The caves smelled of cupcakes.
Anna sniffed the air, pressing her hand against the porous stone walls. There. It was unmistakable. Vanilla drifted up from the pink pools, curling in fairy-spun spirals. Anna thought of lazy Sunday afternoons in Henry's bakery, licking sticky batter off wooden spoons. She nudged Ryne.
"Do you smell that?"
His mouth tightened. "Yeah."
"It's..."
"Irresistible," Ryne finished.
His face was growing more pinched as they approached the Soul Pools, his dark hair curling slightly in the humidity. He looked as if he'd just swallowed a burning hot iron, Anna thought. Slaine moved to stand beside them.
"That's the point," Slaine said. "The Soul Pools smell different to everyone. For some, they smell like lavender perfume, and for others, they smell like the sea. That's how they lure you in." He turned to Anna. "What does it smell like for you?"
"Cake." The scent lingered in the air. "You?"
Slaine gave her a small smile. "Summer bonfires."
"Smoke?" Anna wrinkled her nose. "Interesting choice."
"Sometimes," Slaine said, "it's not a choice. Sometimes it's tied to a memory. I never liked the smell of bonfire before, but after that day..." His voice echoed around the cavernous stone walls. "Some things are inevitable."
There was a wistful note in his voice. Anna slowed as they reached the edge of the pools, inhaling the sticky-sweet vanilla scent.
"What about you, Delafort?"
Ryne didn't look at her. "Let's just get this over with."
He stripped off his shirt. Muscles rippled under his taught skin, tensing and flexing, and Anna looked away. The steam warmed her cheeks. She was suddenly aware of the others gathered in the cramped space — Slaine, Althea, a beefy man in crimson robes, the steely-eyed woman whose name was Kati — and she busied herself with unfurling a length of rope as Ryne shucked off his trousers.
Water splashed. When Anna turned, Ryne was waist-deep in the pink pool, his expression twisted into a grimace.
She crouched by the edge. "How does it feel?"
"Not great," Ryne muttered.
"It looks fun."
"Oh, yes," Ryne said mildly. "Nothing says fun like a bunch of ancient pools that can melt off your ski—"
"Don't."
Althea's voice echoed off the damp stone walls. They all turned to look at her, and she flushed. "Sorry. It's just, that would count as a lie. And you only want to tell the truth in those pools," she said, eyeing the water warily. "Trust me."
Anna raised an eyebrow. "Have you seen someone bathe in them before?"
"Just in paintings," Althea said. "Reginald the Betrayer."
"What happened?"
Althea toyed with the end of a dark plait. "He never made it out."
"Burned his skin right off," Slaine said cheerfully. "He turned into human soup."
"Cidarius," Ryne said. "I want you to go."
He was breathing heavily, his dark hair curling around his temples. A muscle flickered in his jaw. Anna frowned. "Why?"
"Just go." Ryne gritted his teeth. "Please."
Anna straightened. She wasn't what was more disconcerting: Ryne's grimace, or the fact that he'd used the word please. Kati's shoes scuffed the floor. The steely-eyed woman picked up the rope, weighing it in her hand; her nails were caked with dirt.
"The girl stays," Katie said. "If I don't like your answers, Ryne Delafort, then she'll get in the pools with you."
Ryne's face tightened, but he didn't say anything. Kati dropped the rope.
"Shall we begin?"
Ryne nodded. Anna settled on a shallow rock shelf, bracing her hands against the warm stone. Something painful twinged in her chest. She was due for another healing potion soon. Kati paused at the edge of the pink pool.
"What's your name?" Kati asked.
Ryne's face was stone. "Ryne Delafort."
Kati folded her arms. "Who are your parents?"
"Arthur and Brigid Delafort."
"Who is that?" Kati asked.
She gestured in Anna's direction. Ryne's gaze didn't shift from Kati's face.
"Annalise Cidarius."
"Good." Kati's steely gaze didn't waver. "Why should we ally with you?"
Ryne's throat bobbed. "Lucia is growing stronger. She possessed Camille Dufleur, my fiancée, and seized the throne. We have reason to believe that she will attack Zarob and other nations in a bid to gain control."
"You misunderstand my question," Kati said. "Why should we ally with you?"
"Pardon?"
"You." She tapped her foot. "Ryne Delafort."
Silence fell.
Ryne's breaths were shallow, his muscular chest pumping up and down. He gave no obvious sign of being in pain, but Anna had learned to read his subtle tells: the flush creeping up his neck, the way his shoulders inched toward his ears. Whatever was in that water... Her stomach knotted. It wasn't good.
"I want to kill Lucia," Ryne said finally.
Kati raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
"She took my throne."
Kati's eyebrow inched higher. "You truly believe that it's your throne?" Her gaze flicked to Anna. "Interesting."
