I make a choice, even though it sends my nerves into overdrive. “Be careful,” I say to Ahmet. And bring him home safe. My gaze meets Theo’s. I want him to know that we’re in this together.

He nods, understanding, and turns to Ahmet. “We’ll see what we can find out in the Summer District.”

Ahmet holds his voice steady. “May the stars watch over you both.”

Theo clasps his shoulder and squeezes.

We make our way to the North Tunnel quickly. I don’t know how much time we have—how much time has already been wasted. I wait until we’re far away from the crowd before I say anything.

“I’m assuming we’re not really after information.” I keep my eyes pinned to the rocks.

He tightens his mouth. “I need to find my brother.”

And I need to find the girl. “What happens if you see him? What will you do?”

It takes him a while to answer, and when he does, his eyes are glazed. “I can’t lose him again.”

I nod like we have an understanding. Because this isn’t about spying.

It’s a rescue mission.

The airship is impossible to miss. It sits high in the sky like a black draconic beast, its sails beating against the sunlight and casting a monstrous shadow over the earth.

The billowing fabric is an unmistakable chartreuse green, with the image of a golden serpent coiled into a spiral on the surface.

Prince Lysander’s colors. The symbol of Death.

I sense Theo beside me, even though I can’t see him. I sense the tension. He’s been under a veil since we left the North Tunnel, but he knows whose court this ship belongs to.

If Death takes Martin…

My fingers twitch. Humans don’t come back from Death. Not ever.

I follow the trail through a small human village. Vibrant rugs hang from looms, half-sculpted pottery litters the yards, and the smell of baking clay sits in the air, stagnant. Moments ago, this was a bustling artist town, full of unaware humans incessantly preparing for market days.

Now it feels like someone was so determined to erase life from this town that they tried to take the shadows with them too.

“There’s nobody here,” I whisper to Theo’s presence. How many humans have they already taken?

Theo doesn’t respond.

We head for the main square closest to the southern bay. Shuttles move through the sky in a seemingly endless loop, taking off from the ground and disappearing onto the airship before coming back again.

I step over the hill and fight the gasp gnawing at my throat. Rows of humans wait to be herded onto the shuttles, their colorful armlets displaying their trades. Marked like they’re nothing more than commodities.