She stood just a few inches shorter than me, golden-brown hair woven into an intricate braid pinned at the back of her head. The soft glow of the floating light above her shoulder illuminated the brilliant white of her armor, while a long gold cloak spilled like liquid over her back.

  But that wasn’t what held my attention.

  Two massive white wings, speckled with gold, rested against her back—a stark contrast to the bleak surroundings. They twitched slightly with each breath but remained remarkably unruffled.

  A sword hung at her hip, glowing faintly, and she met my assessing gaze with a knowing smile.

  “I thought for sure you two were goners when I saw you fall,” she said. “The shadows rarely miss their mark once they’ve pulled something down here.”

  The initial awe faded into wary curiosity. I pushed myself to my feet and helped Dominicus up as well.

  “And how would you know that?” I asked.

  She gestured toward the ball of light hovering over her shoulder. “Introduction time, then. I am Eleanor, a paladin of the Lady of Light. She sent me to investigate this place.” Her gaze flicked upward to the oppressive canopy of darkness overhead. “Though I couldn’t tell you how long I’ve been down here. I’ve been rationing my food carefully since the shadows dragged me in.”

  I grimaced, remembering the way the tendrils had tried to pull us under. “So we’re in the same boat, then.”

  Though… something didn’t add up. I frowned, crossing my arms. “If you’re stuck down here, then how exactly did Light send you to help us get back up there?”

  In response, Eleanor flexed her wings, giving them a light flap. “When I fell, one of the thorns caught my wing. It’s mostly healed now. I was planning on attempting to leave today, actually.” She shrugged. “Then I saw you two falling.”

  Steady, matter-of-fact—like diving in to help strangers was the obvious course of action.

  “My Lady has given me the duty of seeing you back to your party,” she continued. “So I shall. Do you have any questions before we set out from this cursed place?”

  Dominicus straightened, nodding. “The Lady of Light said she spoke to Time. Why was she conferring with him and not Karma or Fate?”

  For fuck’s sake.

  Did he have to be so damn perceptive?!

  A wave of panic threatened to drag me under, but I forced it down.

  I shrugged, doing my best to sound casual. “Time is Karma’s husband, right? Maybe he’s been keeping an eye on us?”

  Hopefully, he’d buy it and drop the subject.

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  No such luck.

  Dominicus’s eyes narrowed, suspicion hardening his expression. “And why would Karma—your patron herself—not be doing so? You’ve displayed no powers linked to her, but both you and your companion have shown abilities that could be tied to Time.”

  Fucking hell.

  There was no way to tell if the Lady of Light could hear my thoughts like Time could, but I cursed her all the same. We already had more than enough problems to juggle, and now she’d gone and thrown this back into the mix.

  Not intentionally, of course. But that didn’t change the fact that now I had to come up with an explanation that didn’t boil down to Time is in human form and traveling with us.

  Scrambling for an excuse, I met Dominicus’s sharp gaze head-on. “Karma is handling something of utmost importance,” I said carefully. “She set us on this path in the meantime.” Technically true. She was resting, and to me, that was important.

  “I haven’t been able to talk to her since we fell,” I added. Also true—though misleading, since I hadn’t heard from her at all since arriving in Nexus. “So it makes sense that her husband would step in to save our asses while she’s busy.”

  Dominicus didn’t look convinced. His scowl deepened as he studied me. “Nikolas,” he said slowly, “I let my doubts be soothed before. But I know you’re keeping something from me. You haven’t lied—I can tell—but there’s more to this.”

  The sentence hung between us like a blade waiting to fall.

  I dragged a hand over my face, wishing Time were here to deal with this himself.

  There was no way around it. I’d have to tell Dominicus something. Time wouldn’t be pleased, but since his own damn slip had triggered part of Dominicus’s unease, he could argue with me about it later.

  “Look,” I said with a sigh, “there are things I can’t tell you. As in, it would go against an oath I took, and I really don’t want to find out firsthand what happens to oathbreakers.” I met his stare without flinching. “You’re right—I haven’t lied. And yes, I am withholding information. But it has nothing to do with you, and it doesn’t directly impact you.”

  I made sure to choose my words carefully. “So please, drop it.”

  His lips pressed into a tight line. Then—

  “Does this secrecy have to do with you and Thomas displaying powers more in line with Time than Karma?”

  Of course he wouldn’t let that go.

  I ran a hand down my face, weighing how much I could say. Especially with an audience.

  Eleanor, to her credit, had the decency to look mildly guilty. “It appears my Lady stirred up trouble by accident,” she muttered.

  I waved her off, feeling the full weight of the past day settling into my bones. “Nothing to do about it now.” I exhaled, then glanced at her again. “I don’t suppose you could swear an oath not to speak of this to anyone?”

  She raised an eyebrow, but before she could answer, the light above her shoulder flared—expanding until it filled the space around us.

  A familiar voice echoed through the darkness.

  “Calm yourself, Chosen of Fate,” the Lady of Light intoned. “There are events in play that you are not yet permitted to know. Nikolas and Thomas are chosen by Karma. That is true. Prove yourself trustworthy, and further information will be given.”

  Dominicus grimaced but, after a beat, dipped his head. “As you say, then.”

  Finally. One problem down.

  Now, for the rest.