“You could seriously be compromising your own safety if not your soul—”

“My soul is probably already going to perish. Look what we’ve concocted for Uruku. Is that not murder?”

Guilt flooded through my veins. My cheeks reddened. “It will save so many lives if he’s dead. It’s…different.”

“Is it?” She met my eyes. “I wonder.”

“You object?”

“Ha!” Her laugh was mirthless. “I wish I could watch the light fade from his eyes myself. I just wonder about how you will fare if we succeed.”

My throat tightened as I met her steady gaze. “I’m doing what I must. My soul will be all right.” But was that the truth? I’d been trained to heal, not to harm. Killing Uruku went against everything I’d learned from my father. Show mercy, he’d told me time and again. We are all just people trying our best.

But Uruku’s death would save the lives of many, so in a way, I was doing everyone a favor, wasn’t I? We had to do what we’d come to do, or we’d live the rest of our lives in fear!

Do no harm.

Iltani nodded. “Good. And my soul will rest easy enough if that man out there sits on the chamber pot for days. My thanks for this.” She patted the bottle with nonchalance, but the mask she usually tied so carefully about her face had already slipped. I’d seen past it.

“Do not thank me,” I whispered. “It’s my fault you are here. I should never have left you and Nanaea alone. I know how reckless you are.” I gave her a mildly reproving look.

Grief filled up her eyes for a moment, and she shut them against her flood of emotion. “Don’t be daft, Kammani. You’re better than that. It’s my own fault.” She looked down at her hands. “I wanted to see my parents. That was all.” She bit her lip when it trembled. Hard.

“That’s understandable.”

“It was stupid,” she spat.

“Well, so was my idea with the almonds. Now we have to figure out another way to give him the poison. I’ve made some that will actually work.”

Behind the house, Gala’s and Dagan’s voices rose in anger.

Oh no.

Her face fell. “Ahh, well. At least he tried.” Then her eyes grew alarmed. “He better not make Gala too angry. He could tell Uruku!”

“Good point. Let me go see.”

“Wait, before you go, give me a task to do. I’m going to be here for a while. Something. Anything. For Gala is stupid.” She looked over her shoulder at the back door, where Gala and Dagan’s voices were punctuated with fire.

“I think he believes that he will actually win my heart.” She laughed, a dry brittle sound like a twig snapping in two. “So I can use that. Give me something to ask him, and I’ll help you take down Uruku. I’ll work Gala like a puppet and make him dance to whatever song I sing.”