Six days later, they reached the remote part of the Cridor Republic that would soon witness a full lunar eclipse. As Trent settled on a stony outcropping and glanced up at the clear blue sky and the sun shining above, it seemed hard to believe that it would soon disappear.

  Yet Lachlan was confident in his math, and Trent was confident in Ruby and Emerald’s operation of the orrery. This was the first eclipse they could easily reach through one of the Enchanter’s portals, and given time with the orrery, they had verified another would not occur for at last six months. If the dagger didn’t do something when the sun vanished, they would find another way.

  But Trent desperately hoped they wouldn’t have to.

  They had settled Ivy’s body in the midst of a set of overgrown stone ruins within sight of a thick forest to the north and a set of rolling hills to the west. The Cridor Republic was lush with vegetation and color in comparison to the Dalry wilderness in which Trent had grown up, and the smells of so many flowers and fragrant grasses was almost distracting.

  Given how much the decades had worn it down, this small, overgrown ruin likely predated the formation of the Cridor Republic. Trent knew from speaking with Kari that there had been several warring empires on this continent prior to the forming of the republic, which was itself a combination of those regimes of old.

  Centuries after their merger, few remembered that the Cridor Republic had ever been composed of multiple warring nations. The names of the empires themselves were recorded in history books, like those deep in the archives of the Primal Academy, but the average person had no idea those nations had ever existed. Trent wondered if that could happen in Dalry one day.

  It seemed impossible that the nations of Dalry, Hesia, and Corrin could ever form into a single nation, let alone that the names of the three powerful empires could fade from the public consciousness. Yet that had happened here in the republic, and while the republic was smaller than the three nations on his continent, it was united, strong, and rich with resources.

  As Lachlan settled on a stone step not far away, Trent was pleased to see that the man actually looked to be enjoying his first trip outside of his stuffy monastery in over three centuries. Back when he was inhabiting the body of a golden automaton, Lachlan had been unable to leave the walls of his home. That might be why the mage was usually so grumpy.

  Perhaps some fresh air and the chance to stretch his legs had done the man some good. Either way, Trent was pleased that he had managed to get Lachlan to come and verify a theory that he’d made no secret he found very unlikely. If not for Princess Victoria’s gentle cajoling on his behalf, he doubted Lachlan would have come here at all.

  Ivy rested on her stretcher on flat ground to Trent’s left. The rest of Trent’s tribe had spread throughout the ruins after they arrived. They had verified that no one was lying in wait for them, and Emerald had confirmed the eclipse was coming. All they needed to do was wait.

  Sapphire took up a protective position on the highest hill so she could see in all directions. Her gaze alternated between the distant forest and the fields to the west of the ruins. Her armor gleamed in the midday light, and she looked rather intimidating.

  The hilt of Firebringer gleamed in the sheath on her back. That sword, and how Sapphire had come to possess it, was an unpleasant reminder that even the most heroic and loyal of soldiers could swear themselves to the wrong cause. The Blessed Knights could not be trusted.

  At least not until Trent convinced them Tallun was a devil mage.

  Ruby settled at his side between him and Ivy, then wrapped her arms around his waist and cuddled close. Trent slipped an arm around her waist, which was followed by her happy sigh. Bethany settled on his other side. She pressed close and kept her eyes on the sky.

  Emerald stood at attention on the opposite side of the ruins from Sapphire, holding one of the Enchanter’s rare mechanical bows. Trent doubted she was actually worried about anyone finding them in these ruins. She was simply helping ease Sapphire’s paranoia.

  Trent was rapidly growing accustomed to having Emerald around. Now that Executrix Hayley had made it clear that Emerald could go where she chose, she seemed to be leaning toward staying with them at the monastery for good. Trent was glad she was here.

  These ruins were in the middle of nowhere, and they had arrived in the republic by traveling through a portal that took them across the sea. Tallun couldn’t know they were here. He certainly couldn’t get any forces across the sea in time to intercept them.

