The red sign swayed above my head.
Behind us, the staircase opened onto a square busy with porters, carts, and people heading toward the upper terraces.
The palace no longer seemed so far away.
Its columns rose above the buildings across from us, only a few streets and another flight of stairs away.
The bar stood near the center of the city.
I pushed the door open with my left hand.
Inside, it smelled of liquor, roasted meat, and sweet smoke rising from small containers on the tables.
Red crystals hung from the beams, casting a dim light over the room.
There was space between the chairs, the tablecloths were clean, and the staff stopped working as soon as they saw us.
A man pulled his arm out of the way before I passed.
His gaze caught on the dried blood on my hand.
At the back, three steps led up to a circular area partially concealed by wooden partitions.
A short man sat there with a full glass in front of him, a white mask covering his entire face.
The eye slits were narrow.
The crooked smile carved across it remained motionless as he turned his head toward us.
I stopped.
Tsukumo almost brushed my shoulder.
"Is that him?"
"That's the mask Rubens described."
Sahger moved up beside me.
The masked man tilted his head, following the movement.
"Red Crest."
The hunter didn't answer. The man glanced at the other two before turning his attention to the sword.
"I'd prefer it if you put that away."
"Laura."
He went still for a moment. Behind me, someone set a glass down on a table a little too carefully.
"A girl," I continued.
"You went to Gron-Tarh to pick her up."
The masked man shifted his hands on his thighs.
"I transport a lot of people."
I took another step.
"Then you'd better remember her before I get over there."
A chair scraped across the floor at the back of the room. The man who rose behind the partition was so broad he had to turn sideways to get out.
His armor left his arms partly exposed, revealing old scars.
He planted the butt of a long-pronged trident on the floor, its barbs pointing inward.
Near the counter to the right, another man set his glass aside and stood.
They had the same broad nose, the same heavy jaw.
The second carried a mace whose head almost touched the floor.
Small skulls dangled from chains attached to the metal.
He moved between the tables, drawing away from his companion until he found an angle from which he could reach our backs.
Sahger shifted his spear.
Tsukumo glanced at the door.
"You can talk right here," said the man with the trident.
I kept my eyes on the mask, completely ignoring the two worms in front of me.
"Where is she?"
"You want information," the man replied.
"I understand. But that doesn't mean you can walk in here and—"
"WHERE?"
The man with the mace approached from my right and stopped in front of me, resting a hand on my chest.
"Easy, boy."
A waitress set her tray on the counter and disappeared through a side passage.
The masked man watched her leave before answering.
"I made the delivery."
"To Veronica?"
The mask dipped once.
My hand tightened around the hilt.
"You weren't supposed to know that, kid."
"So Veronica's alive."
"She is."
I stared at the smile carved into the mask for a moment.
"And Laura? Is she alive?"
"She was when I delivered her."
I clenched my teeth.
"Where did you take her?"
"We need to have this conversation on different terms."
"You heard the question."
The man with the trident struck its shaft against the first step.
"I think he did."
I turned my eyes toward him.
He was smiling, but his weapon was already aimed at my chest.
"You're one of the two demigods?"
His smile widened.
"Carnash."
He tipped his chin toward his companion.
"And that's Erum, my brother. Now that we've been introduced, put the sword away, boy."
The other man didn't smile.
One glance at his brother told me what they intended. They had already chosen their angles of attack.
Havelyn moved up on my left.
"Suki."
I felt her fingers touch my forearm.
I kept watching Carnash.
The head of his trident shifted a few centimeters with my breathing. He'd noticed how carefully I drew breath.
"Did you come straight from an infirmary?" he asked.
"Word is, you're not in great shape."
Sahger took half a step forward, forcing Erum to reposition his mace.
"Move aside."
Carnash looked at the hunter's scars.
"I've heard plenty about you. I'd rather see if you can still live up to the stories."
Two customers got up near the wall.
A staff member made a quick gesture toward the passage behind the counter.
Chairs began to empty.
I watched it all, unable to get the masked man's answer out of my head.
She was when I delivered her, I thought. Bastard.
As if he were talking about a crate that had arrived in one piece.
Havelyn squeezed my arm.
"Look at me."
I turned toward her.
Her fingers loosened slightly when our eyes met. Her mouth opened, but it took a moment for anything to come out.
"You need him alive."
"I know."
My voice came out low.
Her hand stayed there a moment longer.
Behind that carved smile, the masked man settled back into his chair.
"Red Crest knows how these things work. We can agree on a price."
I let out a slow breath and slid Kazekiba into its sheath.
Carnash watched the movement.
"That's better."
Green lines began to appear beneath my skin, spreading across my wrists.
Tsukumo looked at my hands, then at the floor.
"Suki. There are people outside."
I could hear wheels crossing the square, an argument near the steps, someone calling for a child.
"Get the masked man out, Tsukumo. Alive."
Sahger adjusted his grip on the spear.
"What about you?"
I looked at the two demigods.
"Get out. Please."
Havelyn tightened her grip on my arm, but Tsukumo had already moved.
In a blur, he appeared behind the masked man, seized his collar with his good hand, and shot toward the exit.
The man barely had time to open his mouth before the two disappeared through the door.
