The old ruins lay three days east.
Lena studied the map by firelight, her mind racing through possibilities and plans. Lilith had three hybrids—three of her own kind, scared and alone and probably being manipulated. And Lilith wanted Lena to come alone.
"You're not going." Kael's voice was flat. "I don't care what the note says."
"She has three hybrids, Kael. Three people like me who've probably never known safety or love or *family*. I can't just leave them."
"You can't just walk into a trap either." Caspian's red eyes were troubled. "Lilith has proven again and again that she'll use anything to hurt you. These hybrids—they might not even be real."
"They're real." Lena touched her chest, where the light still pulsed. "I can feel them. Faintly, but... they're there. Scared. Alone. Hop