  As for Lord Adon and his devils, they might be able to track the location of Trent and his tribe through their magical vision. Yet the tribe would learn what they needed from this eclipse long before Lord Adon could dispatch any devil assassins. The only reason the one that ambushed him in Clarion had been able to get close was because Lord Adon had known he was coming.

  Kari and Revca sat not far from Bethany, occasionally glancing at each other and nodding or smiling. Neither one was speaking aloud, which was a reminder that two of his wives could now speak in their minds. Trent wasn’t jealous about that fact, but it remained a bit disconcerting... especially whenever they both smiled and glanced his way in perfect sync.

  Ruby pressed closer as they watched the sky together. “Oh, how is a wait of minutes worse than one of days? Time needs to move faster!”

  He gave her a gentle squeeze. “Patience, love. We’ll know the truth soon enough.”

  Ruby pressed her lips together. “I miss having Ivy with us. I hope this helps us find her.”

  “It will.” Trent turned to Bethany and rubbed her thigh. “We’ll find her together.”

  Bethany watched the sky. “Assuming I haven’t led everyone on a wild fox chase.”

  “I don’t think that’s the case.”

  Bethany glanced at him. “Why not? I know nothing about magic.”

  “Yet you’ve always been clever, and you’re the only one who’s offered any ideas we can actually pursue. Even if this doesn’t reveal the secret of the dagger, even disproving our theory still gives us more information than we had before. It’s progress either way.”

  She snuggled closer on his other side. “Why must you always be so supportive? It makes it harder for me to keep my hands off you when we need to be alert for threats.”

  Fortunately, they didn’t have to wait long until the world began to darken. The change began suddenly and progressed rapidly, just as it had the day Trent was attacked on the road from the Clarion Flight Academy and Princess Ivy’s shadow servant flew forward to save his life.

  Bethany gasped. “Husband, look!”

  Trent realized that Bethany had produced the dagger she’d carried for five days. As he recognized the gentle glow its blade emitted in the half light of the eclipse, he grinned. Ruby gawked at the dagger from his other side, then said what they were all thinking.

  “Master, it glows! It’s working! Beth was right!”

  Lachlan, who had been watching the eclipse with an expression of mild boredom, hopped up and hurried over to where they all embraced. As Bethany triumphantly raised the dagger and showed it to him, his single remaining eye visibly widened.

  “That’s not possible.”

  As Trent rose, Bethany and Ruby rose with him. They joined Lachlan in the middle of the ruins as the twilight grew deeper. Lachlan stared at the dagger in disbelief as Bethany smugly balanced it in her palm and offered it for his inspection.

  Lachlan peered down at the dagger in genuine wonder. “Remarkable. How is such a conditional enchantment possible? The glyph etching involved...” He trailed off.

  As Kari and Revca hurried over, Emerald glanced back from where she was watching the ruins. She, too, hurried over to see what all the commotion was about. She abandoned any pretense of keeping watch for attackers, though Sapphire remained on alert.

  Emerald whistled as she approached. “Look at that! Turns out you were wrong again, old man. That never gets old.”

  Lachlan ignored Emerald, appearing deep in thought as he examined the dagger. Trent waited and bit back his worry as the eclipse progressed. It was now as dark as twilight, but that wouldn’t last long. They needed answers before the eclipse ended.

  Finally, he couldn’t wait any longer. “Enchanter?”

  Lachlan frowned at the dagger. “It’s a conduit.”

  Trent risked another quick glance at the now entirely obscured sun. They only had a few minutes before the eclipse ended, at which point they would lose any chance to find Ivy’s soul. There wouldn’t be another total eclipse for six months.

  “A conduit to where? Can it really draw a soul from the body into the Firmament?”

  “I believe so.” The Enchanter gently took the dagger from Bethany’s upraised palm and turned it from one side to the other, peering at it as a jeweler might appraise a precious diamond. “Yes. There is definitely a connection to the Firmament active through the blade. Yet why create such a link? The enchantment renders it near useless save for a few minutes at a time. What possible advantage could that offer?”

