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up at my former Guildmaster. “What does the Deathless King want with me? Why put in all this effort? I was no one. I had no

intention of getting in his way. We came here, to the Scarab Clan, because you kept trying to kill me with magic. If you had

just left me alone, I would have fled to the other side of the kingdom and not looked back.”

“ Because you are a force of chaos. ” The Guildmaster’s voice was ruthlessly flat. “ It doesn’t matter where you go or what you intend, Sparrow. You are the uncertainty in the story, the thorn in the Deathless

King’s perfect world. Rather than kill you, he will break this curse and turn you into a servant of order. ”

“And you’re all right with that?” I had to force the quaver from my voice. Even now, after everything I’d been through, the

thought that Vahn would let that happen left a sick feeling in my stomach. “You raised me, Vahn. You taught me how to break the rules, how to steal and evade notice, how to defy the laws and challenge order. Everything I know,

I learned from you.”

“ I did what was required ,” Vahn said. “ To prepare you for the world. To make sure you survived. But a new era has begun, one of law and purpose, and we must evolve.

As of now, Sparrow, you have no place in the Deathless King’s empire.

Look around you .” He gestured to the devastation surrounding us.

“ This is your doing. All this death and violence and suffering is because you decided to come here, and chaos followed you. You insist upon defiance, and like a pebble dropped into a pond, you cause waves of unrest in your wake. The king will fix that. The king will bring about an era where there are no waves, where there is no war or unrest or fighting between kingdoms. There will be only one kingdom, one rule, and everyone will know their place .”

I clenched my fists. “You know what, Vahn? You’re right.” Wary surprise flickered across his face, but I set my jaw and went

on. “I am an agent of chaos. Because I refuse to lie down and let someone dictate my fate. Before any of this happened, I just cared

about myself. I wasn’t willing to stand up and take a chance on anything other than me. But now, thanks to you...” I faltered,

remembering all the little moments on our journey. Halek, whirling back to fight the abomination on the strider. Kysa, refusing

to leave us when the swarm attacked. And Raithe, snatching me back from the edge of the Dust Sea. Shielding me from the two

merchant princes. Seeing the look in his eyes when Vahn told him to kill himself.

Kissing him beneath the shade of the tent and realizing just what he meant to me.

“It’s not just about me anymore,” I finished softly. “I have people I want to protect. And there are things in this world

that are worth risking my neck for. If this is what it means to be Fateless, then so be it. I will be the agent of chaos the

Deathless King fears. I will stand up and defy him for as long as I am able.” I raised my head, looking him right in the eye.

“So, congratulations, Vahn,” I shouted at him. “You wanted the Fateless—here I am. If I can change the story of everyone around

me, I will do everything I can to make certain that happens. And I will make sure the Deathless King never sees his perfect

world come to pass.”

Vahn’s face twisted in anger and resignation. “ Defiant to the end .” He sighed. “ Your insolence will break when you stand before the king .” Raising his staff, he made a sharp gesture with the wood. I felt eyes on the back of my neck and turned to see a pair of

large undead spring onto the base of the spike.

“ But now, Sparrow, the game is over. If you would be so kind as to let these minions bring you to me ,” Vahn went on, “ we can leave this place and return to Kovass .

I will warn you, it is a bit different than when you saw it last. But it is still home, and soon, you will realize this new world is far better

than the one that stood before .”

The pair of undead stalked toward me, rotting muzzles pulled back in ghastly snarls, and my heart twisted with fear.

Something bright flashed in the sun. I turned my head and saw the ballista beetle crawling up another spike, driven by Kysa

and Halek. Vahn spotted it as well, and his face crinkled in a snarl of anger.

“ Futile .” He swept his staff around. The abomination’s head turned, nostrils flaring as it opened its jaws. I saw what was happening

and reached into my belt, my fingers brushing the smooth, round edges of Halek’s fire globe. “ I would have spared you now that I have the Fateless ,” Vahn said. “ But you can burn with the rest of them! ”

Vahn pointed. The abomination’s jaws gaped. I yanked the globe free, drew my arm back, and threw it as hard as I could at

my former Guildmaster.

The little sphere struck the side of the abomination’s head just as the creature was breathing fire, and the explosion erupted in a massive cloud of flame and smoke, causing it to reel back with a scream.

I saw Raithe spring forward, grab the ballista’s lever with both hands, and yank it back.

There was a snap that seemed to ring out over the battlefield, and the barbed ten-foot length of iron flew through the air and slammed directly into the abomination’s chest, punching halfway out the other side.

The abomination wailed. Its wings jerked and faltered in the air as it tried desperately to keep itself afloat. On its skull,

Vahn fell to his knees, bracing himself to keep his balance and not be thrown off.

A snarl rang in my ears. I glanced up just in time to see the claws of an undead scything down at me. There was nowhere to

go on the edge of the spike except backward into empty air, and I could only brace myself. The slashing talons missed my face

by a hair, but fire raced up my shoulder as it ripped a gash through my tunic... and I fell.

Instinctively, I turned and rolled with the impact, though the ground still sent a jolt and a flare of pain through my body

as I hit the unforgiving earth. Gasping, I clawed myself to my feet and gazed at the turmoil surrounding me.

With a final shriek, the abomination collapsed. I saw the wall of meat, bones, and rotting flesh descending from above, and

threw myself beneath the spike, pressing back against the stone. The impact from the huge abomination made the ground tremble,

and dirt rained down on me from above.

