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They stopped after crossing a small frozen stream.

“This is it, right over that hill,” the tracker whispered, sounding nervous.

“You can wait here,” Pyetar offered, and then waved the rest forward.

They climbed up the slope, heading toward a thick cluster of trees. Iryana ignored her pounding heart and carefully placed each snowshoe down, slowly depressing the loose snow so it wouldn’t crunch beneath her. Finally reaching the top, they peered between the trees.

At the base of a cliff was a poor attempt at a Steelsworn ritual site. There were no cultists in dark robes, no goats ready to feed a monster, only Tenar and three prisoners.

Tenar stood over a massive pit, his body and the ground at his feet splattered with crimson blood. To the side of the pit were the three hostages. One was slumped on the ground, another seemed to be in the process of waking up, and the third was Lidishta. Their friend was tied to a rock, glaring angrily at Tenar. She seemed all right aside from a small gash on the side of her face.

How had he taken three people? Were they all from the caves and all dual-forged like Lidishta? Iryana angled herself to see better, bringing a huge metal-badger into sight. She tapped Pyetar to make sure he had seen it. The creature had likely dug the pit. The ground around it was scraped raw, the snow and dirt in piles at the outskirts of the clearing.

Her heart beat so fast. Was he trying to summon a nemak on his own?

After the ground shuddered violently once more, Tenar inspected the gaping wound in the earth. With a tut, he reached for the unconscious figure. Holding him in front of the pit, Tenar sliced his dagger across the man’s neck. Iryana only had time to flinch and slap a hand over her mouth as she watched the man’s legs twitch, blood pouring out of his body and dripping down into the hole.

Pyetar squeezed her shoulder.

“Of course you’d go for that one next.” Lidishta laughed. “Hardly put up a fight.”

What was she doing?

Then Tenar tossed the man in, his body swallowed by the pit, and turned toward his prisoners. “Would you rather have gone next?”

“It’s just that the idea of being kidnapped and murdered by a coward is hard to accept, I guess.” Lidishta shrugged one shoulder as much as she could with the ropes binding her.

“None of it will matter soon.” Tenar reached over the pit like the cultists had. The slightest hint of purple-red coiled out, but he took his hand back and let it fall away.

Was he earlier in the ritual than they’d seen before? Iryana was missing something, and she didn’t want to jump in until she understood what was going on. And if Lidishta kept him talking…

“You’re pathetic, you know that, right?” Lidishta spat. “Trying to destroy Istri with your fancy bird and getting all of us killed won’t redeem you of shit.”

“Of course it will!” Tenar screamed, an unhinged desperation on his face. “All the sacrifices will be worth it once the nemak flies!” He shook and paced in front of the pit.

Iryana’s brow furrowed. Tenar didn’t seem fanatical, not really. But this level of anguish… what did he want redemption for?

Pyetar put his hand on her shoulder. She turned, then followed where he was pointing to show that Mezhimar was climbing one of the trees for a better vantage. There was too much foliage on the ground for a clean shot, and they couldn’t afford to miss. She nodded. He would be in position soon, though Mezhimar had to move slowly to avoid alerting Tenar.

She looked back toward the metal-badger. If Tenar was dead, would it still fight them? Would it reach Lidishta and the other prisoner before they could? She didn’t know the monsters well enough to know what they would do. If Tenar ordered this one to dig for him, who knew what other commands he had given.

“You sound like those creepy cultists—you know we killed them all, right? Killed their deformed little birdy.”

“No one will be killing it this time!” he snapped, almost unwillingly. “Forming it from the ground’s magic alone… that was weak. I was told this will work much better.”

Told by who?

“But don’t worry,” Tenar laughed, erratic and sharp. “Your death will contribute to a great new era. Consider it a worthy sacrifice.”

“Well, you dying would certainly bring a great new era.” Lidishta cocked her head and smiled, batting her eyes at him.

“You are such a brat,” he growled, close to losing his temper.

“Aww, thanks Teno. That’s the least stupid thing you’ve said all day!” Despite her chipper, sarcastic tone, there was violence in Lidishta’s eyes. Like she was daring him to mess up and come too close.

Iryana couldn’t help a vicious grin. Lidishta really knew how to terrorize someone with just her words.

Crouching back down, she turned to the others.