Her eyes flutter open. “I’m sorry,” she says. Her voice is a dry husk, like her body. There’s so much blood drenching her skin and the floor now that I don’t understand how she can still be alive. “I’m sorry for what’s going to happen to you. I’m sorry that I won’t know what I’m doing. That I can’t stop it.”

“It’s okay,” I tell her. Because none of this is her fault.

“I wish they had some kind of memory,” she says. “I wish they could understand.” Whether she’s talking about the Recruiters or the Unconsecrated, I don’t know.

“Boo!” one of the men yells. “Hurry up and die already!” I feel something wet splash against my back and when I turn I see one of the Recruiters tossing an empty tin mug at the cage, where it hits and rattles to the floor.

It’s too much and I snap. Jumping to my feet, I rush the fence, slamming at it with my fists. “Shut up!” I scream at him. “You don’t deserve the air you breathe, you dirty plague bag, and I hope you all die deaths as ugly as you are!” And even though my mouth is dry, I spit at him as best I can.

The Recruiter watches me with a vicious approving smile. “You found one with fire, Conall.”

I turn away, fists clenched, knowing that my outburst only makes this more fun for them. I squeeze my eyes shut and try to breathe deeply and calm my thoughts. Dove’s sitting and watching me, her body wavering with exhaustion and pain.

She’s still fighting to stay alive and so will I. I spin back to face the Recruiters. “You have no idea what you’re messing with here,” I shout at them.

One of the Recruiters boos and throws a handful of his food at me. I wipe it from my arm, some sort of watery foul-smelling slop that makes my stomach turn.

I square my shoulders and narrow my eyes, directing every bit of hate and rage into my voice. “Are you so stupid that you don’t realize that I mean something to Catcher? He’s the one out there keeping you alive. What do you think he’s going to do when he comes back and finds me in here? What are you going to do if he finds me dead or Unconsecrated?”

My words finally seem to crack the surface and they all glance at one another before turning to Conall for guidance. He rises from his bench and walks slowly down the stairs until he’s just on the other side of the cage. “I say let him come.”