a revolution is a game? You think making a big show in Kerlan’s backyard counts as impressive?” Ramson wrenched his hand free; Yuri staggered, rubbing his throat. “This isn’t a revolution. This is a massacre. And it’s about to get worse if we don’t get out of here right now.”
Ana barely registered the words; they were beyond her. Something had been torn from inside her, left a gaping wound in her that was raw and bleeding and numb. She was one step from the abyss, just as she had been almost a year ago. “Ramson,” she said.
Ramson started, and backed away from Yuri.
All around Ana, watching with expressions ranging from sorrow to fear, were Affinites. They ranged from children to grown men and women, from all over the world. They wore an assortment of glitzy, gaudy outfits still fresh from the night’s performances. She counted nine of them.
Nine Affinites. Nine lives in exchange for May’s. Was it worth it? How did one balance the significance of a life against another? Was there even a way to measure?
You don’t, Ana thought, placing a hand on May’s cheek. It was still warm.
Papa had once told her, after Mama’s death, that there were two types of grief. One was the type that crushed you, that broke your soul and shattered your heart, and left you an empty shell. The other was a grief that made you stronger. You rose from it, you sharpened it, and you carried it with you as a piece of your armor. And you made yourself better.
In that way, you never truly lost that person. You carried them with you.
Ana closed her eyes and burrowed her face in the crook of May’s neck. Tears slipped down her cheeks, sinking into May’s hair.
Promise me, Ana, you’ll make it better. For my ma-ma. For all the Affinites.
Ana drew another deep breath. The urgency to act, to move, sparked in her a smallest light in the dark. For the first time, she focused on the faces of the Affinites all around her, watching her silently. Waiting.
She pushed herself to her feet, cradling May’s body against her chest. Ana searched the chamber and met Yuri’s eyes; he looked down, guilt stamped onto his face as clearly as if it had been branded by a hot iron. “We need to take the tunnels out,” Ana said.
“Dyanna taught us to navigate the tunnels,” Yuri said, the sadness almost swallowing his voice. “She’s been working with the brokers for years, preparing for this moment. We have a safe house just outside of town.”
“Then we need to get moving and get to that safe house,” Ramson cut in. “You just took out an entire squad of guards; it should be a while before the reinforcements come. If we’re fast, we might not encounter any at all.”
Yuri narrowed his eyes. “Who appointed you as leader?”
“You and your incompetence,” Ramson snapped without missing a beat. “What, exactly, were you planning to do after you smashed the stage and set every guard in the area after you? Sit here and recite poetry?”
“Stop,” Ana said, sharply enough for both men to turn and look at her. She drew a deep, shuddering breath, trying to clear her head. May’s body was light in her arms; like this, with her eyes closed, she might have simply been asleep after a long day.
Focus, she told herself. She would not let May down. Ana turned to Yuri. “Ramson and I had planned to take the tunnels out of this place. It sounds like we are aligned.”
Yuri nodded. “It’s a maze down here, which can work to our advantage since any reinforcements will be spread pretty thin.”
“Then what are we waiting for?” Ramson pushed himself off the wall he’d been leaning against, hand on his injured side. The bleeding had stopped, Ana sensed.
Yuri turned to the silent Affinites who waited near the wall. “Redcloaks,” he said, and his voice was grave and steady. “Our time has come. Anyone who tries to prevent us from reaching our freedom is the enemy. Don’t hesitate to take them down.” He paused, his eyes blazing. “And I swear on my Deities and whatever gods or faith you take that I will protect all of you with my life.”
It was like setting a spark to kindling. An invisible breeze seemed to stir through the Affinites, drawing them to stand taller, replacing the fear in their faces with determination.
Yuri snapped his fingers and fires sparked to life in his palms, brighter than