Gray lay on his back, pinned to the ground. He felt sweat trickle down through the grime. The long black dragon burned with a hellish heat. Mana sparked in Settie’s core as her fury replenished her. Wrath was a powerful resonance, and he had to remember to use it to fill his reserves because it seemed, sometimes, that the world was designed to make everyone in it crazy with rage.

  Ames came forward, and he could see her fingers turn into claws. “Stop! Captain Sevanya, it was my fault. It was all my fault. The hell and the heaven of it, the scrimmage, Pinch and the poaching, and I thought the blood would melt the ice, but it probably started a fire. Rynnanatha and Pamalee Thornpinch are in the bathhouse even now.”

  Settie turned her huge scaly head to look at the Quelling elf. “What is this about the fucking fairy?”

  Gray had to laugh. “Bitch Fairy is what we’re calling her now. At least Rynn is. But Ames is wrong. She set up the scrimmage, but going into Old Town was my idea. We should probably talk about this in a more private place.”

  Settie shifted into her human form in a cloud of black perfume, and she immediately swept off her mask and hat. “In my room. Now.”

  Gray stood up. “Ames, go to tell Rynn and Pinch that I’m discussing my future with Captain Settie. We are not to be interrupted.”

  Ames nodded and left them.

  Gray threw his stick to Settie. “Now, you and I are not going into the inn. You’re going to change back into a dragon, and we’re going to fly to the Widow Stone tonight. The minute we get rid of the evidence, Pinch has nothing on us. We made a deal to lose Soulshred Week, but I don’t give a fuck about that.”

  Settie gazed down at the stick. “Why was that fucking fae with you in the first place?”

  “She saved us. We got swarmed by sloth squid. They need to take their sloth far more seriously. Now, are we going or not?” Gray knew it was the only way for them to be safe, and besides, he couldn’t get back to Pit City any other way and not be detained by the guards.”

  The captain closed her eyes, the rage crackling in the air around them. “You are such a fucking pain in my ass. The tea was working. You said it was working. Why would you risk your life going into Old Town at night? And especially that area of Old Town.”

  “We have less than seven weeks until the Soulshred. I have to go from having no mana in my meridians to mastering the power. In less than seven weeks. Maybe it will take a month for the tea to work. Can we wait that long? No. And by that time, I would be sneaking the tea if only to get the petal milk. It gives me perfect peace. And in this shit world, where the strong prey on the weak, where demons haunt the streets, that feeling of perfect peace is not something I would be able to fight for long. That tea and solace it gives me is not self-mastery. It’s illusion. And I will not live in an illusion. I’d rather be eaten by demonic squid.”

  The captain listened to every word he said. He would see her soften. “You fucking stink.”

  “That doesn’t matter. Life has never smelled so sweet. I’m alive. I had a successful hunt, and yes, if Pinch hadn’t been there, I’d be dead, but she was there. Are we going or not?”

  “Yes,” the captain said. “And before the rest of your squad comes.”

  With that, she shifted, grabbed him in claws, and lifted him off the street. Her claws went through his clothes and into his flesh. He didn’t care. It was just a bit of pain, and he could force his mana there. As long as they pulled the mana out of the stick, it wouldn’t matter.

  They soared over the stadium, which was still lit up. People still filled the streets, but no one was really looking up. They flew by the massive Lust Tower, and he could feel the power, throbbing in the stone. It felt cold, like when he went under the Hellbinder Barrier, and that pressure was there. This was the sorcery that kept the Weeping Well mostly closed, and it was powerful. What on Earth could’ve caused the Wrath Tower to fall?

  Then they were sailing over the wall that separated Lust City from Pit City.

  Fae guard shot up into the air, two of them, blocking Settie’s flight.

  Gray felt his heart sink. He’d forgotten that the fae could fly. It was a stupid mistake, but Settie must’ve known. What was her play?

  “Stop! You are to be searched!” One of the guards cried out, gripping his spear.

  The other guard’s hands glowed with mana as bright as the mana wings coming out of his back.

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  Magic circled around Settie—Gray felt it.

  A second later, she growled. “We do not need to be searched. You are going to fly back to your guard station. You will not remember a dragon coming through. When me and my friend return, you’ll welcome us as old friends.”

  The fae with the spear blinked, all emotion leaving his face. His voice came out flat. “You do not need to be searched. We are going to fly back to our guard station. We will not remember a dragon coming through. When you and your friend return, we shall welcome you as old friends.”

  He then flew back down to his spot by the wall. The other fae followed him.

  Settie flew on without a single word of explanation.

  Gray had to wonder at her power. Could she get anyone to do anything? He remembered how she had ordered Duskdrop to hit himself, over and over. And then, when she’d told him to stop, he did, without another word.

  He might’ve wanted to ask her more, but he was chilled to the bone, and her claws were cutting deeper into his skin. The pain was starting to get to him. To make matters worse, his new mana mark on his back was itching like crazy.

