0:01

Have

0:05

you lost your mind? I

0:07

told you when I signed up for security

0:10

detail that there'd be times when you're not

0:12

on security detail, Doss. You're in training. I

0:15

will be on it. You weren't supposed to be out

0:17

there alone. Everyone was asking where

0:19

you'd gone and I was scared. You're

0:22

the only family I've got. I

0:24

know. I know. I'm

0:27

sorry. Where did he go?

0:31

You remember Godwin, right? Your

0:34

boyfriend. He's not. He's

0:37

not my boyfriend. Were you freaked

0:39

out like he was when you went missing? Yeah,

0:42

well, he's

0:45

not missing anymore.

0:48

What happened? I

0:51

was in the tower when I got

0:53

a distress signal. His

0:55

voice. Godwin's?

0:58

Yeah. I wanted to go

1:00

check it out, but Jep wanted to

1:02

hold off. Why?

1:06

Because they know something, Hope. Jep

1:08

and Gussie and Dr. Ardath, something about

1:11

the monsters that they haven't shared around

1:13

yet. What are

1:15

you talking about? What do they know?

1:18

You can't tell anyone, Hope. You

1:21

have to swear. I don't want... Darcy,

1:24

did you find Godwin? Kinda.

1:29

Kinda. He

1:31

wasn't himself. What does

1:34

that mean? He wasn't... He was one

1:36

of them? But you

1:38

said you heard his voice on the radio. Yeah,

1:41

I did. I thought the

1:43

monsters couldn't talk. They

1:45

don't all look like monsters, Hope. Some

1:48

of them keep their voices

1:52

and faces and

1:54

memories. They can look

1:57

like us. Some

1:59

of them do. Even

4:00

as we got to the other side, and the city

4:02

seemed to open up for us, me

4:06

following the route that Rook and I had used to escape. All

4:14

clear. Okay,

4:16

come on. The

4:26

building wasn't hard to find. It was a cathedral. The

4:30

same one they questioned me in months earlier. Now

4:33

decked in black banners. If

4:35

that hadn't given it away, the guards carting

4:37

in the axe and chopping block would have. After

4:41

splitting up to set the table, Lydia and I

4:44

met on a neighbouring roof for last looks. All

4:50

set? Yeah. You've got the

4:52

water right here. If it doesn't work, it'll

4:54

work. If it doesn't... I've

4:59

got Bess. Just do

5:01

what you have to and get the fuck out of there. I

5:03

will. Stay by the radio. I

5:06

will. Hey.

5:13

I love you. I

5:15

love you too. I

5:18

love you too. I love

5:20

you too. I

5:27

slipped into the cathedral through a clerestory window

5:29

and walked my way down to the black drape

5:31

scaffolding that hugged the walls, pausing

5:33

to take stock of the room. It

5:36

was empty. Except

5:39

for three smartly dressed figures, members

5:42

of the Queen's Council. I

5:44

recognised them from my time in their captivity. And

5:48

then, a fourth ended. My

5:52

sister. Three

5:55

council members, my word. I

6:01

followed the narrow planks to a ladder, then

6:04

dropped down a level where the curtain would hide my approach.

6:08

Bring in the prisoner. The

6:11

curtains were just thin enough to make out Penelope's

6:13

shape, as the guard shoved her to

6:15

her knees before the chopping block. Is

6:18

there a way you'd prefer this to go, my

6:20

wife? As I neared, the

6:22

figures sharpened through the weft of the curtain.

6:26

Some ceremony, perhaps? As

6:29

much or as little as you like? I

6:32

focused on my sister. Very

6:35

well. I almost

6:37

didn't recognize her in that sleek, dark

6:39

jumpsuit. Her

6:41

red hair shining and smooth, all poise

6:43

and grace. The roughness of

6:46

her past life burnished away, so

6:48

puzzling a sight. But

6:50

I didn't see the shit from the pigeons roosting

6:52

above. Penelope

6:55

Chambers, scion to Luper

6:57

of Bohemia. You've

7:00

transgressed against the Sacred Hierarchy,

7:02

spilling the blood of your betters. Thus,

7:05

in accordance with the holy

7:07

precepts, you are sentenced to

7:10

the final death. I

7:15

stopped, not daring to breathe, clutching

7:18

the bottle of spring water close. Do

7:24

you have any last words? I

7:27

parted the curtain, carefully gauging the

7:29

distance. Five meters,

7:31

maybe? Was it too far? You're going to lose.

