Eres calls out for mercy. But he says it in Maran. So Caitoman just shrugs his shoulders and makes a mocking gesture at his ear, suggesting that he can’t understand.

My heart breaks at the cruelty of it. I look away so I won’t see Eres’s pleading eyes turn to me.

How will you do it? I ask Constantine through our link. When is your executioner going to arrive?

Executioner? At that, the Premier shakes his head at me. Who said they were dying today?

His words make me turn back to him. I look at him, and there, in his eyes, I see the answer.

Of course they’re not going to die. They’re going to be transformed into Ghosts.

And right as I think it, the gates at the other end of the arena open.

I hear the familiar grind of their teeth even before I see them emerge, one by one, from the darkness, blinking in the glaring light of the afternoon. Ghosts, a dozen of them.

Though the beasts won’t attack them, the Karensan soldiers stationed around the arena still shuffle uneasily at the sight of their approach. The largest of the Ghosts raises its head to the sky and sniffs, seemingly puzzled by its newfound freedom. Its long, tapered ears twitch, hungry for sounds to follow.

Jeran’s father is a vicious abuser. But the thought of him turning into a Ghost that the Federation will then use to hunt down others makes me ill.

No. The thought shoots through me.

No? Constantine says, almost amused. You challenge this?

Down below, the Striker Sana has moved instinctively into a fighting stance, sliding her feet against the dirt floor. Eres remains where he is, kneeling on the ground. Beside them, the noblemen cower in terror as the monsters wander closer, searching for humans. They shrink behind the Strikers, as if this might save them.

But the rebel leaders don’t move. I find myself staring at them, drawing some small strength from their stoic faces.

One of them raises her voice, her eyes on General Caitoman. It’s the rebel leader from Reo.

“I have a final word for you,” she calls out, her voice clear and steady. “And I’ll do it in your language, General Caitoman, so you do understand.” Then she smiles a little at him. “I am not the rebel leader you think you have.”

Nearby, Caitoman keeps his own smile casual. But I see the slight clench of his jaw.

“I am just one of many. Remember that.” Her eyes turn to Constantine. “And your Federation will fall. It is only a matter of time.”

I feel a sharp spike of anger come from the Premier, but he doesn’t respond.

Near the rebel leaders, Jeran’s father lets out a strangled cry of terror as one of the Ghosts skitters closer to them on all fours. The Ghost snaps its head in their direction. Its milky eyes widen in anticipation, and it bares its jaws at the promise of nearby prey.