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I sagged back into the alcove. I jerked at my bindings, but the rope was strong, and the ring firmly embedded in the alcove’s frame. Clearly, the Usti did not take chances with their drapery.

Maybe Demery was right. Maybe I should stay here, play my part in his game and let him try to kill Lirr. But how could I do that? How could I let myself be caught and tied to a wall when my mother was so close? Yes, Demery had said we’d rescue her once Lirr was dead, but I doubted Lirr’s crew would wait around for us to find them.

If Demery would not take the initiative, I had to. Lirr was alreadyhere—Demerywould have to find him without me.

I twisted, trying to get a hand into my pocket, but only succeeded in making my shoulder cramp. Growling in frustration, I angled my hip into the wall. I could feel the contents of my pocket pressing into my hip. If I could somehow manage to move the pockethigher…

I proceeded to perform a clumsy, intricate dance, twisting my skirts, wrenching my shoulders and generally making a fool of myself until my fingers caught the edge of my pocket.

Scissors. Their delicate edge brushed my finger. They were small, but they’d do.

I began to snip, the valiant grind of the little blades loud in my solitude. There were other sounds in thedistance—footfalls,shouted orders, gunfire andviolence—butmy corridor remained hushed.

The rope fell away. I shook out my wrists and tucked the scissors into my right hand, letting them poke out between my fingers as I peered into the hallway. It stretched far to the left and right, intersected in each direction by narrower, darker ways. There was no one in sight.

A long-legged shadow stretched around a corner, followed by a pair of boots.

I twitched back behind the curtain.

The boots approached, surreptitious but intent, and coming directly towards me. I could bolt right now, but whoever it was would certainly see me.

“Mary?”

The curtain pushed back andRosser—oneof theRossers—appearedbefore me. I took him in, from his plum-colored coat to the beard on his cheeks. Samuel. Not Benedict. My relief was a traitorous thing.

More footsteps came, followed by unfamiliar voices. Samuel shot a sharp glance up the hallway then shoved into the alcove with me.

He was too close, too fast. I panicked and punched him in the stomach.

The man buckled with a thin wheeze, followed by a garbled curse.“Bloody—sharp?”

I gasped, remembering the scissors between my fingers. I started to apologize, but cut myself off. I didn’t believe all Benedict had said about Samuel, but I needed to keep my guard up. Particularly if Samuel was a Magni too.

The thought gave me pause, and I studied Samuel’s shadowed face for a few, galloping heartbeats. I searched myself for any illogical impulses, but my head felt clear. If Samuel was a Magni, I didn’t think he was using his power right now.

Footsteps approached us at a jog.

“Do not move!” Grant’s inebriated voice called from the opposite direction, overly loud, and no doubt completely giving away his position.

Samuel and I froze.

Another voice, familiar and low, observed, “She’s there.”

All I saw were the whites of Samuel’s eyes in the gloom, just as round as mine.

Lirr.

“Do you trust me?” Samuel whispered, concern and urgency in his eyes.

“No.” I intended to snap the word, but it came out as a rasp. I thought fast, all the while keeping a thumb on my emotions, wary of any Magni taint.

Lirr and his pirates were in the hallway. Grant was drunk, and Demery just one man. My odds of escaping this situation unscathed felt thin. Then there was the matter of my mother, trapped aboard Lirr’s ship somewhere out in the night.

I needed help. But a distraction would suffice.

“Help me get away,” I said to Samuel. “I’ll give you your coin back.”

“Give it to me now.”