7:33

You're all going to lose. I've seen it happen.

7:37

We aren't trying to rule the world, Miss Chambers. We're

7:39

saving it from those who have. I

7:50

imagined the arc of my throw, wondering, was

7:52

there time to climb one more level down?

7:55

But it was clear there wasn't. Let's

7:58

get this over with. Or I

8:00

have to sit through any more of your pompous nonsense. When

8:04

Penelope rested her head on the block, and

8:07

the axe went up, I

8:10

knew it was now or never. Hey!

8:14

Her gaze darted to me, and I let

8:16

the bottle fly. Silence

8:24

followed as my sister touched the blood,

8:26

starting to trickle down. At

8:29

first, I thought it had worked. But

8:33

when she wiped the blood and the glass from her brow, I

8:37

saw the cuts quickly sealing themselves. And

8:40

my heart sank. Plan

8:44

B then. I

8:48

landed hard on the stone floor, and set

8:50

my gaze on her with a pang of grief. It

8:53

had to be quick. I could do it

8:55

if it was quick. So

8:58

I charged at her, legs burning from the drop, throwing

9:00

my anger into the swing. But

9:03

she blocked, catching my sword in a notch on her axe blade.

9:07

So much for quick. Locked

9:10

together like flashing stags, I leaned hard, gritting my

9:12

teeth. Stay angry, I

9:14

thought. Stay angry. Stay cold.

9:22

And somewhere, in the fog of it, my

9:25

focus shifted, slightly. Just

9:28

past the steel, and

9:30

into her eyes. And

9:33

there, not

9:35

something alien or remote, but

9:38

the same eyes I'd known my whole life. Welling

9:42

with familiar emotion. And

9:44

the truth rushed in like a flood. It

9:49

was a cover. Seeing

9:52

it dawn on me, she formed her

9:54

lips as if to say, Game on. And I set

9:56

my jaw. I've

22:00

seen the workings of her mind. You

22:03

don't think she saw something useful in

22:06

that young woman you used to be, prepared

22:09

to wed a man she didn't love for

22:12

the good of her family? You're

22:15

all right. Yes, sir. Willing

22:18

to subjugate her own happiness

22:21

to a grander cause. This

22:24

isn't sounding familiar. Shut

22:28

up. Vaducia, end this now.

22:31

She twisted that part of you,

22:33

Vaducia. That noble,

22:36

giving, sacrificing part of

22:38

you. She

22:41

has spent centuries making you

22:43

into the exact thing you

22:45

never... I said shut your fucking

22:47

mouth! She saved me!

22:50

Liberated me. Body and

22:52

soul. She's a goddess in

22:54

the flesh. Her thoughts move

22:56

the sky itself. I

23:00

don't know what you are, how you know the things you

23:02

know. But you don't hold a candle

23:04

to her grace and power.

23:10

That's just it, Vaducia. She

23:14

and I are more alike than you think. Now

23:16

fuck this, fellow. I can curse. No.

23:20

No one touches her. She's

23:23

mine. And

23:26

at that, the wife released the curtain

23:28

wrapped around her, letting the wind

23:30

take it away as her body again unfurled like

23:33

an orchid into the shape of a

23:35

black dragon. Yor

23:45

and Belo step back as she stalked the length of

23:47

the pier. Head low, back

23:49

arched, teeth bared, relishing

23:52

her praise, helplessness. My

23:55

sister looked as small and defenseless as a

23:57

rabbit before a dark thing that gave it

23:59

no apparent thought. I thought palms out, face

24:01

turned skyward like a child in the rain.

24:09

What's she doing? I

24:11

raised my eyes to the sky

24:13

above and noticed the lead and

24:15

gloom moving strangely, rolling and churning.

24:19

Slowly it dawned on me. What?

