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I let fear drive my hope away. I let war become me, and my men followed.

Atalantia’s army isn’t worth mine.

If I die, it should not be taking her life. It should be saving theirs.

“Rhonna, I need you.” Those three words make her ten meters taller. “You can move in this bloodydamn wind. Take the fastest two drachens and find the Morning Star. Find Thraxa. Tell them Tyche is lost. Heliopolis is under assault. They must cross the Ladon to relieve Heliopolis.”

Her mouth hangs open. “You said…”

“I know what I said.”

The Ladon has eaten three of the greatest armies the worlds have known. Is the fourth I will feed it my own?

“How will they cross the Ladon in this?” Screwface asks.

“The Morning Star will be their stormbreaker. Captain Pelus is more than capable of the maneuver. If he’s not, Char may be with them. Tell Thraxa to follow in its shadow. I’ll take the armor through the mountains along the Kylor Pass and meet them at Heliopolis. Go.”

Rhonna spares a look to Alexandar, something passes between them, and she stands to forty meters. “Nice seein’ you, kid!” Screw calls after her as she thunders away.

Now this part.

I take a steady breath and reluctantly turn to face Alexandar. His eyes still watch Tyche in sorrow.

“Does your request stand?” I ask.

He stiffens in surprise. “Yes, sir.”

“There will be no rescue. The sea will come in.”

“Well, I haven’t had a bath in weeks.”

“Why are you doing this?” I ask, searching the strong bones of his face. “They’re just baked peasants.”

“Even peasants don’t float, sir.”

No amount of arrogance can hide the pain in his eyes. He blames himself for Angelia, perhaps even for this, but it also tears at him to see the suffering in the city. I feared he wanted to do this for me, to find favor in my eyes. All this time I held a mild disdain for him, because I thought my approval was all that mattered to the man. But he believes in the Rising. I see it now, just as I saw this moment coming. The moment I must choose to spend his life. But he has surprised me by choosing to spend it himself. I could not be prouder of the man.

He has become what Lorn should have been. And though the thought of losing him and Orion in the same hour nearly drives me to my knees, I nod.

“Very well. Take your knights.”

“Thank you, sir. If you could do me a kindness…” His bright eyes quest after Rhonna. She’s already disappeared inland. “Tell her to stop biting her nails. It’s vile.” He pauses. “And that she was wrong about me.”

On impulse, I pull out my razor and I am about to deliver him the Peerless scar

when he stops my hand. “I know what I am.”

“Do you?” I reach back to unclasp my wolfcloak from the ring on my left shoulder. Nearly losing it to the wind, I snap the clasps onto Alexandar’s mech. He falls to a knee, looking at it as if it were made all of diamonds. I lift him up. “Howlers never kneel.”

For once, he has no retort. Especially not when Screwface steps up to spit in his face to give him a proper welcome. The wind jams the spit back down his own mouth. “Bucket and box will have to wait, kid.” Screw shakes his hand and breaks the wind for us.

“Hold Atalantia as long as you can, then take the last tram and blow the tunnel behind you. Failing that, blow the tunnel and make for the mountains.” I strip off my extra batteries. Alex pushes them back.

“You must reach Heliopolis, sir.”

He is right, so I keep them. “Then your armor will be spent before morning, but if you can get to the Kylor Pass, you can follow it due south and make Heliopolis in two weeks. I forbid you to die, Howler. I want my cloak back. Sevro will never let me hear the end of it.”

“Yes, sir.” Resolution makes a thin line of his mouth. “Hail Reaper.”