Akari’s fingers flew across the keyboard as she traveled the dark web. Kyzar had lent them a laptop just like he’d promised, along with a hotel room to prepare for the battle.

  Explosions echoed from outside as the Grevandi drew closer, gaining ground on the bridge. The Unmarked had stalled their progress, but their barriers wouldn’t last forever. They just had to hold out long enough for the noncombatants to escape, then the fighting would start in earnest.

  The bathroom door swung open, and Relia emerged in a cloud of pale steam. Her red hair was a wet and tangled mess, falling all the way to her waist. “How’s the dark web?” she asked.

  “No luck yet.” Akari had already sent over two dozen messages, promising a reward to anyone who put them in touch with Irina Darklight. But no matter how hard she tried, her call for help got lost in a sea of spam and shady links. To make matters worse, Irina shared the name with a famous Angel, so this resulted in countless jokes.

  The internet really sucked sometimes.

  Relia strode over to the bed and pulled on her black combat fatigues. Kyzar had given them three sets, complete with vests and helmets. This gear was all Apprentice level, capable of absorbing several Missiles, and far stronger than anything they’d worn on Arkala.

  Unfortunately, Kyzar couldn’t fix Akari’s broken glasses. Her right lens was still missing, and it felt like she was staring at the computer screen from underwater

  Someone knocked on the outer door. Relia skipped across the room, looked through the peephole, then pulled it open.

  “Happy Midwinter, everyone.” Kalden raised a plastic grocery bag as he stepped inside.

  “Yay!” Relia clasped her hands together. “I hope you bought me a hairbrush.” That seemed like a joke at first, but then she paused, staring up at Kalden’s perfectly styled hair. “Wait a second . . .”

  Kalden cleared his throat and looked away.

  Relia sniffed the air around him. “Are you wearing cologne?”

  “Maybe.”

  “That’s not fair! Our bathroom didn’t have any of that stuff.”

  “I went down to the concierge’s desk,” he said.

  “I thought they all evacuated.”

  “They did, but I grabbed the lost and found box.”

  “For Talek’s sake,” Akari muttered as she pasted more text in the chat room. “Are you two for real?”

  “What else was in there?” Relia asked.

  “Not much. Just a brush, a hairdryer, and—”

  “Give me your room key.” Relia thrust out her hand.

  Kalden fumbled to get his card from his back pocket. Relia snatched it and disappeared out the door.

  Akari rolled her eyes. The Grevandi would be here in less than an hour, and they were worried about their hair?

  Kalden closed the door behind him, and Akari raised an eyebrow. “You guys late for the school dance?”

  A smile flashed across his face. “Maybe I’m trying to impress my crush.”

  Damnit. She couldn’t help but smile back, even if his words weren’t true. Kalden had always spent way too much time on his appearance, even before they’d met. She’d be more impressed if he just shaved it off and called it good.

  The cologne smelled nice, though. She couldn’t deny that.

  Relia returned a second later with a cardboard box. She headed straight for the bathroom and started brushing and blow-drying her hair.

  “Anyway . . . ” Kalden sat on the other bed and pulled two tiny glass bottles from the grocery bag.

  Akari narrowed her eyes. “I swear to Talek, those better be for combat.” If they were skincare products, then she was taking her kiss back.

  “They’re called allnighters,” Kalden said. “I found a whole box of them downstairs.”

  “Allnighters?” She perked up at that. “Are they like coffee?”

  “Better. Caffeine just fights drowsiness. This takes care of all the rest—reaction time, willpower, fatigue . . .”

  “What’s the catch?”

  “It’s only safe in moderation—once a week or less. Plus it hits you hard when it wears off. You’ll be twice as tired tomorrow night.”

  Akari nodded as she unscrewed one of the metal caps. Tomorrow night wouldn’t matter if they didn’t survive this next battle.

  “Oh,” Kalden said. “And some people pass out their first time. The effects are so close to sleep that your brain gets confused.”

  Akari paused with the bottle halfway to her mouth.

  “But that’s rare,” he clarified. “And it only lasts a few minutes.”

  Akari shrugged as she took a drink. She was already reclined against the headboard, so passing out wouldn’t be so bad. Better than dying in combat from slow reaction times.

  The potion went down smoother than she’d expected. Healing potions always made her want to gag, but this was surprisingly sweet. Even Relia drank a bottle when she got out of the bathroom. Apparently, these were all natural ingredients, so it didn’t bother her the way most alchemy did.

  Akari continued posting messages in the chatrooms, and Kalden spread out a map on the other bed, guessing at the Grevandi’s tactics.

  “You sure you want to be the bait?” he asked Relia. “Kyzar will understand if we tell him no.”

