Still, I tried. “Did you get my texts?”

“Harper—”

“There are new wards set up around town, and I don’t know what the heck they do.”

“Yeah, I put them up.”

I don’t think my jaw has ever literally dropped before now. “What do you mean you put them up?”

“Alexander asked me to. It’s part of the thing,” he said, waving one hand. “The... peripatetic... peri—”

“Peirasmos,” I hissed back. “And what do they do, exactly?”

Ryan’s shoulders rolled underneath his shirt. “They just make sure David stays here. Like how Saylor’s wards kept other people out, these keep him in.”

The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. “Why would Alexander want to do that?”

“I don’t know,” Ryan admitted. “He just said it had something to do with the trials, and—”

“So Alexander has been in touch with you, but not me? And you... didn’t bother to tell me?”

“It was literally two days ago, Harper. I was going to tell you, I promise, but... look, Mary Beth is weird about me spending time with you, and I’m trying to respect that.”

It was one of the biggest struggles of my life not to roll my eyes at him right that second, but I managed admirably.

“I understand,” I said, “but I’ve spent the past few days jumping at shadows over this thing. If you know anything about Paladin stuff, you have got to tell me. Especially about stuff that could be dangerous to David.”

Ryan heaved a sigh, shoving his hands in his back pockets. “I’m trying, Harper. I seriously am, but—”

“This isn’t easy on any of us,” I reminded him, but Ryan shook his head.

“No, it’s not, but you have to admit, it’s a little easier on you and David than it is on me.”

I looked up at him. “How do you figure that? David’s visions make him feel like his head is splitting open, I’m worried about him, worried about me, and you, and Bee—”

Ryan leaned closer. “Look, I didn’t say it was a freaking cakewalk for y’all, but at least you have each other. When you get your weird”—he waved his hands in the air around me—“Paladin feelings or David gets one of his visions, you can tell each other. David knows exactly what’s going on with you, and you know exactly what’s going on with him. You don’t have to lie, either of you.”

On the other side of the food court, the carousel was starting up again, the sound of tinkly calliope music filling the air. A little girl was tugging her mother toward a purple painted horse, and as I glanced over at them, I caught a glimpse of two blond heads making their way through the crowd.

Abi and Amanda. Shoot.