“If that’s the case,” Arthur said, “it would be to your advantage to tell us. There are rewards in these situations that could make life so much easier for you and your father.”

And there it was. Exactly what James had been hoping for. A way to bring Tobias home. I held my breath, wondering if he would turn me in.

Zander grabbed an empty bottle from the windowsill. He quietly approached James. When he was close enough, he raised the bottle above James’s head just as James and I locked eyes. The expression of terror on my face alerted him to the danger behind him. Zander’s bottle came down, whisking past James as he turned and dodged away.

“Get out of here,” James yelled to me.

Gorbon thought this directive was meant for him. He took two careful steps away from James. In the next second, Zander’s bottle found its mark. I watched in horror as James fell to the floor, blood pouring from a cut in his head. Zander dropped the broken bottle, and jerked James up to his feet. He turned James around and firmly pinned his arms behind his back, presenting him to Arthur as if he were a gift.

“This Fringer is a danger to everyone in Judaculla,” Gorbon said. He thrust a finger into James’s chest. “Did you really think you could attack us?”

James’s words were slurred as he repeated, “Get out of here.”

I knew he was speaking to me, but I was glued to the spot. My mind worked furiously, trying to figure out how to get James away from the Elders.

Gorbon’s beady eyes followed James’s gaze. I ducked out of sight a second before he turned to zero in on the window. A few breaths later, I leaned forward to peer back in. Gorbon picked up the bottle before stepping closer to James. He’d found his courage now that James was helpless to defend himself.

“This is the thanks we get for allowing you and your father to live on the Fringe? You dare to come here to assassinate us?” He shook the jagged edge of the bottle in James’s face. “I ought to cut your throat right now for coming off the Fringe.”

“Calm yourself, Gorbon,” Arthur said. “The boy is young. He may still be of some use to us. His father, though, he’s an old man. Maybe not so useful.”

“You leave my father alone,” James yelled, struggling against Zander. “Leave him alone or I promise I’ll kill you all.”

Gorbon laughed, then tossed the broken bottle into a corner. “I don’t think you’re in any position to make threats.” He motioned to Zander, who forced James to his knees. Just the right height for Gorbon to kick James in the face.

Instinctively, I stepped back, tripping over a clay pot.