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Heat thrashes in my chest as I think of my brother and the girl I stupidly used to love colluding to destroy magic. Rage is a snake inside me, ready to strike. But as my brother turns to face me fully, his posture slacks. I ask, “How did you two evade us so long?”

I don’t breathe.

His hands glide along his guitar before he meets my eyes again. Familiar brown is back. He waits several beats, and I force myself to take a deliberate breath. Eventually, he glances over his shoulder before leaning in. “There are entire communities who are very good at evading your brotherhood.”

Communities…

Safe houses.

They’re notoriously wary of outsiders. Once they’ve gelled as a unit, they don’t usually let anyone in. I hadn’t even considered them. How did he convince them to let them stay there? I have so many questions. But I feel like the mountain between us is starting to move, and I don’t want to destroy it. If I find Quell because of intel Yagrin gives, that could save his life. I want my big brother to live. I swallow my questions and instead say, “That is clever. Truly.”

“Thank you.” He snatches the vial from me, but I can’t stop thinking about the safe house network. I wonder if any recent raids have turned up any hints of her. I’m going to pull those files. My brother spills a tiny hill of Dust in his hand, and I tighten my grip on the seat, not believing this moment could get any better. His mask bleeds through his skin.

“Suspend. Count. Flare. Cloak.” He tosses it up in the air, when the door to the rooftop bursts open. Maei runs toward us, as pale as a ghost.

“Mr. Wexton!” She looks at Yagrin. “This Wexton, I meant.” She pulls me aside, her hand trembling. “There’s been an urgent security breach. The Dragunhead’s out until your meeting! A whole flock of Draguns left this morning on raids.” She reddens. “Territory deployments are shifting this week, so plenty of folks are gone for that.”

“Maei.”

Her heart flutters like a bird.

“Slow down.”

She shoves a file folder in my hand. Each highlighted point rends my heart.

Marked person has taken control of an Unmarked residential building in Boston.

There are thirty residents; six are elderly, seven are children.

Unmarked law enforcement is there, bewildered and unable to even get into the building.

Only demand he’s made is to be left alone; the hostages are not coming out.

“I need two teams.”

“That’s what I meant, sir. We just sent out so many, I don’t have many easily reachable.”

My brother watches us from a distance, no longer wearing Liam’s persona. I wave him over, and Maei chews her nails off as I share the privileged details of the situation with him. Technically, he is still a Dragun. He lets me finish without a word, but the etch of his brow deepens.

“That’s awful,” he mutters.

“Will you come with me?” I hang on my brother’s response. At this chance for him to meet me halfway on whatever we’re doing here. He sighs, and I know his answer before he says it.

“I can’t betray my conscience and stand with the brotherhood anymore.”

“Yagrin, there are lives of innocent people on the line. The brotherhood does good things. You have to concede that.”

He holds out his wrists to Maei.

“Take him back to his cell.”

“Sir, there’s one more thing,” she says, fiddling with his restraints. “The perpetrator says he is from House of Duncan.”

Nineteen

Quell

For two days I pass the time. Beaulah studies me, and I dip into one of the books she sent as I wait to hear from Abby. Trials weren’t as hard to watch the third time. I’m not sure if it’s because I knew what was going to happen or because Georgie was there, strutting around exuberantly.