Up on the ramparts, Bastian tightens our circle. I stand behind them, knowing now that we can live, and craving it so much that my whole body rebels against the idea of dying at the last possible moment, catching a stray spear or bullet. I would feel like more of a coward if Bastian and the others weren’t doing the same thing. My heart beats a little faster seeing Luca standing in our circle, blood running down one arm, but alive. We hold our ground as the fresh Longhand troops come pouring into the entrances of Gig’s Wall.

Caught between both groups, every single Ashlord falls. When it’s done, the Longhands whoop and holler. Bastian looks carved from blood-spattered stone. His crew shouts and whoops but his eyes lock on mine. We’re both quiet and an understanding passes between us.

This was about more than my stolen powders. This was about more than rebels.

The Longhand presence means one thing: war.

Chapter 45: One Face

They don’t treat my wounds properly. That’s the first sign that something’s wrong.

Normally I wouldn’t care, but with each minute that passes, I’m learning new definitions of pain. The Dread’s protection has long faded. My fall at the finish line is going to be watched across the Empire for weeks, but none of them will feel what I felt, what I’m still feeling. My whole right side is fire. I’ve got a pair of gashes that can only ever become scars. Lights are too bright and noise is too loud.

My head’s a dying storm, but I stay as focused as I can as they escort the riders to the waiting carriages. There are never any ceremonies on-site at the end of the Races. We’ll be taken back to Furia to get cleaned up, dressed in designer clothes, presented to the masses. I’ll stand below Pippa on the stone tiers and wonder what happens next.

Daddy wanted me to win so he could start a war, but I came in second. What now?

All of it sits uneasily in my stomach. Officials whisper nearby. There’s a tension riding their shoulders as they escort a broken Thyma into the first carriage. Only nine racers remain. I count the number twice, just to make sure I’m not going mad. I know Capri’s dead, but on my second count I realize the Dividian has gone missing, too. That has me worried. Now the only witnesses are Ashlords. What’d they do to her?

I wish I hadn’t handed over my switch. Not that I could do much with it right now. They lead me into the final carriage. By some traditional mandate, I have to share a carriage with Pippa. She enters. The fire and fight have burned out of her. She looks half a ghost herself.