“Many of the younger ones were born here,” Taavi says. “They’ve never even seen the Outside. The older ones though, they remember.”

The guilt wedged inside sprouts roots. Taavi couldn’t have been more right: Most of these people aren’t combat fighters. Their magic is trickery, cunning, wit. We need the extra hands, but I can’t send these folks to slaughter. If they’re in my charge, I can’t let anything happen to them. They have good reason to hate the Chancellor too. We are on the same team even if I did have to use intimidation to get them on our side. But they will come out of this alive. I’ll make sure of it.

“The ones we leave here will truly need your magic,” she says. I don’t like hearing her talk about my magic. But this is where we are.

“I gave you my word and I’ma keep it,” I say.

Why is she even bringing that up? She doubting I’m going to do what I said? We traipse down the hall past the room I slept in and up through Totsi’s closet. Zora and Bri are sitting back-to-back on the floor, Bri’s nose is in a book, and Zora is running the tip of her blade against a stone.

“Rue! You’re okay.” Bri hops up and throws her arms around me.

Zora lets out a huge breath in relief. “So good to see you, Jelani.” She clamps a hand on my shoulder, tugging up on her gloves as they slip down.

“But Bri kept reminding me that you could handle yourself. And that I shouldn’t worry. You would make—”

“A way,” I say. “Yes.”

Bri is beaming, and the Seer’s words prick me, slinking through my head like a snake.

Could it be Bri who is gonna betray me? Could it be her who already has?

“I’ll call for everyone to come up,” Taavi says, and I nod, despite Zora’s and Bri’s wrinkled expressions. Taavi takes off, and I catch them up on everything that happened while below: the Macazi I met, how frail they are as a people, the Seer giving me the spell, and my agreement with Taavi to deposit a bit of magic here for their protection in exchange for their allyship.

I leave out the Seer’s warning of betrayal.

That, I’m not telling anyone.

Bri’s brow dents deeper the longer I talk, and Zora’s nostrils are flaring. They aren’t happy with this plan, and I know why. I get it, but this is the only way.

“Go ahead.” I gesture at Bri. “I can hear your brain going a thousand miles per hour. I’m listening.”