  Relia nodded from the end of the bed where she braided her hair. “Arturo was a jerk before, but he wasn’t totally wrong. I started this, so it’s only fair.”

  “You don’t owe the Unmarked anything,” he countered. “They’ve been fighting long before we got here.”

  True, Akari thought. If anything, the Unmarked owed them for the work they’d done. Kyzar could have avoided this battle if he’d just given them a computer from the start. Then again, maybe this was his plan all along? Kyzar hadn’t benefited from Irina Darklight’s arrival before. Now, she might turn this whole thing in his favor.

  “I want to help,” Relia said. “What if those Fangs kill someone else instead? I couldn’t live with myself If I ran.”

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Relia tied off her braid, then she moved to flank Akari, armed with a wooden brush.

  “Hey!” Akari scooted toward the edge of the bed, but that wasn’t easy with the computer balanced on her lap.

  “Your hair’s bothering me.”

  “Who cares? I’ll have my helmet on.” Unlike Relia’s hair, Akari’s barely fell past her chin. She normally spent a few minutes brushing it after her showers, but she had more important things today. Like saving the entire freaking city.

  “Just hold still!”

  Akari thought about raising a defensive Construct, but Relia spoke first. “I’m nervous about the fight, okay? I need to stay busy.”

  “Fine.” Akari leaned forward with a glare. “But you owe me.”

  “Yay!” Relia started brushing her tangles free. “I’ve always wanted a little sister!”

  Way too clingy. No wonder she’d scared off all her friends before.

  Kalden chuckled at the exchange, but that didn’t bother her. At least he was acting like his normal self again.

  He’d told her his revelation, and it made perfect sense in hindsight. Now why couldn’t she find hers? Akari had gone through dozens of phrases in her head, but her soul hadn’t reacted the way Kalden’s had. Now, the gap between them was wider than ever.

  The minutes dragged on, and the explosions grew louder outside. They were running out of time, and people kept ignoring her . . .

  Akari froze as several browser windows closed in rapid succession.

  She scrambled to move her cursor, but it was frozen in place. “Shit.” She’d been careful about security back on Arkala but this was a different world, and the technology was decades ahead.

  A light flickered above her monitor, and she noticed the tiny webcam for the first time. She tried to power down the whole computer just as a video took over her screen.

  A middle-aged Cadrian woman stared back at her. She had an olive complexion, with silky black hair that fell past her shoulders. She sat perfectly straight in her tall leather chair, eying them with a piercing gaze.

