I couldn't help myself—I had to follow, had to see more. Giving up on following quietly, I ran as fast as I could. My shins banged on rocks. Branches whipped my face. Still I flew up the trail after it.

I reached the top of the trail, where the pine trees stood overlooking the cliff. The white unicorn I had followed joined a second unicorn, and together they melted into the trees and were gone. Panting, yet hardly daring to breathe, I lingered, hoping to glimpse them again. I had never seen anything so wondrous.

What had become of my father? Everyone in Chaos seemed to be a shape-shifter: could Dworkin himself be one of the unicorns? It was a lot to think about.

Slowly and carefully, I backtracked through the underbrush to our camp site—and drew up short.

It seemed we weren't quite so alone here after all. A man dressed in blue sat with his back to me, warming his hands at our campfire. How had he gotten here? I'd thought this world deserted. Had he somehow followed us, despite all those traps Dad had left behind?

I thought about drawing my sword, but the sound of steel leaving my scabbard might alert him. No, I'd have to take the intruder by surprise and from behind.

First, though, I had to make sure he'd come alone. Turning slowly, I stared into the shadowed woods surrounding our camp. I didn't see anyone else, but that didn't mean they weren't out there, lying in wait. That's what I would have done—sent one man forward to check things out, while covering him with a bow or crossbow.

When the man turned and threw the remnants of the rabbit I'd been saving for breakfast into the bushes, I heaved a heavy sigh. It was my brother, Aber.

“What are you doing here?” I demanded, standing and pushing my way out through the bushes.

He leaped to his feet, startled.

“I didn't hear you,” he said.

“That's the idea when you sneak up on someone.” I glared at him. “You're supposed to be home keeping an eye on Freda, Fenn, and Taine. Not to mention the house. So? What are you doing here?”

“I'm out for some fresh air?”

My glare grew more intense. “I'm tired of games. Dad's been playing them all day with me. I want the truth, and I want it now!” My tone left no room for argument.

He sighed. “All right. The lai she'on searched our house again, right after you went to bed, and this time they started torturing servants and guards, asking if any of them had seen the Jewel of Judgment.”

“And you thought you'd be next?” I asked.

“Yes. Freda took Taine to visit Aunt Lanara. I… just left.”

“What about Fenn? You just abandoned him?”

“He said he was going back to Juniper to help Isadora.”

“How did you find us?” I asked. “We've been traveling through Shadows all day, and Dad left a series of traps behind for anyone trying to follow.”

“So,” Aber went on, “have you seen it? The Jewel of Judgment?”

I shook my head. “Not since Juniper. Dad had it in his workshop. At least, I think it was the Jewel of Judgment. He hasn't been exactly forthcoming with information.”

“He never is.” He swallowed. “Do you have any idea where it is now? If we can get it back to King Uthor safely, maybe—”

He broke off when I shook my head.

“No,” I told him firmly. “It's impossible.”

“Why?”

“I don't know where it is.”

“Oh.” He pondered that for a moment.

“For all we know, it's still in Juniper,” I said. That was the truth. I didn't know with any certainty that it hung around Dad's neck on that silver chain.

“It can't be there,” Aber said, “or the king would have recovered it by now.”

“King Uthor's forces weren't the ones attacking us in Juniper.”

“I pretty much knew that already.” He looked puzzled. “I don't suppose you know who it was, do you?”

“Lord Zon. Have you heard of him?”

“No. But there are so many Lords of Chaos, no one can possibly have heard of them all. We could probably look him up in the genealogy if we went back. Do you think it's important?”

“I'm not sure. But I do think Lord Zon is a bigger threat to King Uthor than Dad ever could be. Ulyanash told me, before I killed him, that Lord Zon was planning to seize the throne. I think he's about to act… or would be, if I hadn't killed Ulyanash.”

He frowned. “That's not possible. I was with you when you killed him. He said no such thing.”

“It's a long story.”

“Tell me.”

I did so, leaving out only my suspicions about the Pattern and the Jewel of Judgment.

“This is the first time I'm glad I'm not the king,” Aber said.

“What I don't understand,” I said, “is why it's taken everyone this long to try to get this Jewel of Judgment back. Didn't someone notice it was missing years ago?”

“Apparently King Uthor's been trying to get it back ever since it disappeared, but quietly. Searching, trying to find out who took it, and what caused the Shadows to appear.”

“If he's as powerful as you say, why can't he grab another one from a different Shadow? There must be plenty of rubies out there.”

“Sure, but not like this one. Apparently it's got magical properties. At least, that's what they said.”

“Oh?” That piqued my interest. Maybe I could find out more about it. “What does it do?”

“I'm not sure. But if Dad has it, you can bet he's been experimenting with it. That's probably what attracted King Uthor's attention. The king is… part of the Logrus, in ways I don't really understand. They're connected… a part of each other. And if the Jewel is connected to the Logrus too, then Dad's playing with it may have brought him under the King Uthor's scrutiny.”

I nodded. It sounded like a plausible explanation.

“And how did you find us?” I asked.

“You're not hard to track. If one knows how.”

“What do you mean?”

“I used your Trump.”

I frowned. “I didn't sense anything…”

“There are other ways to use them. I've been around you more than anyone lately, we're blood relatives, and I drew the Trump, so perhaps I'm more attuned to you than most. By concentrating very lightly on your card, I can tell where you are… sometimes even look out through your eyes.”

I shivered, not liking the sound of that. I'd have to practice keeping my mental defenses up. And it might mean using the Pattern to shield myself from any Logrus-spying.

“So… you're saying you looked through my eyes and drew a Trump of this clearing?”

“That's right.” He pulled it out and showed me.

I took it and threw it into the fire.

“Hey!” he said.

“This is a special place for Dad and me. We used to go camping here when I was a boy. Dad won't be happy that you're here. And he'll be furious if he discovers you made a Trump to get here.”

“Then we won't tell him.” He shrugged.

“I'm not going to lie,” I said.

He sighed. “Well, tell him whatever you want. I don't care.” He rose and, using the Logrus, summoned a couple of blankets for himself, which he spread out on the ground next to mine.

I heard a crashing noise, as someone came through the forest towards our camp.

“Is that Dad?” Aber asked me.

“Probably.”

A moment later Dworkin emerged from the bushes. When he spotted Aber and me sitting up by the fire, he frowned. He must have imagined he could quietly slip back into camp unnoticed.

“Hi, Dad,” Aber said.

“What are you doing here?” he asked. “Why aren't you home?”

“It got a little unpleasant there, what with the searches and all the torturing King Uthor has ordered.”

“Where have you been?” I asked Dad.

“Oh, here and there. Many people to see, many things to do.”

“I saw you with her,” I said to our father. “Tell me the truth.”

“Answers will come in time. You are not ready for them.”

“You're wrong.”

Dworkin shrugged. “I have been wrong before.”

“I need those answers!” I snapped. “I'm not a child anymore, and this isn't a game! All our lives are in danger! You say you need my help. Well, I'm not going another step with you until I get answers. And it better be the truth this time.”