"You killed them!" I said, anger overpowering my exhaustion.

Shay turned to me, a confused look on his face.

"Of course, I killed them."

"Why?!"

He pressed a slender finger against his lips.

"Keep it down, Jacob. This room isn't soundproof, and I already told you why. My instructions were clear: No witnesses."

"I-I was going to take them to Arwen."

"Really? You were going to sneak a dozen and a half children out of the building without anyone noticing."

I ran a hand through my hair.

"I was working on it. I would have thought of something."

Shay laughed.

"You're serious?! And here I thought you lied to make them behave."

You betray everyone…

"NO! No…"

My breath quickened. This wasn't how it was supposed to go.

"If it makes you feel better, they died painlessly. Dulcia venenata." Shay said.

Poisoned candy.

My stomach twisted and churned. My knees went weak, and I fell to the floor with a dull thud.

I could have saved them. If I overheard what Shay whispered under his breath… If I waited for him instead of going ahead… If! If! If!

On my right, Anissa watched me in silent judgment. She was in the same position as I left her, sitting on her bottom bunk bed with her back leaning against the wall. A hole punctured her left carotid artery, gushing a stream of blood onto her once spotless dress. Tears streaked from her dead, glossy eyes, ruining the makeup she tried so hard to keep perfect. The golden sceptre amplified the look on her face the moment she realized she was betrayed.

I doubled over onto my hands and knees.

Bitter bile filled my mouth and splattered on the hardwood floor. My vision blurred, and the darkness closed in.

Shay's robes whispered across the floor. He was approaching me.

"Oh, right. This one refused the candy but killed her quickly. She didn't suffer for long."

"You're a monster."

"I'm a revenant, Jacob. Serving my Apprentice advances my goals and to act against my goals is to die. Conviction is a fickle mistress, but I don't have to tell you that. The person you fought to save almost killed you, and now you broke a promise you sincerely swore to keep. Nothing kills conviction like doubt and guilt."

Shay's words made it more real, snuffing out the embers of my will.

"I promised..."

"Yes, you did. You told a lie so powerful that even you believed it."

Shay knelt at my side and whispered in my ear.

"You would make a powerful practitioner of the First Magic."

"Fuck off!" I said with a snarl.

Shay laughed, standing up to loom over me.

"And you wonder why I call you children."

I scowled, spitting into the pool of thick, brown vomit below me. I reached into my pockets for something to wipe my mouth and pulled out my ripped shirt sleeve, still stained with Isla's blood.

Another wave of guilt wracked my body, and I shut my eyes to weather the crushing weight of my failures.

So much for doing better.

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Shay continued.

"You are a child, Jacob. Compared to me, all of you are."

He rocked Isla in his arms like a newborn.

"Weak and witless, but fun to dress up."

"Enough."

I bared my teeth, forcing myself to stand and meet the Immortal Tailor's eyes.

"If you want to live another three hundred years, stop talking!"

Shay smirked.

"Good, now we can go."

He spun around and slithered to the spot where we entered the room.

I blinked at his turned back.

"What?!"

He looked at me from over his shoulder.

"Hate me. Call me a monster. Do whatever you need to do. I don't care as long as you have the will to stand. Foris."

The ceiling above Shay's head creaked and warped into a hole to the attic. He turned to me.

"Are you coming? You could stay, but the dead make for poor company."

Before I could reply, he grabbed the lip of the opening with one hand and pulled his body through the hole in one smooth movement.

I frowned.

Shay had tricked me into standing, but as silence returned to the room, so did my guilt. I clenched the bloody sleeve in my hand and turned to Anissa.

Kneeling, I bunched the shirt sleeve into a ball and wiped away the makeup streaking down her face.

"I'm trying to do better," I whispered to her. "Maybe, it's impossible or maybe, trying is the important part."

# # #

I left my shirt sleeve and my guilt in the Dormitory. I couldn't change the past, but I could move forward. With the watchtower guards eliminated, escaping Kateen's estate was easy. I jumped on Shay's back as he glided down the three-storey building and hopped the black iron fence between patrols.

It was the happiest I'd been to breathe the Dellends' polluted air. Compared to the smell of burning bodies, it was nothing. After a minute of walking, I turned back to Kateen's estate. The mansion looked eerie in the setting sunlight—too many bad memories burned into the back of my mind.