  “This is Irina Darklight.” She spoke in a rich northern accent, similar to Elend’s. “Who are you, and where’s my husband?”

  ~~~

  “Someone’s coming,” Glim said from her place in the cell mirror

  “Aye,” Elend said as he crossed the room. “I hear them.” He’d been feeding her mana nonstop for the past few weeks, bringing her closer to her former power. Her reflection had as much detail as a human’s now, despite her pale blue features.

  More importantly, she could perform Master-level dream techniques, something Elend couldn’t do with his cuffs. They’d never had a power balance quite like this before. At least, not since before that fateful day when she’d sworn her oath.

  “I’m counting on you,” he told Glim. “We all are.”

  “You worry too much.” She winked at him with a pale blue eye. “I’ve got this.”

  Elend pulled her into his soul, and the Fangs arrived a few seconds later, escorting him upstairs to the Dragonlord’s throne room. As usual, the massive chamber was filled with golden ostentation, from the furniture to the trim. But Elend had to admit, the view of Tureko’s skyline was far more impressive after sunset. Even the golden trim served as a striking contrast to the night sky.

  Several monitors hung from the walls around the room, and each one showed a different image of Relia fighting the Claws. One showed a hotel bathroom, while the rest showed a fight on the bridge.

  He’d already seen this footage through Glim’s eyes, and he knew Relia and the others had escaped safely. Unfortunately, this meant Zantano finally knew her identity. Probably Kalden’s and Akari’s, too.

  Another screen showed live footage of the Grevandi clashing with the Unmarked on the bridge. Zantano watched this monitor with his back to Elend, hands clasped behind his back. “Barbaric, Isn’t it?”

  He was incredibly self aware for a tyrant.

  Lena Cavaco had set up a wooden desk, and Elend took his seat in the chair across from her. She’d already bonded with four of the cuffs, and most of the collar. If everything worked out, then all five artifacts would come off tonight.

  “My kin and I were once the victims of such riots,” Zantano said. “We fought for basic rights before I rose to power. Schools refused to teach us mana arts. Employers refused to hire us, and healers refused to treat our wounds. It never mattered how far we advanced. Angry mobs of humans were always waiting. Always ready to force us out.”

  He spun to face the rest of the chamber, stretching out his wings and taking up five times more space than an ordinary man. The windows reflected him on all sides, amplifying the effect even further. “Now, my race stands at the vanguard of these mobs, all because of some dogma they’ve heard about safety, or the greater good.” He waved a clawed hand. “Now they’ve become the very thing they despised.”

  Elend raised his chin. “Forgive my ignorance, but why don’t you stop the fighting? You’re the most powerful being in Creta.”

  “You think I’d be the most powerful being if I stopped it?”

  He’d heard that argument before. Not from Zantano, but from a dozen other rulers throughout history. He would call Unida a herd of sheep who yearned to be ruled, then he’d call Liberta a group of rebels who needed a cause to die for. He would quote Presidenta Collaza, claiming they all wanted war deep down.

  “They all crave this conflict in their hearts,” the Dragonlord said. “Who am I to stand in their way?”

  Aye, that was the quote. Well, two could play that game.

  “What good is power,” Elend began, “if you don’t change this world for the better? How many Masters cower in fear, afraid to risk what power they have? They claim they’ll make the world better tomorrow. Tomorrow, when their enemies are vanquished and their rules are secure. Tomorrow, when their children and students are safe and sound. But tomorrow never comes, and they tell themselves that story until the day they die.”

  “Agramonte’s Virtue of Courage,” the Dragonlord said with a nod. “It’s good advice if you plan to die someday. But we’re Grandmasters, aren’t we, Darklight? We both have a chance to ascend.”

  Elend broke out into a laugh. Every guard in the room stiffened, and even Lena paused from her work. “You don’t see the contradiction, do you?”

  Zantano’s boots echoed against the obsidian tiles as he stepped closer, looking more amused than offended.

  “You point the finger at your own subjects,” Elend said. “But you have no purpose that drives you. You’ll never ascend that way.”

  Elend wouldn’t normally interrupt his enemy while he was making a mistake. But Dragonlord Zantano was a minor player in the grand scheme of things. And Elend wasn’t trying to convince him of anything. He just had to convince the Ethersmith sitting across from him. Lena couldn’t betray the Dragonlord with her soul oath—they all knew that—but Elend played a far longer game than that.

  Zantano gave a wide smile, showing a set of human-like teeth. “It’s been years since anyone’s spoken that way to me. Even the Wings aren’t so bold. But I know my final revelation.”

  Unlikely. The final revelation was the biggest contradiction of all. And words were cheap. Like all revelations, you had to prove it with action.

  “But we’re not here to discuss ascension,” Zantano said. One monitor switched images, settling on Relia and Akari’s faces in the hotel bathroom. Elend kept his own expression blank as he examined the footage.

  “These are your students. Aren’t they?”

  Elend remained silent, but it seemed more like a rhetorical question.

  Zantano’s wings rose and fell in a shrug-like motion. “I’ve kept my word from our first meeting. My people have left your students alone . . . but I can’t stop them from putting themselves in danger.”

  “You can stop the fighting,” Elend said.

  “I don’t command the Grevandi.”

  “But they will listen to your orders.”

  Zantano shook his head, and his mouth curled up into a smile. “That wasn’t the deal.”

  “Fine.” Elend gestured to the collar around his neck. “What if I agree to give you this?” They’d originally agreed that Zantano would get the four cuffs while Elend kept the collar. He’d held that card close to his chest, prepared for a moment like this.

  “No.” Zantano’s voice cut through the air like a dagger. “I can’t stop the Grevandi from attacking. Even if I wanted to.”

  He should have known it wouldn’t be that easy.

  “But there’s another way. Allow my Wings to retrieve your students. We can bring them here where they’ll be safe.”

  As hostages. Not only would the Dragonlord get the collar in that case, but he’d stop Elend’s plans.

  Elend glanced back at the monitor. He and Irina had never had children, but Relia was the closest thing they’d ever had to a daughter. Was this what being a parent felt like? He could intervene, but he might doom thousands more as the Dragonlord unleashed his new artifacts against the world.

  Or he could trust Relia to save herself. Was she ready for a conflict like this? Even the Martials had overpowered her once, and they were only Novices.

  Her aspect made her one of the deadliest killers in the world. Certainly the deadliest Apprentice. And she’d just released her greatest technique in battle today—a technique she’d sworn she’d never use against another person. These last few months had strengthened her, and she would need that strength to reach Artisan.

  “Or you can roll the dice with their lives,” Zantano said after a long pause. “But one of your students killed my nephew’s best friend.” He gestured to the image of Akari’s face on the screen. “It happened the second day you arrived here, but we never saw her face until now.”

  The Dragonlord smiled again. “I’ve ordered the boy not to seek vengeance, but he’s always been . . . insubordinate. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him on the battlefield tonight.”