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"I’ out to touchhis now gentle waret toover er, and I braceof et to finish He crusheshis arhtly He trembles a little, still afraid for his little sister "I’m fine," I tell him, so quietly only he can hear the lie

"No tilances around, still off balance, but gauges our location "Battle Garden’s that way, a few streets east"

Wolliver "Right" I nod, reaching out to hold her steady We can’t forget our mission here, even after that deadly debacle

But I keephe knohat lies in y Not because he won’t accept it, but because he’s too kind to want it

"Lead on," he says, turning to Farley His eyes soften a little, noting her dogged resolve to continue, despite her injuries and her nausea

Cal is also slow to his feet, unaccustomed to teleportation He recovers as quickly as he can, following us through the alleyways of the city sector known as Threestone The se Silvers died back in the Security Center,orders His orders once It can’t be an easy thing to stomach, but he must If he wants to stay with us, with me He must choose his side

I hope he chooses ours I hope I never have to see that eain

This is a Red sector, relatively safe for the ti us through an empty shop or two to avoid detection Security officers shout and dart over thetofor us here, not yet They still don’t realize what Shade is, how fast and far he canfor an officer to pass us by He’s distracted, like all the others, and Farley keeps us to the shadows

"I a I ain, he shakes his head He even butts h of that You did what you had to And look, I’ht No harm done"

No harm done Not to his body, but what about his mind? His heart? I betrayed hier, hoping to expel the thought that I have anything in co to focus on soot him away from the Seaskulls; then he went his oay Ran off like a"He buried three Mariners in the tunnels He’s got no place here any

"What about you?" He jerks his head, vaguely gesturing in the direction of Ocean Hill "After all that?"

After alain

"I said I’ht"

We lapse into a stiff silence, waiting for Farley to ainst the alley wall, but soldiers on when a crowd of noisy schoolchildren passes ahead We er road before entering another maze of back streets

Finally we duck under a low arch--or rather, the others duck; I sih I’m barely to the other side when Shade stops short, his free hand reaching out to stopforward

"I’y alain

"You’re sorry?" I ask, al at the absurdity "Sorry for what?"