She grabbed a cotton towel as he widened the wound to find the nicked artery. Blood dripped from the towel down her fingers, to her elbow, to the floor. Lilia didn’t notice the arrival of others in the room until some time later, when their voices became loud and angry.

“This is not his fate,” Dasai said, arguing with Nasaka. “Call another surgeon. He’s the one child in a hundred for whom the seers saw a peaceful fate. We cannot lose this boy.”

“There is not a tirajista in the world powerful enough to turn this,” Nasaka said.

“Not a tirajista,” said the tall, dark man in the doorway. It was the sanisi Lilia had seen in the foyer, Taigan.

“He’s gone, I’m sorry,” Matias said. His face was covered in sweat. He was spattered with blood.

Roh’s face was slack.

Lilia’s fear and terror finally bubbled up from the dark place she had hidden it. Her throat closed. She coughed harder; her head swam, and her vision was going dim. Blood covered her arms to the elbows. With enough blood, all things were possible.

She pointed to the sanisi. “Are you a blood witch?” she said. “A blood witch can save him. My mother could save him.”

The others, the Oras, looked confused. She suspected they thought her mad. But she knew the look on the sanisi’s face. Wonder. Recognition.

“Save him,” Lilia said.

“There’s a price,” Taigan said.

“He’s dead,” Matias said.

“No,” Lilia said.

“A beat or two of his heart remains,” Taigan said. “I can save him. But I have a price.”

“I will pay it,” Dasai said.

“Let’s not be irrational–” Nasaka said.

“We will pay your price,” Dasai said. “This boy has an important fate. Remake him.”

“I expect he does,” Taigan said. “You have seers. You know what’s coming, don’t you? Your little dance upstairs was less than convincing.”

Nasaka and Dasai exchanged a look. Nasaka said, “We know that our seers do not see peaceful futures for this generation of children. But this boy has a peaceful fate. He should not die this way.”

The sanisi pointed at Lilia. “You are the price. Give her to me and you can keep the boy.”

All gazes turned to Lilia. She pushed herself away from Roh’s body, gasping for air. She could hardly breathe, hardly think. He knew what a blood witch was. Now he knew what she was, too.

“Our people are not for sale,” Nasaka snapped. “We are not chattel. Save the boy because it is right. There need not be a price.”

“That is my price,” the sanisi said. “The boy for the girl.”

Lilia stared at her bloody hands. Then Roh. She remembered watching her mother’s body crumple. Too small to stop it. Too powerless to do anything at all.

“We won’t,” Nasaka said. “Find another way.”

Lilia said, “Do it. I’ll go.”