We rode for the Lagos estate as the sun climbed the horizon. Castille and Isla were in the front while I took my usual spot riding with Dugan in the rear. By this time of day, most miners were travelling to the Mountains while the wealthy of Steeltown slept in. We passed their large, rustic homes in the Residential Quarter reserved for the well-off. Tall, black iron fences surrounded the houses of brick and unvarnished wood. It made for a clever trap. The more wealth you accumulated, the taller you needed to make your fences and the more guards you needed to keep out potential thieves.

Did they realize they were building their own cages—fancy prisons where they paid for their jailors? Or maybe the prison was also in their mind.

My gaze wandered back to Isla.

The princess of Luskaine.

What kind of prison did she grow up in? How had she broken free?

“Isla?!”

She looked over her shoulder, shouting over the galloping horses.

“Yeah?!”

I paused, a thousand questions on the tip of my tongue. She had her reasons for hiding her identity from Dugan and Castille. If I could keep her secret from Reed, I could keep it from them.

"Um… How are you feeling?!"

"Good! I took the first watch last night!"

“OK!”

I sighed.

I would have to talk to her when she was alone.

In the distance, the squat, stone building of the Lagos estate jut out of the ground like a molehill.

I tapped on Dugan's shoulder.

"We should move up front."

He nodded, pulling ahead of Castille and Isla to meet the two guards at the main gate.

"Hey, it's the elf." one guard said, elbowing the other.

Despite the recognition, they kept one hand on their scimitars.

"I have business with Van Lagos."

"Lil' early for business, don't ya think? Especially armed like that."

The other guard gestured at our weapons.

"Van Lagos won't mind."

“And we’re supposed to take your word on that?”

The doors of the main building opened. Three more guards walked out with Lira in the lead.

"Jacob? What brings you here so early in the morning?"

I dismounted off the back of Dugan's horse and walked up to the gate.

"I ran into some trouble in the Service Quarter."

She smirked.

"I heard. What does it have to do with us?"

"I wanted to talk to Van about it."

She looked up at the mounted party behind me, her eye narrowing at something over my left shoulder.

'Whose the blonde?"

I turned to see Isla looking down, fidgeting with her saddle.

What kind of princess shied away from attention?

"Uh… She’s a scholar of enchanted objects.”

“A little young to be a scholar.”

I shrugged.

“She started early.”

Lira gave me a tight-lipped smile.

“You're lucky Van likes you. Franko, let them in."

"But Lira, they're armed."

"That shouldn't be a problem, right?"

I flashed her my most charming smile.

"Of course not."

Lira led us through the estate's winding corridors, up a flight of stairs and around a corner to a large set of doors. The two guards stationed on either side gave her a slight nod. She knocked on the door.

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"It's Lira. Jacob has returned... with friends."

"Let them in!"

The guards opened the doors to reveal a long, rectangular table under a covered balcony. Van and Finnick Lagos sat on opposite ends, eating a breakfast of roasted meats, bread, and fruit.

"My friends."

Van Lagos turned to greet us with a beaming smile, leaning back into his plush, red chair. He quirked an eyebrow at Castille.

"And most beautiful company. A pleasure to see you again."

Castille mirrored his expression.

"The pleasure’s mine."

"Please. Sit. Eat."

He gestured to the platter of food at the centre of the table, and the chairs pulled up along the table’s side.

"Thank you, but we already ate," I said.

"I hear that will be a luxury soon," Finnick said.

He stooped over his plate in a protective crouch, his perpetual scowl on his face.

"Luckily, we have a stockpile of food and water set aside for such occasions. Lady Kateen can be difficult sometimes," Van Lagos said. "Will you share our table?"

I sat down in a chair between Finnick and Van Lagos. Castille and Dugan remained standing, flanking me on either side, playing the role of bodyguards. Isla stayed further back, an equal distance between Finnick and Lira, who stood by the doors.

"I’m surprised to see you in one piece. Last I heard, you were being carried away by one of Lady Kateen’s daughters. Most don’t survive her care, and the ones who do wish they didn’t,” Van Lagos said.

I grimaced at the thought of Clarice standing over me—one more thing to add to my nightmares.

“Why does no one stop her?”

Van Lagos shrugged.

“What’s to stop? She limits herself to the enemies of her Lady mother… and occasionally, the homeless.”

Spirits below. It was just like the capital.

“Why have you come here, Jacob? To get revenge?”

I sighed.

I wish.

“No. I need help capturing Arwen."

Finnick scoffed.

"Didn't we hire you to do that for us?"

"My brother is right. That was our deal, Jacob.”

This was the tricky part.

“If we were just dealing with Tom’s cartel, the job would already be over. It’s Kateen’s men that are the problem. You can’t fight a war on two fronts.”

Or so Gren liked to say.

“Going after Arwen leaves our back exposed.”

"We have no interest in fighting Lady Kateen to protect your rear," Finnick said.

Van Lagos raised a finger.

"Of course, we would protect Dugan.”

Finnick's scowl deepened.

"Of course."

Beside me, the bearded man blushed.