Sahger wrapped his free arm around Havelyn's waist and burst after them.
Carnash and Erum lunged after the four of them.
I stepped into their path.
My left hand clamped over Carnash's face.
My right caught Erum before he could finish raising his mace.
Their feet scraped across the flagstones as I stopped them in their tracks.
"Wha—"
Carnash's voice died against my palm.
He dropped the trident and grabbed my wrist with both hands.
Erum tried to push my arm away, twisting to regain his balance.
I braced my legs.
Outside, a whistle cut through the commotion.
Guards were appearing in the street, pointing toward the bar.
Among the fleeing customers, I saw Sahger pull up Tsukumo's hood before raising his own.
Havelyn covered her hair and followed them to the other side of the square.
They still had the masked man.
I turned my eyes back to the brothers.
The mace fell.
Erum dug his fingers into my forearm, and Carnash tried to retreat, dragging his boots across the floor.
I tightened my grip.
Beneath my feet, I felt the flagstones, the bar's foundations, and the thick wall supporting the terrace.
Beyond them, the weight of the buildings packed against one another.
Tsukumo had warned me.
I could still hear people outside.
But I didn't care about this place.
I tightened my hold on their faces and drove my arms down, smashing them into the floor.
The impact opened a crater beneath the bar.
The floor vanished under our feet.
Tables, columns, and walls plunged with us as the ceiling broke into massive chunks.
The crash drowned out the screams from the street. The force of the blow spread through the city center.
Cracks tore across the square and climbed the fronts of the buildings.
A staircase split in two.
The nearest buildings lost their support and toppled toward the bar, dragging balconies, rooftops, and entire sections of street with them.
Before the dust swallowed everything, I saw people running between the falling stones.
A cart overturned in front of the staircase, blocking the way.
Those behind it tried to climb over the wreckage; others turned and ran as the house beside them began to collapse.
I kept hold of the brothers as we plunged.
Above us, another facade gave way.
The bar was already gone, and the crater kept widening, swallowing the surrounding buildings.
When we landed, I was on my knees among the rubble, both men pinned beneath my hands.
Stones were still falling.
Screams came from every direction, mingling with the guards' whistles and the roar of buildings still collapsing.
Carnash tried to lift his head.
I shoved it back against the ground.
Farther down, toward the warehouses, people crowded onto a staircase still standing amid the wreckage.
One fell, and those behind grabbed the railing to keep from falling too.
A man turned back, crouched among the people trying to get past, and reached out to pull the fallen person up.
Dust swallowed them both.
My mouth was full of sand.
I ran my tongue over my teeth and spat.
Laura's name was still in my head, but now there were other voices.
Someone was calling for their daughter.
"Back! Get away from the edge!"
"There are people here!"
"Get that cart off the stairs!"
More whistles sounded through the streets.
Across the square, above the side staircase, I recognized the tip of Sahger's spear.
He pulled it back as a group of guards ran past.
The three of them were beneath an archway, tucked into the back of the passage.
Their hoods concealed part of their faces.
Tsukumo held the masked man bent over in front of him, his hand firm on the back of the man's neck.
Carnash struggled beneath my hand.
His fingers clamped around my wrist, trying to pull my hand away, but his head remained pinned against the stone.
I released them both and stood.
My breathing was heavy.
Dust clung to the blood coating my arms as small fragments continued to fall from the buildings above.
Carnash reached for the trident lying beside him.
I planted my boot on his forearm before he could reach the shaft.
Bones cracked beneath my boot.
His arm folded against the stone, the skin splitting, and the demigod's scream cut through the rumble of collapsing buildings.
I kept my foot there until he stopped trying to pull his arm free.
Beside me, Erum spat blood and raised his face.
His lips twisted as he tried to smile.
"You son of a—"
I grabbed his head and slammed it into the ground.
The stone split his mouth open.
When I let go, blood and teeth lay scattered where his face had struck.
He brought his hands to his jaw, struggling to breathe.
I walked between them.
Carnash followed me with his eyes, clutching his broken arm to his chest.
Erum tried to drag himself away, pushing along with his heels.
I stopped in front of them.
"You're staying here."
Carnash looked at the rubble around him, then at the green lines still running across my hands.
"No..."
I planted the sole of my boot firmly against the ground.
The earth gave way beneath the brothers.
Erum rolled onto his stomach and reached for a slab, but the stone slid down with him.
Carnash stretched out the hand he could still move, searching for something to hold on to.
The edges of the opening began to close.
"No! Wait!"
A chunk of wall toppled onto them, followed by earth, broken beams, and pieces of the bar's ceiling.
The crash cut off Carnash's scream.
I watched the last stones settle into place.
Then I turned away.
I climbed over the rubble, using the firmer sections of the slope to reach the street.
The whistles were closer now.
Near the edge, two guards were trying to lift a beam.
A woman pointed beneath it, screaming through her sobs.
Farther ahead, people ran past carrying children and bags, supporting the wounded on their shoulders.
I passed behind the guards as they called for help.
Dust still blanketed the street, hiding the buildings and making figures appear and vanish among the wreckage.
I emerged from it with my head lowered.
I pulled my hood over my hair, drawing the edge down close to my eyes, and slipped into the crowd.