“ ‘Our’ enemies? Who do you truly serve, Daian?”

“You’ll meet them soon.”

“And what do you… what do they want with Brio, whoever they are?”

“The same thing I want with you, now. You see, plans have changed. My friends have decided you’ll serve our purpose well enough.”

Daian laughs then. It’s a joyless, disturbing sound.

“I’ll tell you,” he muses. “The Ministry and the Planning Cadre truly won’t know what’s hit them until the blood fills their beady little eyes.”

“The Planning Cadre?” Lexi asks, lost in his words. “What is that? And who are your… friends?”

“You’ll meet them soon,” he repeats brightly, as if it’s delightful news.

“Are they coming here?”

“No. This place isn’t safe anymore. We’ll have to go to them.”

“I don’t want to leave my home, Daian. Besides, Taru—”

“By now they have Taru.” He shrugs. “There’s nothing to be done about that now. Plans will have to be altered.”

“Perhaps, but I still do not wish to leave my home, Daian,” Lexi repeats slowly and carefully.

He walks toward her then, and if he wasn’t holding a bloody dagger and half covered in the same spatter Daian might not appear threatening at all.

“I hear you,” he says, “but then the day doesn’t seem to be working out as any of us planned.”

The pointed drink stirrer is still hidden from sight among the ripples of her skirt. Lexi deftly and carefully upends it, reversing her grip on the handle without drawing attention to the movement. She’s never perforated anyone before, and although it might make more sense to thrust with the spike, stabbing down feels more natural to her. Being so inexperienced in combat, she decides the latter quality is more important.

“What were you going to do when Taru returned, Daian?” she asks. “If the Ministry hadn’t come here, for me. What were you going to do?”

He stares at her strangely. “You sound afraid, Lexi. I told you, you don’t have to be afraid anymore.”

“What were you going to do when Taru returned?” she asks again.

Daian spreads his arms helplessly. “I like Taru! I respect Taru, very much. I respect both of you, but your plan was very misguided, Lexi.”

“What plan?”

“Exposing the Savage Legion. Presenting proof of their existence and the crimes of the Ministry to the Arbiters and the people. Counting on the public to provoke change is… well, let’s just say naive, Lexi. Perhaps even foolish, if you’ll pardon me.”

“And these… friends of yours? They have a different plan?”

Daian nods soulfully. “They do. They really do.”

“You haven’t answered my first question, Daian. What were you going to do when Taru returned with Brio’s proof?”

He sighs, spreading his arms out in front of her in a helpless gesture.

“Precisely what I did to these poor ghouls,” he relents.