“Go to scorch,” Skye says, even as I’mwondering why the king himself would stoop so low as to visit thedungeons. Something about it doesn’t feel right. Doesn’t he havepeople to do this kind of work for him?

“Oh I will,” Goff sneers. “But not for a verylong time, not with the Cure in my possession. But you, my dearfire country animal, are heading there sooner than you think.”

“Stay away from her,” I growl.

Goff glances at me, a look of surpriseflashing across his royal face for a moment, but then morphing toamusement. He laughs. “Interesting,” he muses. “Making friends withthe natives I see. What’s this girl to you?”

When I don’t answer, he takes a step forward.“Guards! Please escort her back into her cell.”

Skye stiffens and I think she might take onall of them, Goff included, but then she wisely steps into hercell, says, “I’m goin’,” and even closes the door herself.

A guard moves forward and locks it behindher.

“Is he dead?” Goff says, motioning to thepile of flesh at his feet.

The same guard that locked the door bendsdown, sticks a couple of fingers to Big’s throat, says, “Justunconscious, your highness.”

Goff smiles an ugly smile. “You couldn’t evenkill him?” he says, looking in at Skye, who’s far enough back fromthe bars that I can’t see her.

“I chose not to,” she says.

“An important difference to you, I suppose,”the king says, “but to me, it shows your weakness just the same. Inany event, attacking a palace guard and attempting to escape aresufficient crimes to leave me no choice as to the punishment.”

He pauses, looks down the row, calm as awindless day, meeting each prisoner’s eyes. I’m pretty sure none ofus flinch away.

“Let this be a lesson to you all. Foolhardyescape plans and a bunch of children carrying them out will be thedeath of each and every one of you. Starting with her.” He points astiff finger at Skye.

Dread fills me, blackening my soul like afire darkens the inside of a fireplace.

“No,” Siena whispers. “No. You can’t dothat.”

Goff laughs, which is beginning to annoy me.“My dear, I’m the king. I can do whatever I want. She’ll be hung atdawn.”

~~~

“Skye?” Siena says for the fourth time.There’s no answer.

I take another look through the wall hole butSkye’s tucked in a corner somewhere, outta sight.

“Skye, we’ll find a way out of this,” I say.I mean it, although I don’t have an icin’ clue how.

“There’s no way out,” Skye says, finallybreaking her silence.

“There is,” Siena says, almost pleadingly. “Ilost you once, I won’t again.”

“Goff’s one sick man,” Feve says. “He’ll makeus watch.”

“Yeah,” Circ says, latching onto the thought.“We’ll all be there. We’ll fight. We’ll do everything we can tobreak you out.”

“So you can be hung right after me?” Skyesays. “Sear it all to scorch, don’t be foolish. Jade and Jolie areas good as dead if we all die. We’re the only ones who know.”

“No,” Siena says. “No. You can’t die. Youcan’t.”

“Oh, don’t you worry, Sister, I’ll fight likea Killer. They won’t get me that easy. I’ll fight ’em with my everylast breath, and then keep fightin’ even after I got noneleft.”

I close my eyes as reality sets in. There’sno escapin’ what’s comin’. The king probably knew exactly whatwould happen with all of us born fighters in the dungeon together.He wanted us to try to escape, so he could have his fun. So hecould give us hope and then snatch it away. So he could make uswatch him kill one of our own. With a jerk I realize that’s whothese people from fire country are to me. My own. All of them, evenFeve. He may not like me, and I may not much like him, but we’re inthis together now.

And Skye, well, there’s something with herthat’s worth exploring. I can’t let her slip away so fast. I justcan’t. But there’s nothing for it. There’s no plan that’ll work.There’s no spy I can call upon. There’s just me, Dazz, who’s failedat everything I’ve tried for the longest time. Except fighting. Solike Circ said, that’s what we’ll do. Every last one of us.

Fight until they stick us in the ground.

~~~

There’s no dinner tonight. My stomach’s allclenched up, aching and aching, but it’s not because I’m hungry.Every last ache is for her.

Every beat of my heart seems to ring out,louder than ever, like a dull bell ringing, counting down themoments on her life. I squeeze my chest tight, try to slow down myheart’s frantic pace, but on and on it beats, never ceasing,speeding up if anything.

Big’s gone. It took half a dozen guards tocarry him out.

Siena and Skye talk across my cell, but I shyaway from it, staying against the back wall, because I don’t wantto intrude. I’m nobody, just an outsider, someone they met by astrange twist of fate that left me with a bloodied nose and a blackeye. And Skye with a death sentence.

They talk about all kinds of things, storiesfrom their childhood and all that, and although her voice hides itwell, I can sense the tears on Siena’s cheeks. Skye, however, isherself, as tough and stalwart as ever, talking as if it’s justanother night, rather than the night to end all nights for her.

“Siena,” she says. “You take good care ofCirc, you hear me? Treasure him like you always have. Don’t evertake him for granted. Guys like him don’t grow on pricklers thesedays.”

“I will,” Siena sobs, and I feel a hot tearslip down my cheek, the first in a long time, since the Cold tookmy father. I wipe it away with an angry hand. Wes stares at meacross the hall, brows heavy.

“And you, Circ,” Skye says, a little louder,“don’t let me hear of you doin’ anythin’ to hurt my lil sis, or youknow I’ll find a way to kick yer butt from wherever I am.”

“I won’t,” Circ says.

She’s not stopping there. Everyone’s gettinga turn. “Feve,” she says, “you’ve done some searin’ stupid thingsin yer time, and you’ve hurt me and my sister more’n anyone, savefer my father, but yer more’n yer past, more’n what you done. Throwit all behind you and be the man yer capable of.”

“I’ll make you proud,” Feve says.

“Wilde, my sister,” Skye says. “You mighthave a different mother, a different father, but you’ll always bemy sister.” Another freezin’ tear splashes below me and I scrub atmy eyes with my fists.

“I know, Skye. And you mine. Go with honor,”Wilde says.

“Buff,” Skye says, and I stop rubbing myface. I didn’t expect us to be included in her goodbyes. We’re justIcers. “You seem like a good fella, and you’ve got a good friendsittin’ ’ere ’side me. He seems like he’s got more thunder in himthan a storm sometimes. Help him control it ’fore he searin’ gitshimself killed, will ya?”

I can’t hold back the laugh that chokes outtamy throat. “I’ll try,” Buff says, as if he’s just been given thebiggest challenge of anyone.

“Uh, Dazz’s brother,” Skye says.

“Wes,” he reminds her, watching me when hesays it.

“Thank you fer tryin’ to help us. When youthink of me, I hope you think of someone who tried to pay you back,who tried to fight fer you the same way you fought fer me.”

“I will,” Wes says, tucking his head in hishands. He barely knows her at all, and yet I can tell he feels her,the truth in her. The realness.

“Now git yer rest everyone,” she says and Istop moving, stop fidgeting, just sit there like a stone, waiting.Has she forgotten me? She mentioned me in her speech to Buff, somaybe that was all she had to say. I hang my head, knowing fullwell I shouldn’t expect more than that considering we’re only a fewdays from having met each other.

But still—I’d hoped.

Selfishness. That’s what my thoughts are,plain and simple. She’s gonna be hung and I’m worried about whethershe’s thinking of me the night before she dies.

But still—I’d hoped. I won’t sleeptonight.