Three-sixteen’s POV

Three-sixteen followed the magistrates, feeling out of place despite his new matching outfit. No matter what he wore, he wasn’t a magistrate. The uniform required magic to put it on or take it off, so Three-sixteen would have to rely on Mikala or when he was ready to take it off. He thought perhaps that was her intent.

As they walked, Three-sixteen felt her eyes on him several times, especially when he moved closer to one of the other women. She would smile when their eyes met, then continue staring at him whenever he looked away. Her gaze made him feel uncomfortable, like a fly trapped in a spider's web.

Her attention also made him feel anxious, because he wasn't sure what she might do next. He couldn't predict her, and he was certain that any slight mistake on his part could end very badly for him.

They entered a narrow alley, walking past a series of closed doors and boarded windows. This wasn’t the way Three-sixteen came when he ran from the danathi, or maybe it was and he had not been paying attention. He wasn’t sure.

“This fucking rain is freezing,” Daren complained.

Three-sixteen learned his name from Mikala earlier. He’d also learned Anne’s name, but he couldn’t tell the difference between Mary and Marta. They looked almost exactly the same, and Three-sixteen thought they did everything in unison too. Looking at them almost made him feel empty, or disconnected from something important. He missed five-ninety-one… maybe that’s what it was.

The young judge he knew was Talent, and Mikala told the girl in charge was called Sandra.

He didn’t understand that dynamic, but Three-sixteen went with it anyway. He had no reason to care. As he was concerned any one of them could end him at a moment's notice.

He looked down at the ground, wondering how much further they had to walk. His limbs were tired and he found himself longing for the privacy of the storage room. He couldn’t feel at peace as long as Mikala was around.

He noticed a shadow move in the alley ahead, and he thought he saw the glint of metal. When looked closer, he noticed a small black cat with ethereal red eyes clawing at a wall. His heart jumped at the sight of the cat and he flinched back several steps.

When the magistrates didn’t react, he realized that they couldn't see it, so he kept walking.

Mikala glanced at him with a frown, but said nothing. She was probably wondering if he was up to something. Daren grabbed him by the shoulders and groused, “If you try anything funny, and I do mean anything, I’ll crush your bones in a heartbeat.”

Three-sixteen nodded. He didn’t doubt Daren would do just that and he wasn't stupid enough to test him.

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They continued walking, passing through another alley and turning onto a wide street. Three-sixteen saw the cat again, only this time it was in the middle of the road with its back arched and tail extended straight back. Every hair on its body was raised as it hissed and yowled in an apparent attempt to get them to stop.

The magistrates still seemed not to notice, but Three-sixteen couldn’t shake the feeling that they shouldn’t go further.

Three-sixteen stepped up next to Talent, trying to find the courage to speak. He opened his mouth, but was distracted by a small box in the boy's hand. It was open, exposing the odd glow of a very strange crystal. Its color matched the cat’s eyes almost perfectly, but a deep darkness hung around the shard making it difficult to see clearly.

Talent closed the box looking over at Three-sixteen. “Your greedy eyes might get you killed before—”

A shot rang through rain, bringing the group to a halt. A bullet hung frozen in the air less than an inch from Talent’s face.

Daren grunted with the effort of sending it back to where it came from.

Three-sixteen watched as color filled the night sky. Spells of all types flew from rooftops toward the group. Bullets fired and grenades were thrown, but the magistrates defended against every attack.

Three-sixteen didn’t know what to do. He looked back the way they had come and saw a group of men rushing towards them, led by a woman with neat little braids.

Sandra barked orders but the words were just noise he couldn’t understand. The group moved faster as someone turned the pavement beneath them into something like a conveyor belt and the twins fired spells at their pursuers.

Three-sixteen noticed a small red cat following him, its fur bristling and tail bushy. It looked angry, but it didn’t do anything. He wondered why it was there, why it was so intent on protecting him. It glanced up at him, then vanished from sight.

“Go, go, get to the cruiser now!” Mikala shouted as she shoved Talent and Three-sixteen away. The other magistrates formed a defensive line, intercepting any spells that tried to bypass them and returning fire.

It looked like they had the situation under control, but splitting up wouldn’t have made sense if they thought they could control the situation.

Taken back away slowly, which confused Three-sixteen. He was a judge.

“Can’t you just command them to stop? All of them have to obey your every word.”

Without answering, Talent turned and ran. Then he lifted off the ground and began to fly.

Three-sixteen wasn’t just going to stand there. He followed Talent, moving as fast as he could.

They were almost to the edge of town, Three-sixteen saw the spot where the danathi tore the pavement. If they reached the jungle he was sure they would be safe.

They were so close, just a few steps more and they would reach the edge.

A black shadow reached up from the ground, grabbed Talent, and pulled him down. The woman with neat braids stepped out of a dark cloud and put her foot on top of Talent.

She didn’t seem to care about Three-sixteen, but he needed Talent to make the crystal cruiser work.

Running full speed, he tried to ram his shoulder into the woman. She twirled aside, and smacked him on the back causing him to stumble.

Three-sixteen heard her snort before she pulled a knife and slashed at him. It came too fast for him to avoid the blow, but his clothes hardened at the impact and stopped the blade.

She looked surprised. Her eyes widened as she jumped back.

He tried to take the opportunity to rush her again, but the woman summoned a red gun to her hand. Its barrel flashed as she fired.

Three-sixteen felt like something inside him snapped. There was no pain, but he knew he was done. His lungs felt empty and his vision was fading. He couldn’t stay on his feet. He tried to hold on to consciousness, but his body wouldn't respond.

As his world faded to darkness, he saw the woman’s metal shoes stop beside his face. He heard a bang and then everything went black.