Latham is seated at the long wooden table in the center of the room, hunched over a set of Gran’s bones. He’s so focused on his task that he doesn’t hear us enter. Next to him is a jar filled with clear liquid. My hand floats inside, a bright red tattoo visible at the wrist.

I clamp my lips together and fight the wave of nausea that rolls through me. A mix of relief and rage bubbles in my chest. He hasn’t completed the spell. He hasn’t changed the past, at least not yet.

But the sight of my own bloated fingers bobbing in acid makes the loss of my hand feel even more real than my bandaged arm does.

From the corner of my eye, I see a sudden movement on the other side of the room.

“Latham, watch out!”

The Bone Handler from the Mandible District moves out of the shadows. Latham spins around. His hand closes around the hilt of a blade as his gaze lands on me.

“Rayna, get back.”

But the warning is too late. Bram has already dipped his fingers into the bone pouch at his waist. Rayna lets out a bloodcurdling scream and her leg gives out beneath her. She crumples to the floor, her face a mask of agony.

“Get away from my gran’s bones,” I say.

Latham doesn’t move. His eyes fall to my arm. “Haven’t you suffered enough?”

Bram reaches into his pouch again and snaps one of the small bones clean in half, but it doesn’t have any effect. Latham’s fingers go to the claw-shaped clasp at his throat. Protective magic. But if it blocks Bram’s abilities, it must be far more powerful than the pendant Avalina gave me.

“My suffering will be minuscule compared to what I’m going to do to you.” The dagger in my hand trembles. It’s slick with sweat and slippery against my palm. I feel faint.

“This will all be over soon,” Latham says. His voice has lost its usual edge. He says it almost tenderly. “Let me finish and your pain will vanish. You’ll be safe.”

Talon inches closer to the table. In a flash, I understand what he’s doing. I have to keep Latham’s attention focused on me long enough for Talon to grab the jar that holds my hand. Latham can’t finish the spell without my bones.

“I’ll be safe? You’ve been trying to kill me for months. You don’t care about my safety.”

I push my hair off my forehead with my wrist. Talon takes another step.

Latham cocks his head to one side. “What do you think will happen to you when the Grand Council finds out about your mastery tattoo? The fate I have planned for you is far more merciful than a lifetime spent on Fang Island.”

“You don’t get to plan my fate.”