24:27

Watch this. Slowly

24:30

the mercs started to pull apart like candy

24:32

floss, to reveal something no

24:34

one had seen in a decade. Oh

24:38

my god. Streaks

24:41

of golden light slicing through the grey. That's

24:46

the sun. That's

24:48

my sister. It

24:50

was a sight so like a painting that

24:53

I almost forgot the power of those

24:55

wandering splashes of light until

24:57

I saw Belo fleeing with his coat pulled up

24:59

over his head. Take

25:03

up, fuck me. Trapped

25:06

at the end of the pier, Yor swatted at

25:08

flames starting to erupt from his skin, then

25:11

dove into the harbor. There,

25:14

the pale shape of a great subcant left

25:16

his clothes behind to slither away. But

25:20

the dragon would not yield, still

25:22

fitfully lurching towards Darcy in pained halts

25:24

and starts as each sunbeam

25:27

left newly sealing tracks across her scaly

25:29

hide. The

25:31

light swept across Darcy as well, in

25:33

shifting curtains that drew increasingly angry billows of

25:35

smoke and flame from her body. But

25:38

she didn't so much as flinch, even

25:41

as the smell of scorched flesh filled the air.

25:45

No, it was the wife who was forced

25:47

to relent, flames clinging stubbornly to

25:49

her hide. She turned and

25:51

took flight, trailing smoke

25:53

across the water. Until

25:55

diving beneath it, somewhere in the distance. An

25:59

own life. when she vanished from sight did Darcy

26:02

falter. The frayed gloom

26:04

above rushed in to seal itself as

26:07

she collapsed into a smoking heap. Oh!

26:10

Ah! My

26:13

amazement became terror. Darcy! Hope!

26:16

Hope, wait! Oh,

26:26

God. I arrived to find Felix

26:28

cradling her on the pier, seeing

26:31

the lingering wisps of smoke curling from

26:33

her blackened and shivering legs. I

26:36

ran to them. No!

26:40

No, no, no! Coming around, the sight

26:42

of her stopped me cold. She

26:46

looked up at me, a pair

26:48

of green eyes set in the bunt and bald

26:50

head. Her

26:54

skin charred and cracked, and

26:57

she beamed at me with

27:00

a knocking delight. You

27:04

said... Light

27:07

them up. She

27:21

looked better as we reached the maintenance harbour. Her

27:24

hair had grown back, and much of the charred skin

27:26

had flaked away. But she was still

27:28

red and raw and limping, as Felix and I held

27:30

her up. Easy.

27:35

Easy, Darcy. We've

27:37

got you. Her

27:40

footing was shaky on the steps that snaked down to the

27:42

long, mirror-black superyacht

27:44

shining like volcanic glass

27:47

in the water. And

27:49

there, at the top of the ramp, was

27:52

the Fifth Council member, Kershian,

27:56

the moon. Permission.

28:01

to come aboard. The

28:04

woman at the top of the ramp furrowed

28:06

her brow, a Penelope, Lidia

28:08

and I. We

28:12

all do. Oh, nobody

28:14

does. The

28:17

man beside her leaned to whisper something in her ear.

28:20

She listened, then rested a calming hand

28:22

on his shoulder. Come

28:25

along. All

28:27

of you. We shouldn't

28:29

linger. And

28:40

so here we are, cutting swiftly

28:42

through the Adriatic, putting a

28:44

distance between us and Dubrovnik. I've

28:47

heard our next stop is Portugal. Hey,

28:52

still doing the journal thing? Felix,

28:55

hey. You know, you and she are

28:57

so much alike. How

29:00

is she? Uh, looking

29:02

better. Still weak, though.

29:05

I've never seen a vampire heal so slowly. It's

29:09

the sun. It's a different

29:11

sort of injury for us. Will

29:14

she be okay? It will take

29:16

time for her to return to full strength. But

29:19

she will. You can

29:21

go in and see her if you like. She

29:24

was asking for you. Thanks.

29:27

Um, Felix. Yeah,

29:29

go, go. We'll

29:32

catch up later. So,

29:37

Portugal. I have a

29:39

thought there. A way station. One

29:41

last chance to resupply or to disembark

29:43

for anyone wishing to do so before

29:46

the scary part. And your

29:48

siblings are unaware of this way station. Well,

29:50

as far as I know. But

29:53

we won't have to worry about them for a while. No? As

29:56

slow as your maker is healing, I can assure

29:58

you that Vaducia is slower. Really?

30:01

Oh, yes. Sunlight deals the

30:03

most crippling of blows to our kind. Darcy's

30:06

lucky to have survived it. I've

30:09

stopped believing in luck where she's concerned. I can

30:12

imagine. Willpower to

30:14

stand in direct sunlight would be remarkable enough

30:16

without the fact that she'd called it down.

