Reed strides quickly across the room and grabs me by the shoulders. His eyes are distant, and he barely looks at me as he brings his knee up, driving it into my gut. I buckle, cough, nearly hit the floor. Only Reed’s grip keeps me from collapsing. When I straighten, he has a knife at my throat. I try to jerk away, but he plants the blade firmer, draws a drop of blood. Dread coils in my stomach. Have I trusted the wrong person, been betrayed again?

“I’m on your side,” he says to the Third. “Let’s go.”

But the man’s eyes are thin, suspicious. “Why would a god let you do that?”

“I’m only allowing it because I want to speak to the General,” I say quickly. “Take me to him, and you will be rewarded.”

“Go then,” the Third says to Reed, motioning with his weapon. “Lead.”

Reed shoves me into the hall, walking me in front of him now, my arms held behind my back. The Loyalists follow.

“I will slit your throat,” I grit out. “I promised you.”

“My throat or theirs. Your call.” He presses something into my palm. The hilt of the blade he held at my neck moments earlier. I feel his hand on my back, lifting the strap of my mag-rifle.

I twist, dipping my neck to the side so he can lift the rifle strap over my head as I turn. Then I throw, the blade spiraling down the hallway. It buries into the chest of the General’s Third, whose eyes go wide with shock. Reed fires twice, and both men fall. I jog to retrieve the blade. Turn back to Reed. “Just playing a part again?”

“Same as you were. That was good—your line about rewarding them.” He nods at my stomach. “You okay? I tried to not have it land too hard, but it had to be convincing.”

“I’ll survive. What happened? You blew the powder early.”

“The General sent scouts to Harlie’s Hope to confirm my story. He couldn’t find any evidence of a pyre—or a gunfight. I said a squall probably obscured things, but he was suspicious of me, said I should have brought the body back—or, at the very least, your head. There was talk of suspending me from the Four. Moving me to general gunner duties in the Barrel. I knew I had to act before it got away from me. There was a break in the silent storms last night, and I blew the powder while I still could. I was worried you might not understand my message.”

“We pieced it together. Where’s the General now?”

“His chambers. I left him guarded, but there’s only three. We can take them out.”

I nod, and he leads.

Chapter Forty-Three