“What if we stayed out of the Service Quarter? My team can capture Arwen during his inspections in the Industrial Quarter or his home.”

“His home would be a bad choice,” Lira said. “Tom’s cartel has influence in the poorer Residential Quarter.”

“And the Industrial Quarter?”

“We control roughly sixty percent of that territory—the most profitable operations.”

"OK. We'll make our move in the Industrial Quarter. Can your people keep a lookout for us?”

"A lookout?" Finnick asked, a sour look on his face.

I nodded.

"Information on where he is and someone watching our back.”

"We can do that," Van Lagos said.

Finnick almost choked.

Van Lagos gestured at Lira with a wave of his hand.

"Lira, can you make the arrangements?"

"Of course, Van Lagos."

"Um."

Lira and the Lagos brothers turned to Isla. She made herself smaller, shrinking into the corner of the balcony.

"Who’s this?" Van Lagos asked.

"Another person on my team. A scholar."

"You have an object in your hall. C-Can we examine it?"

Finnick and Van Lagos exchanged looks.

"Why not? It’s your cremation."

What did that mean?

“Lira-”

"I’ll show them to the hall."

"Excellent. Everyone happy?"

"No," Finnick said.

"Good! Now, you have a busy day ahead. You should get started."

I stoop up.

"Thank you for your help, Finnick. Van."

"Hmmph."

"Good luck! And Jacob…"

“Yeah?”

“Don’t fail me.”

“I won’t.”

# # #

Lira led us down the stairs and through the corridors to the estate's hall.

Castille and Lira walked in front, followed by Isla, Dugan, and myself.

"So… Van Lagos likes you," Lira said to Castille.

"That's what happens when men see beautiful women like us."

"Excuse me?"

"The men here must be lining up for you. Men, women and everything in between."

"I... Uh... Our guards find their satisfaction in the Service Quarter."

"And what about you?"

Castille inched closer to the leader of the Lagos guards, looking over her shoulder to wink at Dugan.

"W-We're here!" Lira said, changing the subject.

She walked in a hurry past Castille, gesturing to the guards outside the hall to open the doors.

As the heavy wooden doors swung open, goosebumps prickled my skin. I reached for the cane on my belt. Dugan froze. Castille stood straighter, and Isla shivered, pulling up her hood. We took cautious steps to the entrance of the hall, leaving a pale-faced Dugan by the bismuth crystals on display. The guards disappeared into the dark room to light braziers with torches hanging near the door.

"Lira, what happened in the hall after the party ended?"

"I interrogated the servants handling the wine."

"Did they say anything?"

"They were tight-lipped, so I opened their mouths and poured wine down their throats. The effect on the orb was unexpected. We’ve been keeping people away from the hall ever since."

She folded her arms to stop herself from shivering.

Those servants died in this room, and their souls were pulled into the orb, magnifying the disturbing feeling it gave off.

"Isla?"

She nodded.

"I’m ready."

Isla took a deep breath, straightened her posture and took slow steps into the hall. Castille hung back at the doors to stay close to Lira. I followed Isla.

Hunger washed over me—like my jacket—like my dagger but stronger and worse. I couldn’t turn it off. In the presence of the orb, we were all matches forced to burn.

I stopped halfway. My eyes went wide.

The rings around the orb were rotating—faster than that night—faster the closer we walked to it.

"Isla?!"

"I'll be OK. Wait here."

I did as she said.

She took methodical steps around the orb. Her brow was furrowed, seeing something I couldn’t.

Behind me, light footsteps padded closer. I turned as Finnick walked to my side. He watched Isla examine the orb in stony silence for a long moment before speaking.

"My brother has many flaws: reckless, brash… and too trusting."

He stared up at me.

"He looks at you and sees himself, but we both know what you are?"

"What's that?"

"A liar."

Well, he wasn't wrong.

"You lied about being a merchant, and you lie about that one being a scholar."

Finnick pointed a clawed finger at Isla.

“She’s a mage like Dugan, isn’t she?”

I stayed silent, slipping on my neutral mask.

Finnick bared his teeth, his long canines flashing in the light of the braziers.

"Do you take us for fools?"

"I take you for pragmatic men."

I crossed my arms, pointing my chin at the orb.

"You know that thing is dangerous. My people are the experts. Let us do our job, and everyone will come out of this alright."

Come on, let this work.

Finnick narrowed his eyes.

“Your people? Where are your people? I only see you.”

Damnit.

"Your elvish glamour doesn't work on me. There’s something else going on here, and when I figure it out… you’ll be the first to die."

I flashed Finnick my most winning smile.

"Get in line."

"AAH!"

Isla's scream pulled us from our conversation. She stumbled away from the orb and fell on her back.

"Isla!"

The image of the orb ripping out that woman's soul flashed in my mind. I ran to her side before reason could stop me.

"It’s OK... I'm OK."

"You didn't sound OK!"

She got to her feet, brushing off the dust on her cloak.

Leaning forward, she whispered to me.

"We need to leave. Now!"

"What?" I whispered.

"I figured it out. I figured out the heavy metal curse."