Debris smacked into Klara’s coat, rolling off the thick leather and clattering on the stone floor in the pitch black room. Though she couldn’t see them, she could hear the rest of the squad breathing around her. Mikhail, his mother, Nika, Matvei and Adamov had all hidden in one of the side rooms at the base of the tower. Elana had led them in, and according to her, enforced the stone with the Sila, protecting them as the building crumbled around them.

  If they were lucky, maybe the Alchemists would believe them dead and leave.

  Unfortunately, leave with Yeger. She swallowed, her throat thick. But this was war, people were captured, people were killed. That’s what happened. You suffered loses, regrouped, and rejoined for the next battle.

  “Can you see anything, Elana?” Klara whispered.

  “Yeger is still unconscious on their airship. Most of the soldiers are on the airship, but I see a dozen on the ground. Some I think are beyond what I can sense though.”

  “What’s going to happen to Yeger?” Mikhail asked.

  “He got himself caught. He’ll be tortured for information and killed,” Klara said.

  Someone shuffled nearby, sending rocks skittering across the floor. “You want to leave him?” Nika asked.

  “This mission is over. We pull out before anyone else—”

  “Shhh!” Elana said. “I hear something.”

  Silence settled on the squad. Klara pulled her hood back, freeing her ears so she could hear better. The world came alive with sound. Crashes as rocks fell free from the wreckage and thudded into the snow, a distant metallic clacking she presumed was the ver-train approaching and… was that voices?

  Yes! Faint voices. Nearby.

  “… as it fell,” a man said.

  “But did they escape before that? Were you watching the low entrance?” a woman asked.

  Klara’s blood froze in her veins. Voronina. Her fingers closed around the pommel of her father’s knife. She had to get out there.

  “Klara,” Elana whispered, her voice barely audible, “it’s not worth it.”

  Like the depths it wasn’t worth it! Ending that guildless mucker’s life was definitely worth it. Nevertheless, she unclenched her fingers from around the knife and forced herself to relax and listen.

  “No one left the building, Commander,” the man said, his voice edged with iron.

  “Fine,” Voronina said. “Then find their bodies. They’ll be in that mess somewhere. You and your squad aren’t leaving until you have every one of them.”

  “Commander, we don’t know how many were in there.”

  “Well, I killed Maria, Irmina, and Alarick and have Yeger. No one else would be insane enough to join this little revenge mission of Klara’s, so you have four people to find. Report to me at the mine when you have them.”

  Klara’s brow furrowed. Irmina and Alarick? They died at the hands of the Alchemist white warriors in the trenches of the Veter River weeks ago.

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  Wait… A knot caught in Klara’s throat and she couldn’t breathe. Her head spun, and she dropped to a squat, her fingers buried into her temples. Voronina had murdered Irmina and Alarick, then pretended to still be friends? She shivered, utterly overwhelmed by depths of Voronina’s heartlessness.

  Rubble shifted outside, rocks clattering as the soldiers waded through the wreckage. Searching for them.

  Klara knew no matter what happened, Voronina had to pay for what she’d done. And it’ll be my blade that kills her.

  A hand rested on Klara’s shoulder and her hearing muted slightly as someone put their face by her right ear.

  “The airship is leaving,” Elana breathed, her voice barely audible through her half-mask. “Blinov’s mind is almost out of range of my sight.”

  Klara nodded, numb. She had to kill Voronina. She pursed her lips. Hadn’t Elana said that the Alchemists were bonding people with the Sila up at the mine? That meant they had telepathy extract up there. If they could bond with it, if Elana could, then she could.

  Matvei could take Yeger’s place handling the explosives in the lower mines. The rest could continue their assault as planned, and then she could slip away in the confusion. Find a way to bond with the Sila and that would give her all the power she needed to beat Voronina and rip her shrivelled black hearts from her chest.

  Klara turned. “How many soldiers can you see?”

  “Patience,” Elana whispered. “I’m channelling Sila through the wall. Once it’s out, I’ll be able to see properly.”

  “We need to create a distraction so Matvei can get to the train, take Yeger’s place,” Klara said, just loud enough everyone could hear.

  “One minute you want to run,” Nika said, “now you want to continue the mission?”

  “Yeger got caught making sure we had the gear to finish the mission. He’d want us to,” Klara said.

  “But they have Yeger,” Mikhail said. “One truth extract and they’ll know exactly what our plan is. It’s suicide sending Matvei in now.”

  “Mikhail is right,” Adamov said, “and you were right before. We need to retreat before we all get caught. Or killed.”

  Klara’s lip curled up. “Retreat? That’s exactly what Voronina would expect me to do. Besides, Yeger will tell them he was going into the mine, not Matvei. They’ll have no idea until it’s too late and half their equipment is destroyed. While they’re distracted, we slip amongst them, rescue Yeger and get Elana to the Sila.”

  “I don’t know, Klara,” Mikhail said. “They’ll know we’re still planning on slipping amongst them and will be on the look out.”

  “So you want to leave Yeger?” Klara snapped.

  “No, of course not,” Mikhail said, sounding flustered. “I just don’t see how we can win this. We should pull back and come up with a better plan.”

  “Then pull back, but I’m going after Yeger.” And I’ll kill Voronina while I’m there.

  The group fell silent, so Klara continued. “If anyone wants to join me, the plan is simple: distract the soldiers so Matvei can get to the tunnel. Once he’s in, we retreat, hiding until Matvei does his job. If you want to let Yeger die, get to the cliffs and retreat now.”

  “I’ll fight with you, Koskova,” Adamov said.

  “Then you better call me Klara. We’re family here,” Klara said.

  “Ruslan,” Adamov said.

  One by one, they all agreed. Even Mikhail.

  “Good,” Klara said. “Elana, what can you tell us?”

  “The Sila is outside now. I can see the soldiers. There are two of them nearby, by the stairs that headed to the… second floor. Which is gone now, disintegrated. I can see the sky. Both soldiers have portable gaslamps. The tower looks to have fallen down the side we climbed up.

  “Where are the other soldiers?” Klara asked.

  “You’ll know when I find them…” Elana said. A few seconds later she continued, “Four remain around the base. The others have all descended to search the tower that fell off the side. No one is directly outside this room though a sizeable amount of debris has completely blocked and hidden the door—which is why they haven’t checked here yet.”

  “All right,” Klara said, and took a deep breath. “Wait here until you see a chance, Matvei, then get to the tunnel. Whatever you do, do not let them see you.”

  “I’ll be fine,” Matvei said.

  “Everyone ready?” Klara asked.

  Weapons whispered against leather as they unsheathed their blades in response.

  “Elana, if you could get us out?”

  Klara heard Elana stand in the blackness and her footfalls crunched against stone as she walked to the door.

  Elana stopped walking, took several deep breaths, then with a grunt, the door exploded outwards, as if punched away by a giant hand.

  The dim moon felt blinding after the pitch black of the room. Distant yells warned Klara that the soldiers had heard.

  And that was just fine with Klara. She stepped past Elana, ready for anything.