won the battle for us.”
“And she might yet burn down this city,” said Jun. “We don’t know what she’s capable of.”
“She’s just a girl,” said Irjah. “She’ll be scared. Someone needs to tell her what’s happening to her.”
“We don’t know what’s happening to her,” said Jun.
“It’s obvious,” the Empress said. “She’s another Altan.”
“So we’ll let Tyr deal with her when he’s here,” said Jun.
“Tyr’s coming all the way from the Night Castle,” said Irjah. “You’re going to keep her sedated for an entire week?”
“I’m certainly not going to let her wander the city,” Jun answered. “You saw what the Gatekeeper did to the east wall. His Seal is breaking, Daji. He’s a bigger threat than the Federation.”
“Not anymore,” the Empress said coolly. “The Gatekeeper’s been dealt with.”
When Rin ventured to open her eyes, she saw no one standing over her, and she only half remembered what had been said. After another indefinite spell of dreamless sleep she wasn’t sure whether she had imagined the entire thing.
Eventually she came to her senses. But when she tried to leave the basement, she was forcibly restrained by three Third Division soldiers stationed outside the door.
“What’s happening?” she demanded. She was still a bit dazed, but conscious enough to know this wasn’t normal. “Why can’t I go?”
“It’s for your safety,” one of them responded.
“What are you talking about? Who authorized this?”
“Our orders are to keep you here,” the soldier said tersely. “If you try to force your way out, we will have to hurt you.”
The soldier nearest her was already reaching for his weapon. Rin backed up. She understood there was no arguing her way out of this.
So she reverted to the most primitive of methods. She opened her mouth and screamed. She writhed on the floor. She beat at the soldiers with her fists and spat in their faces. She threatened to urinate in front of them. She shouted obscenities about their mothers. She shouted obscenities about their grandmothers.
This continued for hours.
Finally they acquiesced to her demand to see someone in charge.
Unfortunately, they sent Master Jun.
“This isn’t necessary,” she said sulkily when he arrived. She had hastily rearranged her clothes so that it didn’t look like she had just been rolling around in the dirt. “I’m not going to harm anyone.”
Jun looked like the last thing he would do was believe her. “You’ve just demonstrated an ability to spontaneously combust. You set fire to the eastern half of the city. Do you understand why we might not want you running around camp?”
Rin thought the combustion had been more deliberate than spontaneous, but she didn’t think explaining how she’d done it would make her seem like any less of a threat.
“I want to see Jiang,” she said.
Jun’s expression was unreadable. He left without replying.
Once Rin got over the indignation of being locked up, she decided the best thing to do was wait. She was loyal to the Empress. She was a good soldier. The other masters at Sinegard would vouch for her, even if Jun wouldn’t. So long as she kept her head, she had nothing to fear. She mused, absurdly, that if she was going to get in trouble for anything, it might be opium possession.
At least she wasn’t being kept in isolation. Rin discovered that visitors could enter the basement freely. She just couldn’t leave.
Niang visited often, but she wasn’t much for conversation. When Niang smiled, it was forced. She moved listlessly. She didn’t laugh when Rin tried to cheer her up. They passed hours sitting beside each other in silence, listening to each other breathe. Niang was stunned with grief, and Rin didn’t know how to comfort her.
“I miss Raban too,” she tried once, but that only made Niang tear up and leave.
Kitay, on the other hand, she grilled mercilessly for news. He visited as often as he could, but was constantly being called away for relief operations.
In bits and pieces, she learned what had happened in the aftermath of the battle.
The Federation had been on the verge of taking Sinegard when she had killed their general. That, combined with the timely arrival of the Empress and the Third Division, had turned the battle in their favor. The Federation had retreated in the interim. Kitay doubted they would soon return.
“Things ended pretty quick once the Third got here,” he said. He cradled his arm in a sling, but assured Rin that it was only a minor sprain. “It had a lot to do with . . . well, you know. The