I have heard her speak those exact words to me once before. It was before we set sail for Hellebore. Before we knew what a mistake that would be. We were sitting together on the observation deck of my system-runner, the Pandion, watching the stars turn through the armaglass. She wore blue that night. The same blue as her mountain-sky eyes.

‘Every single one,’ I tell her, because it’s what I said all that time ago, too.

She nods, slowly, and her eyelids flicker and then drop closed. Her head lolls again and then I turn to look at Efrayl.

‘What have you done to her?’

‘She was in distress, so I gave her something to stop it. Pain relief. A little kalma.’

I take a step closer to him, my blood boiling. ‘You have her drugged like one of Thul’s psyker-mules.’

‘I saved her life,’ he snaps at me. ‘She was delirious, Ahri. Pulling at her cables and drips, trying to get clear of the machine. She would have died if I’d let her.’

His words sting as though he’s hit me, and my heart does what it always does when it hurts. It shrinks in response.

‘Lord,’ I say.

Efrayl frowns. ‘What?’

‘You will address me as lord.’

He blinks, and I hear him start clicking those haptics together. ‘Of course,’ he says. ‘Lord.’

‘I want you to prepare Sofika to travel,’ I tell him. ‘We leave Meridia by nightfall.’

Efrayl pales. ‘Travel,’ he says. ‘Where?’

‘We are going through the Rift,’ I say. ‘To Dimmamar.’

I start to leave the room, but Efrayl puts out a hand. He stops just short of touching me.

‘You aren’t listening to me. Sofika cannot possibly leave Meridia.’

‘Use the cradle-casket,’ I tell him. ‘Rebuild the machine aboard the ship.’

Efrayl shakes his head. ‘You are not listening to me,’ he says. ‘It is not about the machine. It’s the stress of it. It will kill her.’

I don’t lay a hand on him. I don’t move at all. I just fix him with a stare instead.

‘No, it won’t,’ I say. ‘Because you will make sure of it, or you will die with her. Do you understand me?’

Efrayl’s throat works and his eyes fall to the Marleyan blades I carry.

‘Understood,’ he says. ‘It will be done, lord.’