The red sight of a gun hovered on my chest. They must have snipers in the buildings.

There had to be some way out of this.

With renewed strength, I ran toward the fountains, where Amelia was kicking helplessly. As much as I wanted Nadine to win, I couldn’t just watch another human die. I tackled her, taking her down by the waist, straight into the fountain. The water turned red as the security lights changed. Nadine surfaced a half-second after I did. Her teeth were gritted, and the muscles in her neck were straining. I backed away.

“Take that mask off, bitch,” she shouted at me.

I pointed my flux gun at her.

Nadine began to circle me. She opened her coat and took out a knife. She’d always preferred steel to spirits.

I felt my heartbeat everywhere, right down to my fingertips. Nadine rarely missed with a knife, and my body armor would only provide so much protection, if she hit me above the chest, I was dead. David chose that moment to appear. Just as Nadine was about to throw her blade, he hit her dead between the shoulders with a flux dart. Her eyes watered. She tottered, swayed, and folded over the edge of the fountain. David dragged her out of the water and took her head between his hands. We’d been told not to kill, but in the heat of the moment, he seemed to have forgotten. How important could a hisser be?

I didn’t pause to think: I threw out my spirit. Zeke would never forgive me if I let his sister die. Time for a quick-fire jump.

I went too far. For the second I was in David’s head, I pulled his hands away from Nadine. Another second and I was back in my body, running toward him. I threw my full weight against his side and we both smashed to the ground.

My vision turned black. I’d just possessed David. Only for a heartbeat, but I’d moved his arm.

I had finally possessed a human.

David put his hands to his head. I hadn’t been gentle. I struggled to my feet, blinking away a flurry of white stars. Both Antoinette and Situla had vanished.

Leaving Nadine next to David, I ran from the fountain, my clothes drenched. I climbed up onto a lion and surveyed the scene. Both groups had fanned out across the square. Zeke was no fighter, and he’d wisely abandoned ship—bloody sailor spirits—when he’d seen Warden coming at him. Having pulled on his balaclava, he was exchanging blows with Amelia. Elsewhere, Warden turned his attention to Nick, who had stunned Carl with a spool. I thought my heart would stop as I watched them. My keeper and my best friend. I dropped back to ground level, gripped by fear. I had to help Nick.Warden could kill him . . .