Anna breathed through her mouth. The sickly-sweet smell of cupcakes assaulted her senses. Her stomach was churning, frothing like the silky pink water. If you didn't know any better, Anna thought, the pools would be almost impossible to resist; perhaps that was what made them so dangerous.
"Is that all?" Ryne asked.
Kati paced closer. "Can we trust you?"
"That's a loaded question," Ryne said.
"Answer it."
"Our goals are aligned." Sweat beaded Ryne's forehead. "We both seek to stop Lucia. I will not betray you while we search for a means to do so."
"And after?" Kati asked.
"What?"
Kati's grey eyes glittered. "When we've defeated the goddess, who do you intend to sit on the throne in Stillwater Castle?"
"Is that relevant?" Ryne asked.
Tendons strained on his neck. His face was flushed, and he seemed to be holding deliberately still, as if every movement pained him. Anna swallowed. She ought to help him; ought to tell Kati that enough was enough. But she didn't move.
Kati's face was impassive. "Answer the question."
Ryne's lips were white. "I don't want to."
"It's a funny thing, these Soul Pools." Kati drew closer. "Not only do they compel someone to tell the truth, but they drag the truth from the deepest depths of the human heart. I'd think very carefully about your next words, Ryne Delafort."
He gritted his teeth. "I'm done now."
"Answer the question," Kati said.
Ryne's face was hard. "Throw me the rope."
Kati stood on the rope. There was dirt beneath her toes, and the skin was cracked and hardened. Ryne grimaced. Something cold crystallized in Anna's stomach, and she leaned closer to Althea.
"Does it hurt that badly?"
"He's resisting." Althea's brown eyes were grim. "The pools don't like that."
Kati's foot dug into the rope. "What are your intentions with Annalise Cidarius?"
"Give me the godsdamn rope," Ryne said tightly.
Kati didn't move. "Have you been honest with her?"
"Give it to me."
Ryne's face was flushed, his green eyes glittering. His body was trembling under the water. Anna bit her lip. She'd seen Ryne in pain before — delirious with fever, shaking on the floor, unconscious on an infirmary bed — but not like this. Never like this.
"Kati," Anna said. "Give him the rope."
The older woman ignored her. Anna stepped forward.
"Kati."
The woman didn't turn. She could feel Althea gripping her shoulder, heard her murmuring in her ear, but it felt far away. Her heartbeat pounded in her ears.
"Blast it," Anna growled.
She lunged for the rope. Someone seized her arm — the beefy man in crimson robes — and Anna swung out wildly, her fist connecting with his jaw. There was a cry of pain. The pressure on her arm vanished. She dove for the rope again, and Slaine caught her, pinning her to his chest.
"Don't." His voice was low in her ear. "You'll only make things worse."
Anna squirmed. "Let me go!"
She'd hit him if she had to, Anna thought grimly; she had no doubt that she could overpower him. Slaine slackened his grip, but only slightly. "It's too late. He has to answer the question. The pools won't let him go, otherwise."
"It's true." Althea stared at the pool, and there was something like fear in her eyes. "He has to answer honestly. It's the only way out."
Anna stilled. Ryne's eyes were bulging, his face flushed red. Kati crouched by the pool, her eyes the colour of itchy grey clouds before a storm. "I'll ask you one more time: what are your intentions with Annalise Cidarius?"
Ryne shook his head.
"Do you hate her?" Kati demanded. "Do you?"
A pained noise escaped him.
Kati leaned forward. "What are your intentions with—?"
"I love her." The words were an outburst, dragged from somewhere deep within Ryne's chest. He closed his eyes, sweat trickling down his brow. "I'm in love with her."
Silence fell, broken only by the drip-drip of water falling from the stalactites. Ryne's trembling was subsiding, although his face was very pale. Kati rose, turning to the man in the crimson robes. "Let him out."
The man's brow furrowed. "Kati..."
"That's enough," Kati said quietly. "Let him out."
The man exhaled. He shot a mutinous look at Anna as he seized the rope, tossing it into the pink water; a purple mark swelled on his cheek. Ryne clung to the rope, shivering as they hauled him from the pool. Anna sucked in a breath. His skin was raw, and several shiny burns were blooming like angry red flowers.
"Delafort..."
Her voice was a whisper. Ryne took a step forward, and his leg buckled. Anna reached out instinctively, and Ryne held up a hand.
"Don't," Ryne said. "Not now."
He rubbed at his eyes. The whites were bloodshot, and his skin was the colour of old parchment paper. Anna swallowed. Still, she didn't move. Not as Ryne leaned against the stone wall. Not as Ryne made a noise of pain. Not even as Ryne limped down the stone corridor, disappearing into the shadows.