Another weapon in our arsenal. It might be truer than he’d realized. David had known that once technology existed, it was impossible to control. Tanks got bigger. Guns fired more rounds. Bombs did more damage. On the night of the sneak attack against Os Alta, the demon had become a weapon in Nikolai’s hand. Maybe it was no surprise that he’d chosen to use that weapon again. But it was one thing to have sent an enemy pilot home with a tale to frighten the Fjerdans, another to try to command soldiers who’d lost trust in their king. Nikolai could only hope that the soldiers who did try to spread the story of this night wouldn’t be believed and that those who stayed in his service would find a way to have faith in him again.

Jesper and Wylan were waiting for the Cormorant on the cliffs, looking dirty but otherwise unscathed. The Suli were nowhere to be seen, but Nikolai suspected they were nearby, watching.

When Kaz was preparing to descend to the cliffs, Nikolai and Zoya joined him at the wind-buffeted bay doors.

Nikolai handed him a metal box. “For the Wraith,” he said.

Kaz took it, tucking it under one arm. “An infernal gadget to contend with your other infernal gadgets.”

“I have a gift for order and a taste for chaos.”

Kaz raised a brow. “The man with the monster inside.”

“I see the wheels turning in your head, Mister Brekker, wondering what you might do with this information. I would ask, one liar to another, that you keep it to yourself.”

“I find secrets are the most reliable stocks. The longer they’re kept, the more their value rises.”

“We could shove him out of the airship now,” suggested Zoya.

“We could, but we’re not going to.”

“Why is that?”

“Because Mister Brekker has the best insurance of all. He’s proven himself useful.”

“Speaking of secrets,” said Kaz, taking hold of the cable. “I’ve had word from the Kerch colonies. A certain monarch and his wife are no longer in exile.”

“By whose order?” Nikolai said, tension snapping through him.

“Jarl Brum and the Fjerdan government. This is the problem with letting your enemies live.”

“They’re my parents.”

“Your point?” Kaz settled his cane more firmly in his grip and nodded to the cable operator, ready to descend. “A word of advice, from one bastard to another: Sometimes it’s best to let the demon have its day.”

The cable dropped and Kaz Brekker was gone.

Nikolai had meant to try to rest, but instead he found himself in the darkened cargo hold. He lay down on the cold floor beside one of the stacks of stolen titanium, now secured with cables and tarps. It was quiet here, empty, the only sound the heavy thrum of the airship’s engines. It was almost enough to lull him to sleep.