The young children hurried to the ground just below the stage, and now Sister spoke to them over hands cupped delicately before her. “You are the next of us. You will be better than we are, and that begins tonight as you demonstrate your commitment to our family. Remember, we don’t want to kill him tonight,” she added with a smile that was almost maternal. “Tonight is only the beginning.” Now she turned to Oran, her smile transforming into something venomous. “If I recall, this was one of your favorites. I hope you enjoy it as much from the other side.”

Beside Caledonia, Sledge, Pine, and Triple clearly knew what to expect. But she couldn’t look at them without revealing to anyone who laid an eye on her that she did not.

“Begin,” Sister said.

A child stepped forward. He was tall and gangly with narrow shoulders and long fingers, and he reached into a basket on the ground and pulled out a small dagger. He shifted his grip a few times, testing the weight in his hand before, to Caledonia’s horror, he took aim, drew back his arm, and threw the blade.

The dagger plunged into Oran’s arm. This time he flinched, and a second trail of blood slid down his bicep. The dagger slipped out again nearly as quickly, thunking against the stage as it landed. The blade wasn’t long enough to stay put. Just long enough to wound.

Another one flew through the air. This time sinking into his leg, where it hung for a moment longer before falling away. After that, the blades flew more quickly. The children stepped up one after the other and the daggers flew like bees, sinking their stingers into Oran’s exposed flesh. Wounds opened everywhere, from his cheeks to his shins.

Caledonia wanted to stop it and also knew that it was the last thing she should do. But she could meet his eyes. She was close enough to the front of the crowd already. If she could only catch his eyes, he’d know help was close.

Ignoring the tug of Pine’s hand on her wrist, she inched toward Oran’s natural line of sight, urging him to look up and find her in the unfriendly sea before him. In just a few feet, she was there, exactly where his eyes rested as he waited for another blade to fly.

His eyes caught on hers. Caledonia held perfectly still, certain that he’d seen her. But just as soon as it happened it was gone. Another blade cut into his shoulder, and his eyes closed in pain.

“What are you doing?” Pine hissed in her ear.

But she ignored him, keeping her eyes on Oran, willing them to pull his gaze like two magnets. He clenched his jaw as the new blade slipped from his skin and slowly opened his eyes again, casting fury over the crowd.