  They flew over the Dice Market and the Pleasure Market and started to descend near Gorgonzola’s Counter. It was late—nearly ten o’clock. He just had to hope that Softie was staying there late for some reason. It was a gamble, but it was the only plan that made sense. They had the perfect alibi—talking in Settie’s room about Gray’s many sins.

  Settie dropped Gray onto the street from a dozen feet up, and he landed on his feet before rolling into the wall where he’d swindled people when he and Rynn hadn’t had any money. The lights in the Excellent Inventory Unlimited winked off.

  Gray was on his feet, sprinting for the door. He knocked.

  Softie jerked open the door. “Gray? Gods, boy, you smell like the ass end of a fish. And what is that on you? Blood?”

  “A lot of blood,” Gray said with a grin. “And some of it is even my own. I don’t suppose your sister is still here. It’s important.”

  Softie sighed. “Yeah. And Earl.”

  Earl came out of the back room and lifted a hand. In his other, he carried a massive battle ax. “Hey, Grayson Fade. You’re in luck. Auntie Emirilia just got a shipment today from Greed City. I think it has something to do with the special project she’s working on.”

  Softie’s eyes went from Gray to the tall woman behind him in her hat, mask, and cane. His eyes turned into unwelcoming slits. “What do you fucking want?”

  “I’m with Gray,” Settie said stiffly.

  “You’ll not come into my store. Not after the harm you caused.”

  Earl’s eyes were the size of saucers. “Should I fight her, boss? Should I, uh, use this ax. It has a powerful enchantment on it. But against lust demons. I don’t suppose she’s, uh, a lust demon, is she?”

  “She’s demon all right,” Softie growled. “Of the dragon variety.”

  “Please, Softie,” Gray said. “Let her come in with me. Just this one time. It’s important.”

  Emerilia Stone came out from her room. “Let them in, Brother. We have terrible, terrible work this night. I could use her. It would change, since the last time we met, she used me and my husband. And killed us both.”

  “Figuratively speaking, Mrs. Stone, of course,” Settie said. “I don’t fucking like this any more than you do.”

  “Because you have to face the sins of your past.”

  Settie didn’t say anything for a long time. When she did, her voice came out ragged. “Foolish woman, you and your little squad are the very least of my sins. It was the Hunting. When you went into Old Town, you knew the risk.”

  All the air was sucked out of the room. No one was generating mana right then. It was like they’d all become fae husks, without a core. Another woman might’ve begged the Widow Stone for making her a widow in the first place. But Settie was not that type of woman.

  Gray felt the situation spiraling out of control. He was exhausted from the fighting, and he was tired of bleeding and in pain. Even now, he felt the blood dripping down his chest from where Settie had grabbed him.

  He charged into the store, standing between Emerilia at the counter and Settie, who stood in the doorway. “I know this is a lot to ask, Mrs. Stone, but could we not think about the past tonight? This is our chance to fix my meridians. I didn’t want for it to play out like this, but here we are.”

  The Widow nodded. “And here we are. You brought the woman who killed my husband into my store. You might as well have brought the Troublemaker with you.”

  Settie swept off her hat and mask. “Do you want me to apologize to you, Emerilia? You do know that this fucking world, devoid of goodness and gods, had the last laugh. I thought to use your squad to save my own, and yes, we escaped the envy imps, but then we ran into a shoal of sloth squid, who shouldn’t have been awake. But they were, and they tore my squad apart. I was lucky to escape.”

  The Widow smiled, and it was cold. “And you were blamed for their death. When I hear someone repeat that rumor—that you killed the last two squads you sponsored—it gives me some comfort. I want you to suffer. I shouldn’t, but I do.”

  “I’ve suffered, Emerilia. Life is suffering, and I’ve lived a long, long time. Several times, I’ve lost everything. I’ve known agony. I’ve known sickness and death. It was a shame what happened, but we both know, I would do it again, given the same situation. Now, can I come into your store, and into your life, for the next few hours? I would like you to fix Grayson Fade’s meridians, since I couldn’t.”

  That cold smile only got my frigid on the Widow Stone’s face. “You knew the trayah jalana would work, you knew this was the only way, but your pride got in the way. You have a way of spreading your suffering all around, to all the people in your life. I’m risking my life and my sanity dealing with you.”

  “Then tell me to go away,” Settie said. “Refuse to help my squad.”

  The Widow closed her eyes and sighed. “I would, you wicked, wicked woman. If it weren’t for the very exceptional Grayson Fade, who will one day break all of our heart, I think. Come on, then.”

  Softie snatched the axe from Earl’s fingers. That poor guy looked completely out of his depth. “Are you sure, sister? Are you sure we want this thing in our store?”

  “Yes.” The Widow snapped her fingers and disappeared from behind the curtain.

  Settie entered the store.

  Gray grinned at her. “For the record, I don’t want to break anyone’s heart.”

  Settie sighed, looking completely defeated. “You already have, Grayson Fade. You already have.”