“You are Argridian. I always knew that. You’ve been spying on us, haven’t you? All this time. I allow you into my home, and you’ve been one ofthem.”
“No—”
“The prince; this defensor; Cansu, unsaved. Mani and Zey,dead. Now—this betrayal. Raiders!”
Fatemah’s supporters surged out. The refugees, cowering, let out startled chirps of fear.
Ben tried to throw himself in front of Vex, but Gunnar whipped around and planted a hand across Ben’s hip. Edda was already in front of Vex anyway, glowering, while Nayeliheaved closer to her aunt.
“Fatemah, stop!” Nayeli said. “You know this isn’t—”
“Emerdians!” Nate cried. “If you don’t lock him up, Fatemah, I will. Goddamnspy.”
“I’m not a spy!” Vex’s voice broke. “Let me explain—”
“Lock them up!” Fatemah waved her raiders to action. “All of them! I won’t tolerate this anymore—this is my home, and I will haveorderhere! Lock up all Argridians!”
A dozen things happened in the span of a breath.
Gunnar shoved Ben back, over Jakes’s stirring body, as if they could run.
The Tuncians made for Vex, who gaped but didn’t try to fight back.
The refugees, whom Fatemah had dragged here to reclaim the items stolen from them, screamed, shoving to leave the area. Ben caught confused cries: “The raiders will kill us—”
A single man at the front of the refugee group didn’t move. His wide eyes and heaving breaths spoke to fear, but he stayed rooted, his hands in his pockets.
“This isn’t the way!” Kari tried. “We are losing this war. We cannot turn on each other!”
Nayeli ripped bundles of Hemlight out of her holster and blocked a Tuncian raider with her forearm. “Don’t make me hurt you. Any of you. You know I can.”
“Surrender,” Edda said, to Vex, to the raiders. “Stand down! Nayeli—stand down!”
“STOP!”
The plea came from the refugee man still in the middle of the road, exhaustion and terror wiping his face into a snarling mask that horrified Ben to his soul.
“Gunnar.” Ben dug his fingers into Gunnar’s shoulder. “Gunnar—”
“Raiders, Argrid, Council—you’re all the same! Claiming you fight for us. Claiming you want peace. Lies!” The man pointed at everyone, one hand still in his pocket. “You all keep fighting, drawing the war out for yourselves while we die for you! If you love Grace Loray, you’ll surrender. Elazar’s right. You’re evil, and so is he, and all of you need tostop!”
The man yanked out his hand. A bundle of plants sat in his fist, a tangle of greenery the size of his fist. Ben squinted, trying to place what it was in the darkness.
In the man’s other hand, he struck a match to life on his boot.
Nayeli gasped. “Variegated Holly. Oh gods—stop him—”
Variegated Holly. The most explosive of Grace Loray’s incendiary plants. One leaf could blow apart a stone wall.
This much of it would decimate the whole street.
“Surrender!” the man bellowed. “SURRENDER!”
Gunnar moved. Ben screamed, stumbling after him, while the remaining refugees barreled out of the area; raiders shrieked and clawed away into the darkness.
The man touched the lit match to the bundle as Gunnartackled him. The two hit the ground, the now-lit wad of Variegated Holly rolling across the dirt street. The leaves sparked in the unsteady torchlight, caught; they had a second or two before the plant combusted—
The bundle stopped at Vex’s feet. Ben’s whole world narrowed as Vex bent, grabbed it, singeing his fingers, and on a cry, he chucked itup, high into the air.