  Kari stepped closer. “You use it to toss someone in a cell and throw away the key.”

  Trent glanced at her. “How do you mean?”

  “It’s a lock you open to put someone away and forget about ’em. If we hadn’t come out here like this, if Beth hadn’t come up with an idea no mage in their right mind would consider, we’d never have learned this dagger was anything but mundane. This enchantment was hidden even from the Enchanter, which tells you just how badly the devils want it kept secret.”

  Trent nodded grimly. “So they did take Ivy’s soul when this dagger stabbed her shadow servant. Like they meant to take mine. Where is she, Enchanter? Where does this conduit lead?”

  Lachlan frowned. “I don’t believe I can use it to trace Ivy’s location in the Firmament. There’s simply not enough time. The eclipse will end before my scrying does.”

  “There must be something we can do to find her!”

  Lachlan simply shook his head. “I’m sorry, Sir Marston. Your wife was correct about the nature of the enchantment, but as Kari has said, its design makes it impossible for any mage to trace the other side of this conduit to its destination. It really does offer only a one way trip.”

  Ruby gripped Trent’s elbow. “We can’t just give up on her. Ivy’s part of our tribe!”

  Trent nodded grimly, then glanced at Revca. “You’ll need to come find me.”

  She frowned in confusion. “What are you talking about?”

  “We’re bonded, love. We can find each other no matter where we go in the Firmament. So after I enter the Firmament, you must find me and bring me back.”

  “How would you...” Revca trailed off as she suddenly realized what he was considering, then stepped forward and snatched his arm. “You can’t!”

  “This may be the only way to find Ivy, and we won’t get another chance to trace her to wherever they took her. She isn’t bound to you, but I am. You can find me and bring me back, no matter where my soul ends up.”

  Bethany growled in warning at his side. “That is not a good idea.”

  Lachlan nodded. “Listen to your wives, Marston. Even should this dagger transport your soul to the proper location in the Firmament, there is no guarantee that Revca can find you there. Even if she does, we do not know you can be returned to your vacant body.”

  “We can’t simply abandon Ivy in the Firmament. We need her. Dalry and Corrin need her, and Princess Victoria needs her. Our plan for peace doesn’t work without her, and even our best projections suggest Corrin will refuse to help us. They might even go to war against us.”

  Bethany gripped his arm. “It’s far too dangerous. Even if you find her, you can’t fight the devils holding her. They could take your soul where we could never find it.”

  Emerald clucked her tongue. “Actually, that’s not true.”

  As one, Trent’s wives turned and glanced at her. Even Lachlan looked intrigued. When Emerald noticed everyone staring at her, she smiled calmly.

  “We can kill devils in the Firmament. That’s part of our design. Isn’t that right, Enchanter?”

  Lachlan’s expression went neutral. “That is true, but⁠—”

  “Ruby’s already bonded to Trent, so he can summon her once he’s in the Firmament. Between the two of us, we can take down any devil mages between him and Ivy. He wouldn’t be defenseless. The devils would be.”

  Revca scowled. “Mages cannot channel ether in the Firmament.”

  “We don’t channel ether. We are ether. It doesn’t matter whether we manifest here or in the Firmament, so long as a mage can summon us.”

  Ruby gasped in surprise. “Emmie, is that really possible?”

  “It is. I’ve killed a few devil mages in the Firmament while on missions with valkyries from the academy. They never saw it coming.”

  Trent nodded grimly. “She’s right. When Kari and I confronted Xorumon in the Firmament to ask about the assassination, I felt Ruby with me as well. I felt her weight on my back. She came with me because we were bonded.”

  He glanced up at the moon, which was still obscuring the sun. The deepest part of the twilight that had come with the eclipse was already starting to fade. He was now certain there was only one way to save Ivy... so he just had to convince his wives.

  He looked at Emerald. “I know how Ruby can find me. How can you?”

  She grinned. “We’ll bond, obviously.”

  Trent blinked. “I... don’t think there’s enough time.”

