people, and they were all after her. She made for the walls, ready to run into the city as a last resort, evening draping around her like a blanket. She looked behind her back, but couldn't see anyone.

She slammed onto something and fell to the ground. She turned around and coughed loudly, drawing in shaky breaths. She had nowhere to go. She was done for.

"Are you being chased by wolves?"

Cora glanced up and relief washed through her when she met a pair of familiar eyes. The purple in them almost looked black in the shadows under the trees. But the happiness she saw at seeing him again was drowned by the situation she was in. "Ives," she breathed, scrambling to her feet. His hands found hers and he helped her up. "You need to..." Her breath cut off and she coughed again. "They're coming!"

He looked into the distance, a frown twisting his eyebrows. But she could hear the shouts, so he could as well. "I see you're finding yourself in quite a predicament. May I ask what Harry is doing in this very moment?"

"Not now," she scoffed, drawing an unwilling breath in. "Do something!"

"Like what?"

"I don't know! A glamour or something, use your magic." The men were so close that she could hear what they were saying to each other, now.

Somebody's running.

Might be dangerous.

Ives stiffened. "I'm afraid that isn't possible right now."

Cora's heart dropped. "What?"

"I can't glamour at the moment."

"You told me every fay can!" she hissed, shooting him a glare. There was movement in the distance, now.

Ives grabbed her wrist and pulled her behind a trunk. "That's very true, but I still can't." He looked her over, a confused look on his face, and a dark brown strand of hair fell in front of his eyes. "Why are they coming after you?" he asked, blowing it away.

Cora wrapped her arms around her middle, dread filling her. "They saw me, and I ran away."

He hummed and stared away for a moment. Then, he took off his golden cloak, revealing the cream-coloured shirt he was wearing underneath, and put it over her shoulders. He secured the clasp around her throat and the buttons at her waist, and helped her slide her arms into large sleeves she hadn't even noticed. "Make for the city," he told her, pulling up the hood so that it was hiding her face. "Don't make eye contact with anyone, and they won't stop you. The royal guards have no power over the Orders, stopping one of us will get them convicted."

He pushed Cora towards the walls, but she grabbed his wrist. "Wait! What about you?"

"I'll distract them."

"No you won't!" She had his coat. He had no magic—for some unexplainable reason. She couldn't run away and leave him to the royal guards.

Ives sighed. "Cora, I will be fine. Now go!"

She stared at him, standing halfway between the woods and the wall. His back was still against the tree, and his hair was in his face again. Without his golden coat, he looked like a normal person—like Harry, like Thalia. Not a member of the Order. Which meant that the royal guards wouldn't have gone easy on him.

The voices neared, branches snapping under running feet. Ives turned to look at her and shooed her away with his hand. Cora wanted to stay. But she couldn't.

She took off in the direction of the main gates. The oddly-shaped cloak was long since Ives was taller than her, and she raised the hem not to trip over it. The shouts echoed in the distance, drawing closer again. Her fear was so strong she could taste it in her mouth.

Cora slowed down when she was about to follow the turn of the wall towards the gate. She gave herself a moment to take some deep breaths and then pulled the golden hood up again. She remembered it seeming so bright under the light of day, but it seemed so dull now.

She walked forward, her heart in her throat. The royal guards on each side of the main gates jumped up when they saw her figure approaching, but sat again when they noticed the golden shade of the cloth draped around her. She wondered if they'd been expecting a member of the Order of Diei to come into the city. They probably had. She kept in mind what Ives had said and kept her gaze fastened to the ground.

The shouts rang out behind her, but she clenched her fists and kept walking. Don't turn around, she said in her mind, again and again, starting to feel her conviction crumbling.

"Stop right there!"

They aren't talking to you, she told herself. They think you a member of the Order of Diei, you're fine. You're fine.

A thump and a shout. She made it past the gate and couldn't stop herself. She paused when she was right behind the royal guards and turned around, just in time to see them running down the stone bridge to aid their mates. She hissed under her breath and covered her mouth with her hand.

