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Polly fretted at Theo’s side. “Stop it, Theodore.”

“I was in Dumley’s lessons with you, Clarke. I know better than anyone what you’re capable of. It was effective, I’ll admit, having him watch you save his people like that. But it was also stupid. If you lost control, you could have buried the Alchemist, for all you knew.”

“It’sHarrow,” I said. “Not Clarke. And I didn’t charm that landslide.”

“Then stopping it was an utter waste of your talent—in fact, you’ve sabotaged half your mission from happening at nature’s own hand.” The way he said it made me think he didn’t believe me, that he easily thought me capable of such a thing.

“Enough,” Polly pleaded, her voice a whisper. “I do not wish to be shot in this alley for conspiring.”

Theo shook his head, scrubbed his face in frustration. “Right, then. Where is the Alchemist, Nina?” He was barely in control of the volume of his voice. “All that time you’re spending with him, surely you’ve figured it out?”

My stomach turned. “I don’t know,” I said, working hard to keep my voice even. I’d been too distracted to come up with a stall tactic. I still had no idea what to say to Theo in order to protect him and persuade him at the same time.

Theo shook his head, laughed in disbelief. “And why exactly is that?”

“He isn’t stupid, Theo. He’d suspect something if I pushed too hard right away. It would put us in danger.”

“I’m in that hole every fucking day, Nina. You don’t need to tell me about danger.”

“And I have the House threatening my execution if I don’t give them what they want,” I spat, my temper getting the better of me. “You came here voluntarily, Theo. And you’ll return to your esteemed position when this is all done.”

Theo paled, taking obvious efforts to temper himself, and when he next spoke, it was in the same tone he’d had when we were teenagers and he was trying to placate whatever silly concern plagued me. “Nina, listen to me. I know the pressure must be insurmountable. But if we give Tanner the Alchemist, then weallgo back to Belavere City. They’ll forgive everything that came before this, Nina.Everything.You will be safe. You can finally start over.”

I wondered if he meant that he and I could start over, that we could go back to the way we were.

“And all I have to do is murder a town full of people,” I said. “You’re willing for me to do that for you, aren’t you?”

He stepped back like I’d struck him. “This isn’t for me,” he said. “Nina, it’s for all of Belavere’s Artisans. We can stop the war.”

“By burying the other side.”

“This isn’t about Crafters at all, is it?” he said, voice rising. “This is about Colson.”

My face heated. “Did you hearanythingI just said?”

“You’ll get us all killed. You do realize that?”

“Step back, Theo,” Polly said suddenly, her hand on his chest, for the space between he and me had closed, and his hands still shook, and my throat felt riddled and blistered. “Enough of this. We have no time, Nina. There’s news from the House of Lords.”

I turned my eyes to her, my ire dissipating into dread. “News?”

She nodded. I heard Theo laugh bitterly, watched him turn his back on me and pace away. “You would have known sooner, but you were providing entertainment to the rebel leader of the Miners Union.”

“Enough, Theo,” Polly gritted out. She grabbed my shoulder and turned me toward her, until I looked at her and nothing else. “Tanner sent a scribble.”

Fear like icy fingers gripped my spine. “What does it say?”

“Our time’s up,” Polly said, her eyes urgent. They shook in their sockets. She held out her hand, a piece of parchment tucked into her palm.

I took it warily, unfolded it.

The House moves to strike.

Provide safest routes to the heart for imminent attack.

Flee enemy territory.

I read it once, twice, the letters distorting and shifting. Polly had to grip my hand to retrieve my attention. “They’re coming, Nina,” she said. “The Lords’ infantry. They’ll invade the town. Take it all apart.”