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“No—” I said, still choking from the dust. “My sister.” I turned to Ernesta. Powder clung to her, but she made no effort to wipe it away.

Alric and Fare exchanged a look.

“Please,” I said. “Can you see to it that she’s taken care of?”

Alric started to speak, but Fare gripped his arm, her fingernails digging into his skin. “Alric, you take—”

“Ernesta,” I supplied. “Ernesta Brysstain.”

“Get her some tincture of blue ivy,” Fare said.

Alric looked as if he wanted to say something else, but he nodded and led Ernesta away.

“I’ll be back!” I shouted behind her. I turned to Fare. “Thank you.” I knew all too well how limited their supply of tincture of blue ivy was.

Fare turned to me. “I’m sorry, Nedra,” she said. “But I have to be sure.”

She waited for her meaning to sink in, and when I nodded, she followed me to a semiprivate hallway where I unbuttoned my shirt, showing her my bare chest. I kicked off my shoes. Fare sank to her knees, carefully inspecting my feet for signs of the plague.

“Oh, sweetness,” she said finally, standing and hugging me. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”

My bag felt heavy, the ashes of my parents waiting inside.

Chimes rang throughout the hospital. I looked at Fare, confused. These were not the normal bell tolls of the clock tower giving the hour. I realized for the first time that while some patients had been hustled to the mainland on a separate boat, the hospital wasn’t as overcrowded as I’d assumed. On the contrary, it was almost empty.

“Fare, what’s going on?” I asked.

“Come with me,” she said.

The hallway was bustling—but not with patients. Aides and potion makers, as well as a handful of alchemists, headed to the main door. In the foyer, I saw Alric, Ernesta still with him. She moved slower now, and he settled her on a chair before running up to Fare.

“Why did you leave Ernesta like that?” I asked. Fare tugged at my arm, pulling me to the door. The bells kept ringing. “Ernesta?” I shouted, louder, but my sister didn’t even look up. I yanked free from Fare. “What’s going on?” I demanded.

Fare grabbed for me again. “They’re closing the hospital.” She tried to pull me forward, but I stood firm as the other hospital workers streamed past us. “Come on, Nedra,” Fare said. “We have to get on the boat.”

“Closing?” I couldn’t wrap my brain around it. “But—there are patients. My sister—”

Fare leaned in close. “We’ve left a case of tincture of blue ivy,” she said. She pulled me a few steps closer to the exit. More people had paused now, watching me. I recognized many of them. I’d worked with almost everyone at the hospital during my volunteer stays.

“Is Nedra sick?” an aide named Cor asked Alric.

He shook his head. “Her sister’s here,” he said.

“Aw,” the man said. “Damn shame.”

“Tincture of blue ivy... for the pain?” I asked, still not fully understanding. I looked behind me. The crowd of workers was gone now, except for the dozen or so waiting for me to follow. But there were still patients everywhere. Some wandered the halls, peering behind doors. Many just lay or sat where they had been left, too tired to move. These were the worst cases of plague. The hopeless cases.

Ernesta looked up at me. I saw a small bottle in her hand. Looking around, I saw bottles in all of the patients’ hands—tincture of blue ivy had been passed out like candy. A few of the patients were already unscrewing the tops.

The tincture would cut the pain. But one needed only a few drops. An entire bottle...

“No,” I said, horror dawning on me.

Fare and Alric leapt to action, both of them taking me by an arm. I struggled against them, throwing Alric off, but not Fare. “You want them to kill themselves?” I asked, my voice pitching to a scream.

“We have to go,” another potion maker said. I forgot her name, but I recognized her face.

“No!” I screamed, breaking free and running toward Nessie. She looked up at me.