“If you’re determined to go through with this, I’ll be with you. You know that I wouldn’t let you do this alone. But we might not both make it out of ’ere, so I ’ave to tell you before we set out.” She looked at Houndstooth as though hoping he’d interrupt, but he simply watched her with terrible patience. She took another deep breath, steeling herself. “Cal—right before ’e died, ’e said that ’e had betrayed you for Travers. I think . . . Winslow, friend. I think Travers put ’im up to it. Travers is the reason your ranch burned down.”

Houndstooth stared at Archie, then looked down at the detonator in his hands. He turned it over between his fingers, his jaw working.

“I think I knew that,” he finally said. “I think Adelia—I think she told me.” He shook his head. “Well, I suppose that makes this a little sweeter.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner,” Archie said.

“No, no—I understand. Really.” Archie smiled, relieved; her smile faded when Houndstooth continued, “But I do hope you understand: I’m going to destroy Travers. I’m going to destroy everything he’s built, everything he holds dear. Everything he’s poured his life and his passion and his fortune into. I’m going to burn his world to the ground, and then I’m going to salt the ashes. For what he did to my ranch, and for what happened to Hero.” A shadow seemed to pass across his eyes as a broad, toothsome grin spread across his face. “Oh, yes, Archie. He will suffer.”

Archie’s face was bloodless. “’Oundstooth,” she whispered. “We can’t—”

But what they couldn’t do, she never got to say, because the door to the suite burst open. Gran Carter emerged, covered in his own blood.

Archie screamed. Houndstooth looked at her, more startled than he had been when he saw Carter himself: he had never heard Archie scream before.

“I’m fine,” Carter said, placing his bloody hands on Archie’s shoulders. “I’m fine. Just a lot of little cuts, Archie, just—” He clasped her close to him for a brief moment, then pushed her away, holding her shoulders at arm’s length. “She’s gone. Out the window, into the water. I don’t think she was unconscious after all—the moment I got close enough—” He was backing away as he told them, toward the stairs. “I’m sorry, I have to go, I have to catch her before she—”

“If she’s in the water, the problem is solved, right?” Houndstooth interrupted. “The ferals—”

In the distance, the sound of Zahra and Stasia bellowing cut through the insect noises of the night.