  Emerald laughed softly as she walked closer. “I don’t work like Ruby. You don’t need to claim me to bond me, and I can bond multiple times. All it takes is a kiss.”

  Trent wasn’t sure whether to believe her. Either way, he had Ruby to protect him in the Firmament. Emerald would be an added boon.

  Bethany squeezed his arm. “Please, husband. You’re our chief. You can’t take this risk.”

  Trent gripped her hand. “I’d take it to find you. I also won’t be alone. I’ll have Ruby and Emerald with me, and Revca to bring me back.” His eyes met Revca’s. “You’ll find me in the Firmament. You’ll find my soul and lead me home. Find me and I’ll find Ivy.”

  Revca’s expression grew fierce and determined. “I will never stop looking.”

  Trent reached to his waist. There waited the small vial holding the blood they’d taken from Ivy back at the monastery. It was her quintessence.

  Prior attempts to drink Ivy’s blood and find her in the Firmament had failed, but that didn’t mean that Trent wasn’t going to prepare for every eventuality. He popped the top, winced at the oddly metallic taste, and swallowed it all. Then he looked at Lachlan.

  “I need that dagger now.”

  Lachlan frowned, but handed over the glowing dagger. Trent adjusted it to point at his own chest. He could see how worried his wives were about him, but something was telling him this was the only way to find and save Ivy. He trusted the women he loved to bring them both home.

  “I’ll be back as soon as I can. Emerald? You’re certain we can⁠—”

  Her warm lips found his before he could finish, and kissing her was even more pleasurable than he’d expected. She had soft lips, and she obviously knew how to use them. A tingle of energy rushed through Trent at her kiss, and he knew that wasn’t simply hormones.

  That was magic.

  Emerald stepped back. “We’re bonded now, champ. Don’t lose your nerve.”

  As the world began to brighten, the glow on the dagger began to fade. Trent gripped the hilt and looked around at his wives. “I love you. I’ll see you again, and I’ll be with Ivy. Stay safe.”

  And before anyone could decide to talk him out of it, Trent stabbed himself in the gut.

  The pain lasted for the blink of an eye, and then the world howled around him. The sensation of being pulled from his body was like being sucked into a vortex of powerful wind and rain. That vortex battered him with ice and chills as he tumbled helplessly.

  As his fear spiked and his mind stopped thinking rationally, everything inside him screamed that he’d just made a terrible mistake. He’d doomed himself, and now his wives would spend the rest of their lives mourning their foolish chief. If only he’d listened to Bethany!

  The sensation of being sucked into a vortex faded quickly, and then Trent abruptly felt like he was sliding down some sort of round and slick tube. It kept him secure on all sides as his journey continued. The sensation even grew soothing as it numbed his mind.

  The sound of a distant waterfall approaching grew as Trent descended, starting soft but growing louder as the journey continued. Trent abruptly started struggling again, all rational thoughts fleeing his mind as his body... or his spirit... instinctively scrambled to stop itself from tumbling over a waterfall to smash itself on the rocks below. The sound grew louder...

  And then cut off as if he’d gone deaf.

  Trent did not land so much as drift into place on a narrow stone island in the middle of a vast blue void. As his body... or what he remembered as his body... manifested, he abruptly felt hard stone beneath his feet. He stumbled forward and caught his balance.

  The weather here looked almost as pleasant as it had in the ruins before the eclipse, though there were a few major differences. First, there was no sun in the sky, simply light without any visible source. Second, he was standing on a small floating island of grass and stone that couldn’t be much bigger than the living space of his room back in the monastery.

  What mattered at the moment was that his soul had made the transition. He’d been correct that stabbing himself with that dagger would draw his soul from his body and toss it into the Firmament, just as it had done with all the poor mages the devils had ambushed with such daggers in the past. Yet unlike those mages, Trent was not defenseless.

  Or he hoped he wasn’t. Because before he could take in more of his surroundings, a shadow manifested on the edge of the island. It turned into a robed man with a cruel face and eyes that were as black as pitch, a man who eyed him in obvious surprise.

  “Who are you? How did you get here?”