With her brother on her heels, Mei ran past door after door, arch after arch.

  Whoosh, clink, pop. “Mei, stop!”

  Mei unslung her rifle, swerved left, leapt off the bricked arch, and passed Huan.

  Whoosh, the red-handled knife flew past her, clink, pop. “Mei, you can’t keep this up. Whoa!”

  He ducked the butt of her rifle, allowing Mei to vault over him. In truth, he was right. She had more stamina, but throwing took less than sprinting, and without Maggie’s sleep bombs or the spy’s magic touch, Mei had no other option. Except the one her parents had given her, but that wouldn’t get Huan back.

  As they reached a blind turn where a length of rope hung down from a wooden bar lying across an open well, Mei recalled that Maggie had said they’d come from below. To find out how, Mei needed an opening. She’d get one… now.

  She about-faced right as, whoosh, Huan threw the red-handled knife, which she batted right out of the air and down the other corridor, pop. Huan disappeared, unable to stop himself from activating the knife’s magic.

  Ignoring his yelps of pain, Mei slung her rifle back over her shoulder and jumped into the well. Grabbing the rope to arrest her fall, she descended towards a dim circle of light.

  “Mei.” Huan’s voice descended with her. “Give me the Key and this will all be over.”

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  Mei kept descending through the circle of light until she found herself hanging dozens of wir at the top of an underground tower just like the one in Yumma, complete with rows and rows of unbricked arcades. The main difference was the company. Down in the mud pit lit by torches were two green cloaked mages and three monks, all gathered around what looked like a huge metal drum.

  “Mei,” Huan whispered, “get back up here. We’ll talk.” Mei looked up. He was still at the lip of the well, too lazy to follow. “Mei, listen to me.”

  Mei looked back down. The torch light wasn’t strong enough to reveal her position, and no one below had yet noticed the rope, which reached all the way down to the mud pit, move with her climbing. But her brother could alert them with a shout.

  “Mei,” Huan growled. “Come back.”

  That metal drum thing had to be Dean Bruce’s back up plan. From up here, it was clear that it had been placed on wooden planks to keep it from sinking into the mud and was probably wider on top than it was on the bottom, judging from how a Green Cloak was able to duck under it. Maggie had said they were making Dwayne build a bomb. That bomb would be… Mei looked up and squinted at the arches holding up what had to be the floor of the arena.

  “Mei.”

  Mei looked back down. Their back up plan had to be killing Dwayne.

  “Mei.”

  Bomb. Drum. Wide top. Kill Dwayne. Mei’s eyes widened. They’d made a giant shaped charge, which meant those Green Cloaks had to be Earth mages able to raise it into position.

  “Little sister,” Huan said in Tuquese, “don’t make me cut this rope.”

  Mei looked up. He’d already placed a blade against the taut rope. One quick slash would… No, that was ridiculous. That would kill her. Except ,hadn’t she threatened him, morning after morning, time after time? Maybe Huan was only returning the favor.

  “Mei.”

  That blade was so sharp, it might cut the rope by accident. Best not allow a chance for regret.

  Mei drew her dagger.

  “What are you doing?”

  She measured distance.

  “Mei.”

  She shifted her weight.

  “Stop.”

  She swung.

  “Stop!”

  She cut the rope.