After another brief conversation with Cervacaro, Naya and Felicia arranged to have a few of the crew row them back to shore to begin procuring supplies and meet with Ambassador Jeden. Naya was a little surprised when they found Baz and Tren, Mel’s guards, waiting for them on the docks.

Baz’s eyes were shadowed and his expression bleak. Tren offered Naya and Felicia a small smile and a bow, but the aether flowing around him was just as dark as his partner’s. “Miss Garth, I take it Lord Delence delivered the ambassador’s message?” Tren asked.

“He did. He said she’s at the Gentle Crossing?”

“Indeed. We’ll take you there now,” Tren said.

“Thank you.” Naya hesitated, feeling their aether settle dark and heavy around her. Mel had obviously been more to them than just another charge. “And I’m sorry. I wish I’d done something more to help Mel.”

“It was not your duty to protect her,” Baz said grimly.

They rode the lifts, and the two soldiers led Naya and Felicia to an expensive restaurant a few blocks away. The windows were open to the morning breeze and inside men and women lounged over plates of pastries and small delicacies. Naya didn’t need Baz and Tren’s help to spot Mel’s mother.

The ambassador sat alone at a table near the back of the restaurant. She was dressed in a fine Talmiran gown with a high collar and wore her hair up in a tight bun. The way she held herself was nothing like Mel, but Naya could see the undeniable resemblance in the lines of her jaw and forehead. She looked up as Naya and Felicia approached.

“Miss Garth, thank you for coming.” Her voice was cool and calm, but Naya sensed the same heavy weight in her aether that shrouded Baz and Tren. Lurking beneath the darkness was something sharp and desperate that made Naya’s shoulders want to hunch all the way up to her ears.

“What did you want to speak to me about?” Naya asked as Baz and Tren took up positions behind the ambassador.

“First, please have a seat,” Ambassador Jeden said, gesturing to the empty chairs across from her. As they sat, the ambassador’s gaze turned curiously to Felicia, who shrank back a little.

“This is Felicia,” Naya said quickly. “She’s going to be assisting me in preparing for our journey later.”

“A journey? So you’ll be leaving Talmir then. I think that’s wise. Where will you go?”

“To Endra,” Naya said.

Ambassador Jeden went very still, her eyes locking on Naya.

“Why?”

“Because I intend to find Mel and Francisco.”

Naya saw Baz’s gaze focus on her. Ambassador Jeden leaned forward, the sharp note in her aether taking on a hopeful glimmer. “All on your own?” she asked.

“I have my own ship,” Naya said. “Delence says the spies reported Bargal sailing toward the northern passage. I intend to follow him.” Naya hesitated, looking down at her hands. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to find them, but I have to try.”

“Ambassador—” Baz took a step forward, but Ambassador Jeden silenced him with a raised hand.

“You know, Miss Garth, I brought my daughter to the Congress because I hoped she might finally find her place at court. She’s an impulsive, reckless girl. But she’s also smart and an excellent judge of character.” Ambassador Jeden folded her hands together, her knuckles standing out pale and harsh against her bronze skin. She opened her mouth to continue, but her voice caught, and she took a moment to steady herself. “She is an excellent judge of character, and she trusted you. You were one of the last people to speak to her before she was taken. I had to see…I wanted to meet you myself.”

“I didn’t mean for Mel to get caught up in all of this,” Naya said.

“I believe you.” Ambassador Jeden met Naya’s eyes. “And I believe you’re serious when you say you mean to find her. So, tell me, how I can help?”

“I—thank you,” Naya said. A part of her hesitated, remembering everything she’d heard about the ambassador. But the intense emotions in Jeden’s aether told her the offer was sincere. “We’ll need supplies for the journey. Lord Delence has agreed to fund us, but it’s possible not all of the sailors on my current crew will agree to the journey.”

Ambassador Jeden nodded. “I’ll speak to my contacts in the Banian delegation. I’m sure we can find a few sailors if you need to round out your crew.”

“Ambassador.” Baz stepped forward. “Please, allow me to go as well. Let me make up for my failure.”

Ambassador Jeden turned in her chair and raised an eyebrow. “You’re not a sailor, Baz.”

“No, Ambassador. But who knows what sort of trouble they’ll find in Endra. They may need soldiers as badly as sailors.”

“What about you, Tren?” the ambassador asked.

Tren nodded. “I agree with Baz. And frankly, Ambassador, if you refuse him this, I’m worried he’ll just turn in his resignation and try to go anyway.”

The ambassador shook her head, but Naya saw the way the corner of her mouth twitched and the little thread of warmth that wove through her aether. She turned to face Naya again. “Well, there you have it. Tren and Baz are both good fighters. They’ve been with our family for well over a decade, so I can testify to their loyalty. Will you take them?”

“Yes,” Naya said, her throat feeling suddenly tight. She exchanged a quick look with Felicia and fought back a grin. A few hours ago, this idea had felt almost hopeless. But now, well, maybe they really could pull this off.

They spent a while longer discussing logistics, then left to place orders at a few shops Naya remembered from her time with her father. Some of the shopkeepers recognized her, and not all of them were interested in offering service to a wraith. But not even that could stanch the hope growing in her chest. Maybe Corten had been right. Maybe doing the impossible was only a matter of practice.

When they got back to the Gallant, Naya was surprised to find Delence waiting for her on deck. Beside him stood a woman in rough sailing clothes with a wide-brimmed hat covering her eyes.

Delence waved Naya over. “Miss Garth. Good, you’re back. I’ve heard the captain will be calling a vote from his crew tomorrow. Meanwhile, I’ve got one sailor from the Lady who’s interested in joining you.”

“All right,” Naya said. She wasn’t sure what good one sailor would be, but she could hardly refuse anyone willing to attempt the dangerous crossing. She stepped closer and peeked under the sailor’s hat. Then her jaw dropped. “Celia?” she whispered.

Celia looked even more exhausted than she had when she’d met Naya at Hal Garth’s house. Her dry lips cracked into a grim smile. “Hello, Blue. Seems you and I will be working together again.”

“How? Why?” Naya turned to Delence. “You said you thought the Endrans took her.”

“I may have speculated,” Delence said. His tone was evasive, but she could sense the smug satisfaction in his aether. “She knew too much for me to be comfortable with Queen Lial getting her. I assumed she would be smart enough to not have stuck around the palace once the trouble started. So when you said you’d met her at your father’s house, I figured that was a good place to search. My men found her hiding in the cellar. And after some…discussion, I’ve agreed to accept her request for asylum—once the two of you return with my son, that is.”

“And you agreed?” Naya asked Celia.

Celia shrugged. “I find myself short on alternatives.”

“She was working for the Endrans,” Naya said, keeping her voice low. “Are you sure we can trust her on this?”

“She knows more about their operations than anyone else I know of in Talmir,” Delence said. “Besides, my offer of asylum was for two. Her brother will be staying under our protection until she returns.”

Celia’s face didn’t so much as twitch at the implied threat, but Naya sensed the dark frustration swirling through the older woman’s aether. “What do you say, Blue?” Celia asked.

Naya stared at her. Corten, Felicia, Baz and Tren, and now Celia. They’d make a strange crew. But she couldn’t deny Celia was talented, and her experience working for the Endrans could prove invaluable in tracking down Bargal.

With an uneasy heart, she extended her hand to Celia. “If you try anything, I’ll throw you off my ship.”

Celia laughed. “Deal.”