They'd cornered Ives.

He took a step back, and his back hit the stone of the bridge. Beneath them, the waves roared as they crashed against its pillars. His eyes were wide, and with terrifying understanding Cora realised she could see his pointed ears. And if she could, surely everyone else could too.

"What's a fay doing here?" one of the royal guards spat, inches away from Ives's face. "Thought we got rid of you all."

Water tricked down Cora's fingers, but she dried her hand on the cloak. She couldn't use her magic, not when she was inside the walls of the city. She thought about calling out to them, but her cover would be blown. They couldn't look at her too closely.

"Why, I'm obviously here to scout around for a summer residence," Ives joked, "Don't you know this city is a must-see in the warm season?"

The guard's punch hit his face so hard he slumped against the short wall that separated him from the deadly drop and the sharp rocks below. "Do you think you're funny, fay?"

Cora tried reaching out to the sea several feet under her, but it was too far away, and there was no way to conjure a wave high enough to cause a disruption.

Ives massaged his jaw. "Yes, very," he replied, getting up on his feet again. "You, however, really need to review your sense of humour. It is lacking."

"Listen to this damned fay," muttered another, that Cora recognised as one of the guards that had been standing at the gates. "Always have something to say, don't you?"

"Yeah, I've been told I'm a pleasant conversationalist," Ives said, cleaning a trickle of blood from his chin and sending him a daring look.

The waves hit the rocks harder, sending cold droplets up in the air. The sky was now turning a dark shade of blue. Cora made to step out of the spot she'd hidden in, but Ives sent a glance to his side and met her gaze. He didn't need to tell her he knew she was the one affecting the sea behind them. She froze.

The royal guard grabbed him by his shirt and threw him backwards over the low wall of the bridge. Ives scrambled to keep his feet on the ground and gripped his arm, fear in his eyes. "One more word and I will throw you over, fay," he hissed.

"Oh, you shouldn't. You'll have to collect my body if you do, or else it'll ruin the landscape."

Cora covered her face with her hand. What was the point in angering the guards? Was he trying to get them to kill him? She wanted to walk out, save him and then slap him for being the most irresponsible fay she'd ever met. And there she thought Harry was bad.

The royal guard pushed him backwards. Ives's back bent, and his hand gripped the wall. Another guard gripped his mate on the shoulder.

"Maybe we shouldn't do this—"

"Shut up!" the first one shouted. "The king has told us to get rid of all the fays in and around the city. He never said anything about not killing them."

"Technically you're correct but your morals are quite debatable, my friend," Ives breathed out. His eyes glinted, and Cora had the sudden sensation that the purple in them was lighter than before.

"I'm not your friend!" the guard screamed.

"Now, that hurts my feelings." Ives pushed him away, and another guard struck him across the face. Ives kicked him back, and he clutched his stomach, letting out an angry growl. Ives tried to slide out of his grasp, but the guard put his whole body weight on him and slammed him against the wall.

The low wall hit Ives's lower back and he clenched his teeth, but before he could make a move another guard kicked his legs and shoved him back.

Ives's body fell backwards and over the wall. His shirt snapped out of the guard's grasp and he fell down towards the dark waves below.

Cora gasped and ran to the edge of the bridge. She saw him falling, his cream shirt waving in the wind, water droplets splashing all around him as the sea grew more and more restless. The sharp edges of the pointy rocks below gleamed in the flickering light of the torches of the bridge. Cora had to bite her finger not to scream.

"Guess that fixes the problem," one of the royal guards muttered when something dark plummeted into the water, and they pushed away from the edge, going back to their posts.

Away from their eyes, though, the thing didn't sink. It took Cora a moment to realise that what had touched the waves wasn't a body, but clothes. Her breath hitched and she looked up, just in time to see a large black bird rise from beneath the bridge and soar away with spread wings.