Chapter 118: Friends and memories

Frederick Hours before He gently pushed open the door to Talia's room and took a seat beside her bed, watching her. “She’s not going to get any better if you keep looking at her like that,” Ariel said, stepping into the room. “I know that,” Baron replied. “But I can’t help it. I could have stopped all of this. Stopped the war. Stopped her from coming here entirely if I just—” Ariel began laughing behind him. “You know, you sound mad when you do that,” she said, barely glancing at him. “So that’s the point where witch’s cackles come in,” she continued. “So what would you have done? Not gotten captured? Not gotten killed? If you do your great service to understand that there are power dynamics beyond your control at work here.” “And what if I told you, for instance, Frederick, that those who captured you were not normal spies?” Ariel asked. “At least, they worked from the side of the continent you’re unfamiliar with. How much do you know about Blood Moon?” she asked. “Not much,