And then, things got eerily silent. I peeked up, and saw the abomination lying sprawled against the outcropping, only the

bottom half of its body visible, the huge, tattered wings motionless in the dirt. The stench of decay was overpowering.

Cautiously, I picked my way forward, leaving the safety of the outcropping to better see what had happened. The monster lay sprawled over the spike, its skull hanging off the side of the rock, huge jaws gaping and silent. Vahn was nowhere to be seen.

“Enough!”

The voice came a split second before a blow to my head sent me reeling to the ground. Gasping, I tried to get up, but Vahn

stepped forward, twisted staff raised, and struck me in the chest. Pain exploded, my breath left my lungs in a rush, and I

gasped helplessly as Vahn dropped down, driving his knee into my stomach with all his weight behind it.

“Defiant child.” His face was cold, his eyes terrifying, as he circled one hand around my neck and pressed backward. I scrabbled

weakly at his arm, but I had no air, and my strength was already gone. “I have reached my limit with your insolence, Fateless.

Everything I have done has been for a better future, one where we are not thieves or peasants or wretched nobodies. One where

we can be kings of lesser men. But you refuse to see that.”

Desperately, I tried to pry his fingers from my neck, but he only squeezed harder, sending pain stabbing through my head.

“No matter.” Vahn’s voice seemed to come from very far away now. “I will bring you back to the king by force if I must, and

he will open your stubborn eyes himself.”

Darkness swam at the edges of my vision, but through the haze, I saw Raithe’s face appear behind Vahn’s shoulder, pale eyes furious as he leaped forward.

Raithe’s sword came slashing down, but Vahn, somehow sensing the danger, whirled around and threw up a hand.

Sickly green fire bloomed from his palm and hurtled toward Raithe, who leaped aside.

Vahn bared his teeth, the eerie green light making him look like a demon.

I reached down, and my fingers closed around the hilt of my dagger. As Vahn turned back, still smiling that demonic grin,

his eyes glowing with a terrible light, I sat up and plunged the blade of the knife into his chest, sinking it into his heart.

He froze. The anger faded from his face as he looked down, fingers touching the hilt of the dagger in his breast. Panting,

I scrambled back, away from him, as his gaze rose to mine, stunned and disbelieving.

“You...” He fell forward, catching himself with one arm, the stunned look turning to rage. “Ungrateful child,” he whispered,

glaring at me. “You were... nothing. A nobody. The king would have made you... so much... more.”

Then the terrible light in his eyes dimmed, his face went slack, and he collapsed to the dirt.

I stared at the body of the Guildmaster—the man who had raised me, taught me everything I knew, all with the intent of betraying

me to the Deathless King—and felt a yawning pit open deep inside me. In that moment, I couldn’t feel anything.

“Sparrow!”

And then Raithe was there, dropping to his knees beside me and pulling me close. At his touch, some invisible barrier within

me shattered. My eyes blurred, my throat closed up, and the horror of everything that had happened flooded me all at once.

I turned my face against Raithe’s chest and sobbed, feeling his arms tighten around me as I gasped and cried and soaked his

shirt with tears.

Raithe gently placed his hand on the back of my head. “You did what you had to do,” he murmured. “He wouldn’t have stopped, Sparrow. He would have killed everyone here, and you would be in the hands of the Deathless King now.”

“I know,” I whispered. “I knew he wouldn’t stop. I just...” My breath hitched. Gently, I pulled back, wiping at my eyes.

I didn’t dare look behind me at the body on the ground. “I wish it didn’t have to come to this.”

With the crunch of boots over the ground, Halek and Kysa appeared, ducking beneath the outcropping to join us. They took in

the scene, their gazes lingering on the body sprawled in the dust.

Halek blew out a breath, his expression sympathetic as he glanced at me. “Damn,” he said, shaking his head. “You okay, Sparrow?”

I sniffled. “No, I’m not,” I admitted in a shaky voice. “But I’m here.”

Raithe took my hand and gently drew us both upright. Kysa watched us with solemn eyes. “The undead army has fallen,” she told

us. “I’m not sure if they were tied to the abomination or the blood mage himself, but a few seconds ago, they turned into

lifeless corpses and collapsed where they stood.”

A ripple of relief went through me. At least we had put an end to the horde of monsters, though I knew the price was already

high. Not just for me, but for everyone here. Their lives would never be the same.

And neither would mine.

“The camp is in chaos,” Kysa said, then paused, her perfect composure cracking just a bit as her face tightened. “We lost a great many, including War Chief Vorkyth, but the hive mother and the lore keeper are all right. When you are ready, they will want to see you.”

I nodded. Whatever had happened, we had survived. Vahn would never again torment me through blood magic, though I was sure

I would see him in my dreams for a long time after this. The Circle might want retribution, but with their leader gone, perhaps

we would have enough time to figure out what we were going to do.

Because dealing with Vahn—one singular blood mage—had been difficult enough. I didn’t even want to think about the greatest

threat still out there. He would be coming for me, too. After Vahn’s failure, he couldn’t ignore us much longer. Eventually, I was going to have to

face the Deathless King himself.

But not today. Today, I was a thief named Sparrow who was overwhelmed, hurt, grieving, and heartsick. Today, I wanted to curl

up in a corner and forget the world existed for a little while. Or spend some time in the company of friends, listening to

Halek’s stories and Kysa’s triumphs, and basking in the affection of a kahjai who had once tried to kill me. Today was for

mourning those we had lost and celebrating those who still lived. The tale of the Fateless girl who would eventually defy

a Deathless King and either save or doom the world was a story for another time.

Tomorrow.