Shay stayed close, powering my jacket's enchantment with one hand and holding Isla with the other. She nestled in the crook of Shay's arm, mumbling in her sleep. I glanced at her, torn between love and disgust.

She had done what Sin or Reed could not. She had turned me into a weapon, and she had done it without manipulation or seduction, just brute force.

The way of the conqueror.

Was that the real Isla? Was the quiet, book-obsessed girl a mask she wore?

Could I ever trust her again?

The question further twisted my conflicting emotions, and I was in no position to straighten them out. Between dealing with Van Lagos, Reed and Kateen, I needed a full week of rest. The only thing keeping me on my feet was the sceptre. I kept one hand on it at all times, the length secured by my belt sash. After Shay's trick with the candy, I didn't want to miss anything else the Immortal Tailor muttered under his breath.

As the sun touched the horizon, we walked up to our wagon waiting at the edge of the wealthy Residential Quarter. Castille paced beside it with her head down, carving a neat groove in the dirt with her feet.

Shay lifted his hand off my shoulder, ending the jacket's enchantment. And I cleared my throat.

"Jacob!" Castille said.

She wiped the surprised look on her face and put her hands on her hips.

"What took you so long?!"

I flashed her a weary smile.

"Complications."

Castille grunted and marched forward with hard, determined eyes. When she was an arm's length away, she wrapped me in a hug that lifted me off my feet.

"Alright! I'm happy to see you, too." I said.

Dugan walked from the other side of the wagon. I smiled and jerked a thumb at the sleeping Isla. He returned my smile with the slightest nod.

Forgot Isla. Would he ever trust me again?

Castille set me down.

"Why is she still sleeping?"

"Most likely, they gave her another dose of sedative," Shay said.

"Can you do something about that?" Castille asked.

"I would rather not. I suspect this child has a surprising amount of will. Besides, I've done enough."

He passed Isla into Castille's arms and turned to me.

"Jacob, our deal is done. All things considered, it was nice working with you."

He smirked.

"Let's do it again sometime."

I gave him a solemn nod.

Shay stretched and yawned.

"Now, I have to see about my shop. Good evening."

"Evening," Castille said.

Shay's flutter turned into a walk as he began a slow trek back to the Service Quarter.

"Good riddance," I said under my breath.

Castille quirked an eyebrow.

"What happened?"

My shoulders shagged.

"Too much. I'll tell you on the way."

I walked to our wagon and climbed onto the driver's bench.

"Is plan B ready?"

"Mmhmm," Dugan said.

I checked over my shoulder. There was a narrow path in the wagon bed between our cargo packed on both sides. Thor slept in the middle of the path, curled up with his legs tucked under him like a cat. Good, he would need all the rest he could get.

Castille frowned down at Isla.

"I didn't expect her to still be out of it. Dugan, get me some rope. We'll tie her horse to my saddle and her to me."

I nodded. It was not a terrible idea, given the circumstances. A stretcher would slow us down, and we needed the wagon bed for the plan.

Recognition flickered in my mind.

"Dugan, can you get her some boots? She'll need them when she wakes up."

# # #

We left Steeltown at a gallop. I drove the wagon while Dugan rode his horse on my left. Castille was on my right, with Isla tied behind her by the shoulders and waist. Isla's horse galloped behind them, tugged forward by a lead tied to the back of Castille's saddle.

I scanned the distance. The sun was low on the horizon, casting our long shadows against the barren landscape. There were no riders in sight. If Van Lagos hadn't found his brother's body by now, it would be even harder by torch or lantern. With any luck, we would have a full day's ride ahead on them—enough for a clean break if we kept our breakneck pace.

After a few minutes of riding, Dugan waved to get our attention. He pointed behind him, back to the town.

I checked over my shoulder.

Through the hole of the covered wagon, I spotted dozens of leather-clad riders galloping out of Steeltown. I touched the golden sceptre and made out one familiar face.

Of course, life could never be easy.

"It's Van Lagos!" I said.

"Aye, are you ready?!"

I tightened my grip on the lines.

"No, but let's do it anyway!"

It was time for plan B.

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