30:20

She is remarkable. And

30:23

what else is she? Do

30:26

you know? Kirsh.

30:31

No, no, you're right. Forget

30:34

I asked. The bond between Maker and

30:36

Maid is a sacred thing. I shouldn't test

30:38

it. Do

30:40

you not feel bonded with

30:43

yours? I

30:45

did. But it should

30:47

go both ways, shouldn't it? Do

30:49

you wish you hadn't gone to Warner? I

30:52

wouldn't go that far. The

30:55

missionary who kept me was a capricious

30:57

tyrant. It's not as if I'd

30:59

have been better off in his care. Now

31:02

because of her, I've seen history unfold.

31:06

I'm grateful. But? But

31:10

I haven't come this far to become the

31:12

missionary. Plan

31:20

A was the water. Yeah,

31:24

A for Agua. B

31:27

for Beth and C for... C for,

31:30

yeah. Lydia's emotional

31:32

support explosives. You

31:35

and she, you're... Yeah,

31:40

I am... I'm

31:43

in love with her. You

31:49

don't seem surprised. About

31:53

what? Um, I

31:56

don't know. Oh.

32:00

You cried when I told you Zana had a

32:02

boyfriend. No, I didn't. Yeah,

32:05

you did. So? I was

32:07

like 12. You

32:10

were 15. You

32:12

don't think I noticed when my little sister's heart

32:14

gets broken. I

32:16

stayed up and watched Amelie with you. Oh,

32:19

yeah. Hey,

32:24

I'm happy for you. Thanks.

32:31

I'm really surprised she was

32:33

a blighter. I

32:35

didn't know that was possible

32:38

to undo it. Right?

32:42

Every time you think you've got it all figured out. Well,

32:46

it's a good thing it didn't work on me. Maybe

32:49

one bottle wasn't enough, I don't know. Or

32:54

maybe it wasn't the water. Don't

32:57

know what else it could be. You

33:02

look so much older. You

33:05

look... Sunburned?

33:09

Yeah. I'm

33:16

sorry. No,

33:20

Darcy, I could have worked it out.

33:22

Or just given you the benefit

33:24

of the doubt. I

33:27

could have just told you. It

33:30

was safer not to. Maybe,

33:32

but it wasn't right.

33:36

Letting you feel that way, like

33:38

the world was on your shoulders. Well,

33:42

that's how you felt. Having

33:45

you in my life, I

33:48

always felt like the hard stuff was taken care of.

33:52

Even the end of the world didn't feel like the end of the

33:54

world. And it wasn't until

33:57

I thought you were gone that I understood. You

34:00

understood what... what

34:04

you'd done for me. All

34:08

this shit you kept at bay. The

34:11

weight of everything you were carrying. I

34:13

never knew. Because...

34:18

you just made it look so easy. So

34:23

do you. What

34:26

happens now? Well,

34:29

we're stopping in Portugal to resupply.

34:33

And drop me off. It's

34:35

up to you. What

34:38

do you mean? I

34:41

mean, it's up to you. You'd...

34:46

You'd let me come with you all

34:48

the way. If

34:50

you want. I

34:53

don't understand. You really never thought

34:55

that maybe it wasn't just

34:58

the water. No. Why?

35:03

I don't know. Something

35:05

about you. Me? It

35:08

wasn't me. I'm not extraordinary like

35:10

that. Hope.

35:14

What? You really

35:17

think someone gets from where you

35:19

started to this spot without

35:22

being at least a

35:24

little bit extraordinary? I

35:28

don't... really know where to go from here. I

35:33

haven't had any dreams in a while. No prophetic

35:35

voices urging me in one

35:38

direction or the other. I don't know

35:40

what that means if it ever meant anything. But

35:44

suddenly, I am aware of how much blank space this new journal

35:46

has left in it. And reading

35:48

all that's happened since I opened it,

35:50

I can't believe I'm in this place. I

35:54

can't believe I'm in this place. fill

36:00

in all those empty pages. But

36:03

I guess we'll find out soon enough. This

36:39

episode is over, but the

36:41

story continues. Binge

36:43

the full season now in Dolby

36:46

Atmos, only on Audible.

36:49

Visit audible.com/winter continues and

36:51

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36:53

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