Shield of Sparrows

The Guardian admits that, like the monsters, he sometimes loses himself to bloodlust in battle. Moreover, it is getting harder to control as the infection progresses. Odessa asks why King Ramsey isn’t using his militia to hunt down the monsters with the infection. The Guardian claims that is not an option; the king knows about the infection but is more interested in utilizing it than eradicating it. Odessa asks if there is a cure, and the Guardian emphatically claims there isn’t. Moreover, they are running out of time to eradicate Lyssa before the migration: He believes that if the crux contract the illness, the death toll and infection rate will be insurmountable. Odessa is shocked to learn that every king, including her father, knows about Lyssa but has considered it Turah’s problem to solve.

They are interrupted by soldiers rushing toward them from Treow, which is under attack by a tarkin monster. The Guardian hands Evie over to Odessa and escorts them to her old treehouse before leaving in search of the prowling tarkin. As she waits in the tree, Odessa overhears a young boy and girl trapped outside. While climbing her ladder to safety, they catch the attention of a second tarkin in the area.